DOCSLIB.ORG

Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry ISSN: 1402-1544 ISBN 978-91-7439-XXX-X Se i listan och fyll i siffror där kryssen är DOCTORAL T H E SIS Åsa Kastensson Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry Automotive in the Åsa Kastensson Managing Innovation Product Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences Division of Business Administration and Industrial Engineering ISSN 1402-1544 Managing Product Innovation ISBN 978-91-7439-919-6 (print) ISBN 978-91-7439-920-2 (pdf) in the Automotive Industry Luleå University of Technology 2014 In light of the environmental challenge Åsa Kastensson In light of the environmental challenge Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry In light of the environmental challenge Åsa Kastensson Industrial Environmental Management Luleå University of Technology Åsa Kastensson, Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry © 2014 Åsa Kastensson Industrial Environmental Management Division of Business Administration and Industrial Engineering Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences Luleå University of Technology SE-971 87 Luleå SWEDEN Printed by UniversitetstryckerietLuleå University of Technology,, Luleå 2014 Graphic Production 2014 ISSNISSN: 1402-1544 ISBNISBN: 978-91-7439-919-6 (print) ISBN 978-91-7439-920-2 (pdf) Luleå 2014 Luleå 2014 www.ltu.se Åsa Kastensson, Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry Preface This doctoral thesis was performed at Industrial Environmental Management. During the years with this research project a large number of people have supported both the research and with friendship. Thank you all. Professor Johan Sandström, my supervisor. Your support has been invaluable and you have contributed to my journey from a practitioner to an academic. Thank you for believing in me and my project from the beginning, providing conditions to an environmental approach. You have provided scientificity with an open mind and great knowledge. Dr. Anders Claesson, my co-supervisor. You have accompanied me through the whole research process, first as industrial supervisor at Saab Automobile and later as co-supervisor. Thank you for all support and creative discussions. You have during all years challenged my thoughts and opened my eyes for different phenomenon in the industry. You have become a good friend and I am looking forward to continue the collaboration after this project. Roger Gustafsson, my executive at Saab and initiator of this research project. Thanks for all years working with you. It has been knowledgeable and fun and I miss it. My former colleagues at Saab, thank you for contributing in the interviews and attending the workshops. Especially thanks to Bertil Gustafsson who has contributed with knowledge about the automotive industry and the history of Saab. Also to Anders Holmkvist who provided a lot of energy and support in enabling a continuation of the project after Saab’s bankruptcy. The participants from Volvo Personvagnar, thank you for letting me in to perform the workshop with you. Also a great thank to all participating in the SåNätt project, especially to Bengt, Axel and Fredrik. Professor Anders Nilsson and Dr. David Rönnberg-Sjödin, thank you for reading and contributing valuable comments on an early draft of the thesis. It has improved the clearness. My colleagues at Quality Technology and Environmental Management, thanks for your collegiality and nice “fika” breaks. Special thanks to Helena and Diana (Informatics) for your friendship and encouragement during the process and Fredrik, contributing comments on my manuscript. I also want to thank my former colleagues at Product Innovation, especially Johan och Johan, ”my Åsa Kastensson, Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry neighbours”, always supportive and ready for fun providing a relaxed and gentle atmosphere. My fellow PhD students at the research school for women, Luleå University of Technology, Evelina, Ida-Linn, Anneli, Eva, Päivi, Lucille, Mojgan, Rosa, Elisabeth and Åsa. Funding from Vinnova, FFI (Fordonsstrategisk Forskning och Innovation) is greatly acknowledged. Finally I want to thank my beloved family and dear friends. The thesis is dedicated to my husband Pål and children Klara and Axel. Pål, you have supported me and taken a large responsibility during this process, always encouraging with a positive mind. Klara and Axel, my dears, I enjoy the relaxing time with you, it is so valuable and it gave me the strength to overcome all hurdles on the journey. Luleå, May 05, 2014 Åsa Kastensson Åsa Kastensson, Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry Abstract A company’s ability to introduce new products is a key success factor for sustaining a competitive advantage. Increasing environmental concerns are an even stronger incentive to innovate. Environmental regulations will exert immense pressure on manufacturing industries, which will increase in the future, enabling a more sustainable world for coming generations. Facing the automotive industry, an aggravating circumstance is, however, that the industry is deeply affected by the paradigm grounded in mass production, a dominant design and incremental development. A common view in the innovation literature is that large, established firms usually experience difficulty fostering radical innovations. Taking on the environmental challenge, it is argued that companies lack the methods, tools and processes to scan markets and to find opportunities beyond their existing businesses. Further challenges fostering radical innovations are the conflicting demands to explore new opportunities in parallel with daily business. The aim of this thesis is to explore the prerequisites embracing innovations in terms of what hinders and enables the development and implementation of new technologies in future products. The research question is answered through qualitative studies at Saab Automobile, Volvo Cars and the lightweight project SåNätt. I also draw upon my experience working in the automotive industry for many years. The empirical studies revealed different approaches to develop radical innovations. While one of the companies focused on radical development of new concepts aiming to build a supplier structure for collaboration, the other company’s focus was on incremental development of technical solutions to be implemented in a shorter time horizon. However both companies were stuck in the paradigm where the first focused on more explorative projects and through significant interest in technology and a more informal way of working, they managed to bypass several parts in the paradigm. The other company was managing the projects through a formal process governed by strategic plans and a strong implementation focus and was more deeply committed to its infrastructure for body manufacturing thus hindering more radical changes. The thesis shows that some inertias in the paradigm can indeed be challenged, but it also shows that in order to succeed in an environmentally driven transition, the paradigm dominating the automotive industry has to be questioned. Keywords Innovation, product development, environmental, automotive industry, CO2, lightweight concepts Åsa Kastensson, Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry Åsa Kastensson, Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry Thesis This thesis comprises the following appended papers: Paper A: Kastensson, Å., Larsson, A., Ericson, Å. (2010) Embracing risk to pursue product innovation. Proceedings of the 17th International Product Development Management Conference, June 14-15, Murcia, Spain. Paper B: Ericson, Å., Kastensson, Å. (2011) Exploit and Explore: Two ways of categorizing innovation projects. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Engineering Design, August 15-18, Copenhagen, Denmark. Full paper, peer- reviewed. Paper C: Kastensson, A., & Johansson, C. (2011) Decision making in gates: based on formal basis or gut feeling? International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning, 7(2), 140-152. Paper D: Kastensson, Å. (2014) Developing lightweight concepts in the automotive industry: taking on the environmental challenge in the case of SåNätt. Journal of Cleaner Production 66, 337-346. Paper E: Kastensson, Å., Claesson, A., Gustafsson, B. (2014) Innovation in a dominant Paradigm. Submitted to: International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management. Åsa Kastensson, Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry Åsa Kastensson, Managing Product Innovation in the Automotive Industry Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 RESEARCH MOTIVATION .............................................................................................................................. 5 2 THE RESEARCH PROCESS ....................................................................................... 7 2.1 SETTING THE SCENE (PHASE 1) ................................................................................................................... 10 2.1.1 Purpose ......................................................................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.2 Theory ........................................................................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.3 Method .........................................................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Components for the Automotive Industry
    Components for the Automotive Industry Automotive in Focus – Transmission Control 04 With its global emphasis and almost Components, Materials and Technologies 13,000 employees, the “Fortune 500” Exhaust Line 06 company Heraeus is in every market. for the Automotive Industry Having a localized presence Heraeus can adjust to the requirements of individual Power Assisted Steering 08 countries.The Heraeus Precious Metal and Technology group achieved total sales of 22 billion Euros in 2010. Spark Plugs 10 Cockpit 12 In close cooperation with automotive OEMs and suppliers, Heraeus develops innovative, technical components and materials for the Headlights 14 automotive industry. For electronics Heraeus produces among others Sensors 16 bonding wires, special thick film and solder pastes, precious metal powders and ultrafine solder powders, and polymers. Heraeus Power Electronics products are used, for instance, in power for Electro-mobility 18 electronics and many control devices, e.g. for the transmission, engines, ABS (Anti- Safety 20 lock Braking System), and airbags. A variety of metal and precious metal parts from Heraeus ensures the smooth functioning of the electrical Heraeus Service safety systems, e.g. emergency braking and and Quality Assurance 22 lane assist systems, and the ESP (Electronic Stability Program). At the same time, platinum temperature sensors and catalyst coatings are employed in the exhaust systems of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. The platinum temperature sensors monitor, among other things, the turbocharger and the burn-off of the diesel particle filter. Heraeus was founded in 1851. Today the precious metal and technology group is globally represented on a very broad basis with a comprehensive product portfolio and occupies leading positions in all important market segments.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Local Governance in Urban Planning and Development
    Exploring Local Governance in Urban Planning and Development The case of Lindholmen, Göteborg Doctoral dissertation Åsa von Sydow Stockholm 2004 TRITA-INFRA 04-026 ISRN KTH/INFRA/--04/026--SE ISSN 1651-0216 ISBN 91-7323-090-1 Royal Institute of Technology Department of Infrastructure Division of Urban Studies Unit of Urban Planning SE-100 44 Stockholm Telephone: +46 8 790 60 00 http://www.infra.kth.se/SP/ © Åsa von Sydow, 2004 Printed by Universitetsservice AB, Stockholm. ii Exploring Local Governance in Urban Planning and Development The case of Lindholmen, Göteborg Åsa von Sydow Royal Institute of Technology Department of Infrastructure Division of Urban Studies Abstract In the late 1970s the city of Göteborg was faced with massive job loss as well as an empty urban waterfront (Norra Älvstranden) due to the closing down of the shipyards. Since then Göteborg has been struggling to transform itself into a successful post-industrial city. The political leadership has worked diligently at promoting Göteborg as a knowledge and event city with the goal of creating growth in the region. After the shipyard crisis an area on the waterfront called Lindholmen was planned for housing, green areas and the preservation of an historically valuable building. In 1997, however, this all changed when the pri- vate company Ericsson started to look for a new office location and showed interest in the area. The company demanded the establishment of an IT-cluster consisting of 10 000 workplaces on the pier. This started a process which re- sulted in Lindholmen Science Park, a growth environment for knowledge in- tensive, high-tech companies.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding a New Balance in the Automotive Industry Driving Responsible Innovation and Transformation for the Next Decade Executive Summary
    Finding a new balance in the automotive industry Driving responsible innovation and transformation for the next decade Executive Summary The automotive sector’s already dizzying pace of change is accelerating. This report gives Capgemini’s perspective on the most important changes that can be expected between now and 2030, and the adaptations that automotive companies will have to make to ensure continued success. 2 Finding a new balance in the automotive industry Following eras of industrialization these requirements: Subscriptions (1920s to 1970s), globalization (late and agency sales will become more 1970s to 2015), and digitalization, a common, for example. new era of change is emerging, driven • Intelligent Industry: The next by three megatrends that automotive generation of digital engineering companies are recognizing as critical to and manufacturing will build on their future: technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, and the • Sustainability: Societal and internet of things (IoT) to create a regulatory pressure means that data- and software-driven industry. companies need to adopt an end-to- Intelligent products and systems, end approach to sustainability that operations, and services will improve addresses not just the environmental uptime, reduce costs, and boost impact of the vehicle, but that of efficiency, and hence increase value every aspect of their operations and for companies, their customers, those of their partners. To tackle this and their partners. Software will issue adequately, Original Equipment play a crucial role in the automotive Manufacturers (OEMs) will need industry and influence it radically. to change their culture. They will also have to rethink the way they Increasingly, too, automotive companies collaborate with their suppliers and need to operate and establish a partners to realize the concept of a clear position within a wider mobility circular economy.
    [Show full text]
  • Technology Roadmap: Materials and Manufacturing
    Technology Roadmap: Materials and Manufacturing Shashank Modi Abhay Vadhavkar © Center for Automotive Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA Introduction ......................................................................................................................................3 The World We Know ..........................................................................................................................3 Materials ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Manufacturing .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Technology Drivers ............................................................................................................................5 The World on the Horizon ..................................................................................................................7 Materials ................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Manufacturing .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Enablers and Threats ........................................................................................................................ 11 Risk of
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom to Move in a Personal, Sustainable and Safe Way
    VOLVO CAR GROUP ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Freedom to move in a personal, sustainable and safe way TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW 4 2020 Highlights 6 CEO Comment 8 Our Strenghts 10 The Volvo Car Group 12 Our Strategic Affiliates THE WORLD AROUND US 16 Consumer Trends 18 Technology Shift OUR STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 22 Our Purpose 24 Strategic Framework HOW WE CREATE VALUE 28 Our Stakeholders 30 Our People and Culture 32 Product Creation 38 Industrial Operations 42 Commercial Operations MANAGEMENT REPORT 47 Board of Directors Report 52 Enterprise Risk Management 55 Corporate Governance Report FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 60 Contents Financial Report 61 Consolidated Financial Statements 67 Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 110 Parent Company Financial Statements 112 Notes to the Parent Company Financial Statements 118 Auditor’s Report 120 Board of Directors 122 Executive Management Team Freedom to move SUSTAINABILITY INFORMATION 124 Sustainability Management and Governance 129 Performance 2020 PERSONAL SUSTAINABLE SAFE 139 Sustainability Scorecard 144 GRI Index Cars used to be the symbol for personal freedom. Owning a car meant that you had the We commit to developing We commit to the highest We commit to pioneering 146 TCFD Index means to be independently mobile – that you owned not just a vehicle, but choice as and building the most per- standard of sustainability the safest, most intelligent 147 Auditor's Limited Assurance Report on sonal solutions in mobility: in mobility to protect technology solutions in Sustainability well. Nothing of that has changed, but the world we live in has. The earth, our cities and to make life less compli- the world we share.
    [Show full text]
  • Chemistry and the Automotive Industry Jeremy Pedigo Western Kentucky University
    Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Masters Theses & Specialist Projects Graduate School 5-1-2008 Chemistry and the Automotive Industry Jeremy Pedigo Western Kentucky University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses Part of the Chemistry Commons, and the Environmental Health and Protection Commons Recommended Citation Pedigo, Jeremy, "Chemistry and the Automotive Industry" (2008). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 372. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/372 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses & Specialist Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHEMISTRY AND THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY A Thesis Presented to The Department of Chemistry Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science By Jeremy Allen Pedigo May 2008 CHEMISTRY AND THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY Date Recommended l\pfA ISt Director of Thesis 0 oG\a //Vw' Dean, Graduate Studies and Research Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A special thanks is extended to Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems, Inc. for use of information, tools and resources, and Western Kentucky University for its assistance with third-party laboratory testing. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page ABSTRACT vii I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 6 A) Environmental compliance 6 B) Third party laboratory testing 14 C) Future of the chemist in the U.S. automotive industry 15 III. METHODS 17 Method 1: Environmental compliance 17 A) Chemical reporting by the IMDS database 17 B) Internal XRF screening 18 Method 2: Third party laboratory testing 18 A) Part testing for pigments containing the four heavy metals..
    [Show full text]
  • Koenigsegg to Embark on Evolutionary Journey for Future Growth
    Koenigsegg to embark on evolutionary journey for future growth Press release 29 January 2019, Ängelholm, Sweden Koenigsegg AB is forming a strategic partnership with NEVS AB, enabling the development of parallel vehicle models in slightly higher volumes with emphasis on electrification, as well as strengthening growth opportunities in the hyper car segment. NEVS is making a capital injection of EUR 150 million, thereby taking a 20 percent minority stake in Koenigsegg’s parent company. Additionally, the parties are forming a joint venture to expand into new market segments where NEVS AB is contributing USD 150 million in starting capital for a 65 percent stake and Koenigsegg obtains 35 percent by contributing primarily with intellectual property, technology licenses, and product design. The partnership will deepen an already existing collaboration between Koenigsegg and NEVS, creating synergies between their geographical footprints, experiences and competencies. Koenigsegg already has a distinguished unique market position for hyper cars, and through the additional joint venture NEVS and Koenigsegg are partnering up to develop a product for new and untapped segments, leveraging both of the companies’ strengths. Through NEVS production facilities in Trollhättan, Koenigsegg will access additional capabilities as well as benefiting from the extensive automotive knowledge in the region, whilst maintaining their centre of excellence in Ängelholm. Alongside NEVS capacity for production in Trollhättan and China, NEVS through its majority owner Evergrande, has a wide distribution platform and channels through ownership in one of China’s largest car retailers. “Koenigsegg is breaking new ground, capitalising on our unique technology, performance track record and market position to explore and develop new products.
    [Show full text]
  • MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE (Recommended Length: 3-5 Pages)
    MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE (Recommended Length: 3-5 pages) 1. Company Name 2. Marketing or Promotional Statement 5-7 words briefly describing your business and its product or service 3. Product or Service Description Nature and detailed description of your product or service What do you sell? What are the benefits your products/services? What is special, unique, or different about your product or service? Describe your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). 4. Market Analysis Service/Industry Background and Description Market Segments Current Market Situation Analysis Competitive Analysis - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Marketing Research Who are your competitors? What do your competitors do better than you? What do you do better than your competitors? What is your competitive position? How large is your overall market? What is your market share? Is your market share increasing, shrinking, or stable? How do your prices compare to your competitors' prices? How do you establish prices? What are your business strengths? What are your business weaknesses? What might keep you from achieving your goals? Is your market changing in any ways? What facts or new information do you need to figure out? 5. Target Market Target Market Definition Demographic and Psychographic Profile for Primary and Secondary Customers What are your target markets? Who are your current customers? What are their buying habits? Why do your customers actually buy your goods/services? Who are your best customers and prospects? Marketing Plan Outline (Continued) 6. Marketing Objectives Revenues (Year one, Year two, Year three) Profits (Year one, Year two, Year three) Market Share – Optional What are your overall goals? 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Increased Automobile Fuel Efficiency and Synthetic Fuels: Alternatives for Reducing Oil Imports
    Increased Automobile Fuel Efficiency and Synthetic Fuels: Alternatives for Reducing Oil Imports September 1982 NTIS order #PB83-126094 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 82-600603 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 Foreword This report presents the findings of an assessment requested by the Senate Com- mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The study assesses and compares increased automobile fuel efficiency and synthetic fuels production with respect to their potential to reduce conventional oil consumption, and their costs and impacts. Con- servation and fuel switching as a means of reducing stationary oil uses are also con- sidered, but in considerably less detail, in order to enable estimates of plausible future oil imports. We are grateful for the assistance of the project advisory panels and the many other people who provided advice, information, and reviews. It should be understood, how- ever, that OTA assumes full responsibility for this report, which does not necessarily represent the views of individual members of the advisory panels. Director Automobile Fuel Efficiency Advisory Panel Michael J. Rabins, Chairman Wayne State University Maudine R. Cooper* John B. Heywood National Urban League, Inc. Massachusetts Institute of Technology John Ferron John Holden National Automobile Dealers Association Ford Motor Co. Donald Friedman Maryann N. Keller Minicar, Inc. Paine, Webber, Mitchell, & Hutchins Herbert Fuhrman Paul Larsen National Institute for GMC Truck and Coach Division Automobile Service Excellence Robert D. Nell James M. Gill Consumers Union The Ethyl Corp. Kenneth Orski R. Eugene Goodson** German Marshall Fund of the United States Hoover Universal, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • The Paradigms of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy As Enabling
    social sciences $€ £ ¥ Article The Paradigms of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy as Enabling Drivers for the Competitiveness of Businesses and Territories: The Case of an Italian Ceramic Tiles Manufacturing Company Fernando E. Garcia-Muiña 1 , Rocío González-Sánchez 1 , Anna Maria Ferrari 2 and Davide Settembre-Blundo 1,3,* 1 Department of Business Administration (ADO), Applied Economics II and Fundaments of Economic Analysis, Rey-Juan-Carlos University, 28032 Madrid, Spain; [email protected] (F.E.G.-M.); [email protected] (R.G.-S.) 2 Department of Sciences and Methods for Engineering, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy; [email protected] 3 Gruppo Ceramiche Gresmalt, Via Mosca 4, 41049 Sassuolo, Italy * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-0536-867-011 Received: 1 November 2018; Accepted: 30 November 2018; Published: 4 December 2018 Abstract: Sustainable development and the circular economy are two important issues for the future and the competitiveness of businesses. The programs for the integration of sustainability into industrial activities include the reconfiguration of production processes with a view to reducing their impact on the natural system, the development of new eco-sustainable products and the redesign of the business model. This paradigm shift requires the participation and commitment of different stakeholder groups and industry can completely redesign supply chains, aiming at resource efficiency and circularity. Developments in key ICT technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), help this systemic transition. This paper explores the phases of the transition from a linear to a circular economy and proposes a procedure for introducing the principles of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) in a manufacturing environment, through the design of a new Circular Business Model (CBM).
    [Show full text]
  • Next Generation Supply Chain: Supply Chain 2020
    Supply Chain 2020 Next generation supply chain: Supply chain 2020 July 2013 Copyright © 2013, by McKinsey & Company, Inc. Next generation supply chain: Supply chain 2020 Knut Alicke Balaji Iyer 2 Next generation supply chain Supply chain 2020 3 Contents Acknowledgements 5 Introduction 7 1. Key trends shaping supply chains 9 2. Implications for the next generation supply chain 15 4 Next generation supply chain Supply chain 2020 5 Acknowledgements We would like to thank Sumit Dutta, a partner in our Mumbai office, and Muthiah Venkateswaran, an associate partner in our Chennai office, for their contributions to this whitepaper. We would like to thank Insa Mareen Wente, a consultant based in our Hamburg office; Kerstin Kubik, a knowledge expert based in our Vienna office; and Markus Leopoldseder, a director of knowledge (supply chain management) based in our Vienna office, for their contributions. We would also like to thank Vineeta Rai for the editorial support; Kulsum Merchant for the support in external relations; J Sathya Kumar and Nipun Gosain for their visual aids support. This whitepaper is not based on any primary research that we conducted; it synthesises our perspectives gained from past research and experience in serving multiple stakeholders of supply chains over many years. For the experience and perspectives, we acknowledge our supply chain practice without whose efforts this whitepaper could not have been published. Finally, we would like to thank the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and CII Institute of Logistics for the opportunity and the forum to provide our perspective on supply chain evolution. This work is independent and has not been commissioned or sponsored in any way by any business, government or other institution.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case of Saab Automobile AB from Core Capabilities Into Core Rigidities - a Trajectory Towards Demise
    Master Degree Project in Knowledge-based Entrepreneurship The case of Saab Automobile AB From core capabilities into core rigidities - A trajectory towards demise Giacomo Buzzoni and Magnus Eklund Supervisor: Evangelos Bourelos Master Degree Project No. 2016:148 Graduate School The Case of Saab Automobile AB From Core Capabilities into Core Rigidities - A Trajectory Towards Demise © Giacomo Buzzoni & Magnus Eklund School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Vasagatan 1, P.O. Box 600 SE 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden All rights reserved No part of this master thesis may be reproduced without prior written permission from the authors Acknowledgements First of all, we would like to thank our supervisor Evangelos Bourelos for his patience and effort in providing us with meaningful advice throughout these months of intense research. We would also like to express our appreciation and gratitude towards all our respondents who have allocated their valuable time to help us interpret this interesting case. Your passion, knowledge and commitment guided us through this journey, and we have enjoyed every single day of it. Finally, we would like to thank our peer students and all the people close to us for your support during our years of university studies. Without you, this would not have been possible. ABSTRACT This master thesis is addressing the case of Saab Automobile AB, creating a full historical reconstruction using primarily extensive quotes derived from semi-structured interviews with former Saab employees and other relevant actors. The aim is to depict and discuss the roots behind the company’s historically unique capabilities and its trajectory towards failure, together with the influence of General Motors’ ownership in this detrimental process.
    [Show full text]