Chapter 14 1. What policies were put into place to increase employment and reduce lay-offs?
The government hands out subsides to companies that keep surplus workers and a shor-time compensation program that allows employees to collect unemployment in exchange for reduced hours at work.
A private employer-employee work arrangement that also accomplishes a similar goal of working time reduction during slack demand by allowing German companies to set up working hours accounts for their employees. In turn this helps employers to adjust the amount of work done to face peaks and troughs in production without having to its employee’s overtime. 2. Can unions/works councils increase employee interests?
The job alliances increase works councils’ input into company strategy and the crisis has drawn employers and work councils closer together. Both are determined to defend and increase Germany export success. Public and private policies are structured so that economic downturn is minimized through burden sharing-rather than asking a few to take on the burden through lay-offs, the German model asks more workers to share the cost and as can be seen from 2008-2009. 3. Can a recession create an innovative approach to managing a labor force?
The number of people of working age in western Germany shrank for the first time and the companies the hardest hit were those threat were already having problems recruiting skilled worker. To face this scarcity many firms have developed a “dual system” of vocational training that combines classroom teaching and hand son experience, BMW alone has an annual intake of 1,000 apprentices. The German workforce and the entire German economy and made its labor force almost immune to any reduction of economic growth

Chapter 15 1. As you look at how Toyota has surpassed GM and the other U.S. automakers, in what ways do you think its