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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000004300756 | HD9710.A2 M39 2004 | Open Access Book | Advance Management | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000004300715 | HD9710.A2 M39 2004 | Open Access Book | Advance Management | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
The automotive industry ranks among the most significant business phenomena of the 20th century and remains vitally important today, accounting for almost 11% of the GDP of North America, Europe and Japan and one in nine jobs. In economic and social terms alike, its products have had a fundamental impact on modern society - for better and worse. Yet the industry has found it hard to adjust to recent challenges and is no longer much valued by the capital markets. It is riven with internal contradictions that inhibit reform, and faces a stark choice between years of strife or radical change. This book is a wake-up call for those who work in the automotive business. It highlights the challenges and opportunities that exist for managers, legislators, financial institutions and potential industry entrants. Most of all, it gives us all cause to reflect on the value of our mobility, today and tomorrow.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
This important, highly readable, and authoritative book on the global auto industry is a must read for all those interested in this society-transforming industry. Maxton and Wormald, experts on the topic, describe the industry's huge problems: stalling growth; manufacturing overcapacity; loss of control and unstable relationships with suppliers; low and negative profit margins; and such value-destroying business practices as too much product proliferation and manufacturing complexity. They prescribe a wholesale reorganization and unbundling of the industry, with each company concentrating on what each does best. Both industry problems and prospects are clearly described, car company by car company, in terms the general reader can relate to. There are excellent chapters on car manufacturing; supplier, sales, and repair networks; and possible futures. Short chapters on the social problems of the automobile (air pollution, accidents, congestion) caused by the increasing worldwide "auto-mobility" are also useful. The discussion of new engine technologies and fuel sources is particularly timely. There is no comparable book. Excellent index; numerous graphs, tables, and figures. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers; students, upper-division undergraduate and up; faculty and professionals. D. Brand formerly, Harvard University
Table of Contents
| 1 From automania to maturity: in the main markets at least |
| 2 The problems that can be fixed: dealing with noxious emissions, traffic accidents and congestion |
| 3 The global resource challenges: energy and space |
| 4 A global industry: the changing international order |
| 5 The supplier industry: the catalyst for the profound changes to come |
| 6 The downstream sales and service sector: the coming revolution |
| 7 When the numbers don't add up: an industry that doesn't earn its keep |
| 8 Choosing a future for the automotive industry |
| 9 Time for a model change |
