International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management (7 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Attributes for open innovation with automotive suppliers in new product development: a case study of the electrical and electronic system  
  by Huong Giang Nguyen, Marlene Kuhn, Jörg Franke 
  Abstract: This paper addresses the phenomenon of open innovation (OI) with automotive suppliers in new product development (NPD). An attempt is made to create an in-depth understanding of how the OI-relevant attributes
  Keywords: open innovation; open innovation attributes; supplier management; new product development; NPD; automotive; E/E system; wiring harness.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2023.10052502
   
  
• Working capital determinants in the automotive industry: An empirical analysis  
  by Francesco Fasano, Maurizio La Rocca, Francesco Rizzo 
  Abstract: High-growth opportunities in the automotive industry make financial policies very important to firms operating in this sector because they need a huge amount of liquidity to undertake new investments, especially during the current transition towards electric vehicles. Working capital has a key role in corporate financial policies. In particular, it can both sustain transactions in the supply chain and provide automotive firms with the resources to fund their growth projects and face market competition. This paper studies the determinants of two key components of working capital, trade credit and trade debt, using an international sample of 8,471 automotive companies over the 2011
  Keywords: working capital; trade credit; trade debt; automotive industry; automotive firms.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2023.10053116
   
  

Special Issue on: GERPISA 2022 The Transformations of the Global Automotive Industry Digitalisation, Ecological Transition and the Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis

• Composition of a Mobility as a Service offer for university students based on willingness to pay and its determinants  
  by Lisa Kraus, Heike Proff, Carla Giesing 
  Abstract: The uptake of mobility as a service (MaaS) is imminent, especially among university students, a customer group likely to promise superior revenue. Because research on students’ willingness to pay (WTP) for MaaS is still missing, this study provides an analysis on students’ MaaS preferences, including differences between students, preferences of services, and their WTP to design MaaS bundles and discover the revenue potential. A conjoint analysis was conducted among 1,165 students at the University Alliance Ruhr, Germany. The average WTP was
  Keywords: mobility as a service; MaaS; willingness to pay; clusters; mobility behaviour; Germany.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2023.10053474
   
  
• The South African Auto Industry in a World of GVCs: Lead Firm Sourcing Strategies and Local Supplier Development  
  by Lorenza Monaco, Tobias Wuttke 
  Abstract: This article aims to contribute to the theoretical debate on GVCs-driven industrialisation in emerging economies and to the South African policy debate by closely investigating the local manufacturing base in the South African auto industry and the prospects for its further expansion. For this purpose, it builds on more than 50 semi-structured interviews, conducted throughout 2021 with assemblers, large multinational component firms with subsidiaries in South Africa, local component manufacturers, policy makers and industry experts. The paper argues that only by combining an understanding of lead firms’ sourcing strategies and local component suppliers’ perspectives, an assessment of obstacles and opportunities for localisation is possible. In this regard, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of sourcing strategies of the assemblers and multinational component firms and a comprehensive picture of structural, policy-related, market-dependent, and capability-related issues that local component suppliers face with regards to deepening local value addition.
  Keywords: automotive industry; sourcing strategies; localisation; global value chains; global production networks; assemblers; component suppliers; South Africa; industrialisation.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2023.10053708
   
  
• Global trends and spatiotemporal shifts in the automotive assembly footprint  
  by Hamza Rarou 
  Abstract: In this paper, I study the spatiotemporal dynamics that occured in the automotive industry between 1899 and 2018. Globalization dynamics decreased the transportation costs of goods, people, and ideas and changed the spatial configuration of car assembly quite drastically. I combine insights from the eclectic paradigm, economic geography, and the core-periphery literature to shed light on how assembly plant footprints formed and evolved over time. By 2018, most plants were Asian-owned and located in developing and peripheral countries, breaking a century-long dominance of European and American carmakers and of developed core countries. I analyze the spatial implication of this production reorganization using spatial point pattern methods and tests. I found that significant spatial footprint shifts were correlated with regional integration processes and the 2008-09 financial crisis.
  Keywords: spatial footprint; automotive industry; eclectic paradigm; economic geography; core-periphery; globalization; international production.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2023.10053977
   
  
• How automotive OEMs can lever platform-based ecosystems through the strategic use of boundary resources  
  by Christoph Buck, Laura Watkowski 
  Abstract: While platform-based ecosystems have drawn massive attention, the focus has primarily been on the platform development, architecture and governance of digital native firms. Nonetheless, mainly product-focused industries are suffering severe changes in how value is perceived by consumers. Thus, they sense an urgent need for change toward establishing platform-based ecosystems in order to survive and remain competitive. As recognised in the automotive industry, OEMs miss fruitful guidance on how to make their resources strategically available to external actors and how to manage them to profit from complements and knowledge spill-overs. Once opened, resources are harder to control; thus, automotive OEMs fear hostile misuse. Based on a systematic literature review, we derive state-of-the-art knowledge concerning the strategic use of boundary resources (BRs). Further, we provide insights through interviews with experts on how to cope with the tensions of openness of resources so as to enhance platform-based ecosystems’ value.
  Keywords: selective revealing; strategic revealing; boundary resources; resource revealing; platform based; ecosystem; software platform; platform governance; automotive; car manufacturer; OEM.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2023.10054201
   
  
• The Effect of Organizational Sales Management on Dealership Performance  
  by Sekai Kida, Daniel A. Heller, Yusuke Tamura, Eiji Motohashi, Hidenori Sato, Yasuhiro Hattori 
  Abstract: The objectives of this paper are to grasp the current situation of Japanese automobile dealers (sales outlets) and discover what are the effective capability and management practices for them. We analyse quantitative data obtained from questionnaires distributed to new vehicle sales outlets in the Tokyo region of Japan. We have three major findings. First, the overall sales performance of Japanese sales outlets appears to be unsustainably low, suggesting there will be ongoing consolidation even after a post-pandemic recovery. Second, the paper provides empirical evidence that there are significant differences in the new vehicle sales performance of sales outlets across vehicle brands and segments. Third, we found that acquisition capability and job role formalisation at sales outlets have significant negative effects on new vehicle sales performance. The results suggest the importance of role flexibility at sales outlets.
  Keywords: sales management; car dealers; dealerships; showrooms; cross- functional cooperation; new customer acquisition; customer retention; formalisation.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2023.10054854