Franz Schober Book order

This book features revised and updated papers from the 17th joint seminar of the faculties of economics at the Universities of Nagoya and Freiburg, held in 1997 to celebrate 25 years of collaboration. The focus is on long-term economic and business challenges faced by Japan and Germany at the turn of the century. Both nations grapple with interconnected issues such as labor market dynamics, budget deficits, demographic shifts, and the future of social security systems. Additionally, globalization, technological advancements, and evolving social values are driving structural changes in economies and institutions, leading to deregulation and the emergence of network economies. These changes foster new forms of cooperation among firms, customers, and suppliers. Furthermore, the network economy is reshaping company structures and management practices in both countries, introducing organizational models like holding companies and virtual enterprises, as well as enhancing collaboration among small and medium-sized enterprises, human resource management, and compensation strategies. While the overarching challenges in Japan and Germany mirror those in other mature economies, the nuances and specifics differ, necessitating tailored solutions. Identifying these similarities and differences through theoretical and empirical analysis was a primary goal of the seminar and previous discussions.

This publication deals with current labor market issues in Japan, Germany and the European Union. In the book, the „labor market“ serves as central focus point, yet the methodology of addressing this focus point is very broad. It includes the analysis of the general labor market development and its conditions in the European Union and in Japan as well as more specific investigations, such as the impact of fiscal policies, exchange rates or information technology on the demand for labor. The book also focusses on the single firm level, particularly on organizational performance, worktime flexibility and on occupational health and safety management. Other contributions address specific subsectors of the economy, such as the role of the female workforce in Japan, the development of the rural labor market in East Germany or the comparative impact of international workforce migrations in Hungary and in Japan. The results of the book, which reflect the outcome of an international conference at the University of Freiburg in 1996, may help to understand in more detail one of the most complex and serious problems of today's society and to find ways for its solution.