International Production Networks in the Automotive Industry:Drivers and Enablers

The automotive industry was one of the earliest to internationalise, with overseas production by US companies already happening in the early 1900s. However, the arrangement for overseas automotive production at that time was quite different from the idea of international production networks in the contemporary sense. There were few linkages between international locations and overseas operations were designed either as largely self-sufficient, vertically integrated, replications of their domestic factories or as CKD/SKD assembly plants with little local technical content. By comparison, our current understanding of international production networks is that they are dispersed, collaborative, high value adding and centrally coordinated. This paper uses global company case analysis to identify the drivers and enablers that shape the international production networks of two automotive companies, BMW and Volvo Cars. The methodology contrasts with previous network studies of the automotive industry that have concentrated their analysis at the country and regional level. /320191409_International_Production_Networks_in_the_Automotive_Industry_Drivers_and_Enablers [accessed Oct 18 2017]

Absorptive Capability of Japanese and European MNCs : Balance between Autonomy and Control of R&D Subsidiaries in the US

This paper analyzes the capability of Japanese and European multinational companies (MNCs) to absorb technological knowledge from the United States through their R&D operation in the US. Employing the notion of “absorptive capacity”, this research defines the capability of a firm to absorb technological knowledge from abroad as “absorptive capability (AC),” and aims to examine the components of AC and their interrelationships using patent and sales data in the context of R&D management of Japanese and European MNCs at home and in the US. This paper also presents the taxonomies to show that a balance of autonomy and control is the key to increasing AC in the US and contributing to the US market sales by utilizing the home and host country technologies

Kajian Literatur Terhadap Peran Transfer Pengetahuan Dalam Konteks Perusahaan Multinasional

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menunjukkan dan meringkas aspek penting dari transfer pengetahuan (knowledge transfer) dalam konteks perusahaan multinasional Desain / metodologi / pendekatan - Tinjauan aspek SD didasarkan pada 15 jurnal yang diterbitkan dari tahun 2005 sampai dengan tahun 2015 database akademik yaitu Emerald, dengan melihat kata kunci  "knowledge transfer” dan "Multinational Corporation”. Temuan - Melalui tinjauan literatur, makalah ini merekomendasikan Untuk meningkatkan keunggulan-keunggulan kompetitif dari suatu perusahaan global, aktivitas-aktivitas SDM yang  perlu untuk memfokuskan diri pada pengembangan kemampuan- kemampuan internasional yang dimiliki. Perusahaan-perusahaan yang telah berhasil mengglobalkan aktivitas-aktivitas SDM mereka memerikan 5 karakteristik penting yang ditemukan dalam kajian literatur. Keterbatasan penelitian / implikasi –Hanya menggunakan 15 jurnal sebagai sumber kajian orisinalitas / nilai - penelitian ini menyajikan tinjauan literatur pada aspek penting pada perusahaan multinasional yaitu : transfer pengetahuan (knowledge transfer) Kata kunci- Transfer Pengetahuan (knowledge transfer), Perusahaan Multinasional (multinational corporation

Industrial R&D in Italy: What are new dynamics of exploitation and exploration?

This paper aims at exploring the dynamics of industrial R&D activities in large companies. Through the use of four case studies of the largest R&D centers of Italian firms operating in different industrial sectors (telecommunications, automotive, rubber and plastics, and semiconductors), we try and compare the different approaches that private R&D centers have chosen in the recent past, to face the challenges of growing complexity in their research areas and increasing constraints in budgets devoted to R&D activities. The difficulties Italian companies face in the management of their R&D investments have to do with the specificities of a fairly weak national innovation system as well as with challenges that are common to other national and industrial contexts.

Changes in work and production organisation in the automotive industry value chain: an evaluation of the responses by labour in South Africa

ABSTRACT This research report examines the changing nature of the organisation of work and production methods in the South African automotive industry through an examination of the global production network of a leading automotive company, BMW. It draws on Marxist theory of the transformation of the labour process and extends this theory to include the contemporary restructuring of the automotive industry through the introduction of global production networks. It is argued that, while this logistical revolution has increased productivity, it has also opened up new sources of bargaining leverage for workers through the introduction of new production concepts such as Just In Time (JIT) and Just In Sequence (JIS). Through an analysis of the supply chain of BMW in South Africa and Germany the study demonstrates the contradictory nature of contemporary restructuring in the global automotive industry. The method used in the study involved in-depth interviews with key actors in the industry, a field research trip to the BMW Regensburg assembly plant in Germany, extensive consultation of union documentation and extensive participant observation in the process of restructuring in my capacity as head of Organising, Campaigns and Collective Bargaining (OCCB) in the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA)

Peak Car and the Future of Urban Mobility. Exploring 21st century urban trends and their implications for the automotive industry.

For many decades, car manufacturers, urban planners and large parts of society saw the automobile as an integral part of modern life and it was the preferred mobility option for many people. It symbolized freedom, independence and liberation and has frequently been seen as a status symbol. Motorized vehicle travel has grown steadily over the past century but now has started to peak in most developed countries. Demographic changes and an ageing society, the rise of information and communication technologies, changing urban spatial patterns and increased urbanization, changing consumer preferences and fundamental shifts in urban social lifestyles are reducing demand for automobile travel. The question for the automotive industry therefore increasingly becomes one of defining its future role in the 21st century urban transportation. This thesis aimed to explore current urban trends influencing our urban transportation systems. While current mobility issues were briefly looked at, the focus was on understanding urban trends influencing passenger transportation in developed countries. Recent answers and growth strategies of the car industry were mirrored against those trends to find potential shortcomings and mismatches. The research revealed that there is a certain disconnect between the urban trends and how car manufacturers are seeing and responding to the trends. Most of the urban trends described in this thesis were taken into consideration by the car manufacturers in some way. However, in most cases there has been a focus on a technological fix of the challenges and though there are certainly many synergies and advantages to explore through the employment of new technologies, it is most likely not the only answer. The car manufacturers seem to be whistling past the grave yard and are stuck in their need to defend the technologies they have invested in so much. The thesis concludes with implications for the automotive industry as well as urban planners and policy makers and how they can respond to these changing urban trends. The author encourages a more multi-modal approach for our future urban transportation systems as well as more cooperative out-of-the-box thinking by both – private and public sectors

Market Integration and Technological Leadership in Europe

This study traces and analyses the changes in firm and industry structure due to EU market integration and the integration of the EU in the global economy. It focuses on changes in competitiveness based on innovation and technology development.european union, eu, denmark, sweden, norway, jonung, bergman, scandinavian, currency, union, synchronisation of cycles, co-movement of cycles, monetary unions, symnetry, symmetry, european business cycles

Technology adoption and the organization of production. The case of digital production technologies

open1noopenguendalina anzolinAnzolin, GUENDALINA MARI