To thrive, developing countries depend on high levels of protection being given to key industries such as manufacturing; specifically the automotive and textile industries. South Africa, as a developing country and especially under the emergence of globalisation, has followed suit in terms of developing policies and structures to protect certain critical industries. During an era (1980 to 1989) of high political instability, South Africa experienced isolation from the rest of the world, which resulted in declines in industrial revenues as well as the country’s automotive industry undergoing a stage of perilous stagnation. It was through a protection regime that the automotive industry realised growth, a regime which started slowly in 1989 and accelerated in 1995 with the introduction of the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) (Black, 2001). Through this regime the South African government sought to integrate the South African automotive industry into the global market by improving the competitiveness of this industry (The DTI, 2010). This led to the automotive industry becoming one of the most successful export sectors in South African manufacturing and a large net consumer of foreign currency, totalling R20 billion and R10 billion in imports and exports respectively by 1998 (Damoense and Simon, 2004). Reviews of the government legislation called the MIDP were held in year 1999 and 2002 and in 2008, a successor to the MIDP was named, the Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP) and is set to commence in year 2013 until 2020. Unlike its predecessor, the APDP policy promises to bring greater and more inclusive benefits to the automotive industry as a whole, provided organisations have prepared well to receive it. This study investigated whether organisations have prepared for the upcoming 2013 - 2020 APDP, with specific reference to capital investment in equipment. It determined whether automotive organisations have spent and are going to spend resources in securing equipment and technology in preparation for the introduction of the APDP.

Human attributes that constitute a good leader in terms of leadership qualities and thinking styles are somewhat limited. The latter situation makes it difficult to employ the right person with the right leadership qualities in the continuously changing world of work (Lussier & Achua, 2000). The researcher investigated the relationship between cognitive styles and leadership styles of individuals who are employed in the automotive industry and in a supervisory position. A quantitative research methodology was employed for the study of (n= 115) using the Cognitive-Style Indicator (COSI) developed by Cools and van den Broeck (2007) and the Leadership-style questionnaire developed by Clark (2007). Leadership styles have been researched throughout the world, but a dearth of research specifically pertaining to cognitive styles was rather limiting in the context of the research that was undertaken. On the one hand, leadership focuses on three main dimensions, namely: Authoritarian, Participative and Delegative Leadership Styles. According to Clark (2007), the above three dimensions are the core styles that are used within the workplace. On the other hand, a three-dimensional cognitive style model, as proposed by Cools and Van den Broeck (2007) incorporates three dimensions with specific characteristics pertaining to each style. These three dimensions were labelled as: Knowing (K), Planning (P), and Creating (C) styles, which were utilised to find a significant relationship between the various leadership styles. Significant relationships were found between the Cognitive-Planning style and the Participative Leadership style, the Delegative Leadership style and the Knowing-Cognitive style, the Creative-Cognitive style and the Delegative Leadership style, and the Knowing-and-Planning Cognitive style. Similarities were also found between the Coloured and African groups, as the Delegative style is relevant to both the Coloured and African groups, while the participative style is more prominent in the White racial group. No significant correlations were produced for the Asian group, however. Organisations are rapidly changing and adapting to various types of change; and it is essential for all employees – and not only those within a leadership position – but it is imperative that leaders should not only understand and know their cognitive and leadership style, but also of those individuals who are reporting to them.

South African organisations are facing a new era of intense global competition. The modern business world is characterised by change and this change presents both challenges and opportunities. As a result, organisations have to become more responsive to change by continuous, rapid and cost-effective innovation through integrating the strengths of the entrepreneurial small firm, such as creativity, flexibility and innovativeness, with the market power and resources of the large firm. Due to the dynamic nature of the automotive industry, it is vital that South African organisations and management identify creativity and innovation as the main sources of sustainable competitive advantage. Sustained competitive advantage is derived from consistently satisfying customers’ wants and needs through innovation. An intrapreneurial philosophy is of key importance to an organisation’s corporate strategy, ensuring that entrepreneurial values are incorporated into the culture of the organisation. This study took place within an automotive component company operating in the Eastern Cape. Based on the theoretical findings of the literature study a questionnaire was developed and distributed to all employees of the company. The objective of the questionnaire was to measure the prevalence of intrapreneurship within the company and based on the findings of the literature study, recommendations on the structure, systems, culture and management styles of the organisation were made. Finally, a model was developed that identifies the importance of innovation, customer-solution centeredness and being market driven as core strategic values.

M.Comm. / Powerful tides of change are surging across the world we live in. "To meet the challenges posed by a world that is changing at an ever-increasing pace, we must let go of values, and beliefs, and practices that have or shortly will become anachronistic and reformulate new ones that are congruent with changed circumstances." (Maynard & Mehrtens, 1993 :27.) The period of industrialisation - the Second Wave - belongs to the past, while a next wave of change - the Third Wave - is making its presence felt. Industrial-age companies are hierarchical and their source of strength lies in stability. In the new era demands for participation in management, shared decision making, personal growth, flexibility, change and network (flatter) organisational structures will intensify. The new long-term strategy for the South African motor industry was announced in March 1994 and brought about a permanent change in the industry. Survival of the local motor industry will depend on the ability to adapt to change. A mindtwist or mindset change is required of the people in the local motor industry. The South African motor industry is still entrenched in the industrial age with its hierarchical structures and its lack of focus on the individual and the customer. The lack of cooperation between manufacturers and their dealer networks stresses the need for network structures and cooperation. The current focus of the South African motor industry on product and market share needs to be changed to customer orientation and market creation. Market creation and focus on the needs of the customer must become a way of life for everyone involved in the industry. This will ensure that buying a car, owning it, running it, having it serviced will be a delightful experience for the customer. The acceptance and implementation of third-wave management principles is an issue for today - tomorrow may be too late!

We will go through an overview of the car industry in Europe and the rest of the world, then we will explain what is the impact of the Marketing - online Marketing - on customer decision when buying a car. This will lead us to analyze car manufacturers Supply Chain and how are reflected customer choice in the production process. Finally we will approach the latest solution found by car manufacturers and adopted by Volkswagen group: platform sharing.

The success of the South African automotive production industry relies on the industry support programs from the Government. The industry’s seven Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of passenger vehicles are wholly owned by respective Multinational Companies (MNCs) and they, together with the Components suppliers, engage with the Department of Trade and Industry, as Host Country (HC), in the development of the automotive industry support programs. The research tested the Obsolescing Bargain Theory (Vernon, 1971) within the South African Automotive Industry context of three bargain cycles of the industry programmes, viz. 1989 Local Content Phase VI, the MIDP of 1995 and APDP introduced in 2013. The study explored the longitudinal interaction between automotive MNCs and the Host Country in terms of relative bargain power during the three bargain cycles. Using the qualitative single case study method, nine industry stakeholders were interviewed, and responses were triangulated with secondary data. The findings provided the following insights into the automotive industry’s bargain power relations between government and multinational companies: The relative bargain power shifted towards MNCs due to the locational disadvantage of the HC, FDI spill-over effects on components suppliers, employment and technology, as well as due to investments driven by short product cycles. Further insights emerged in terms of the collaborative nature of MNC-HC relations during the three bargain cycles due to industry significance. This research was of value in extending research on the obsolescing bargain theory, particularly in the manufacturing industry. It was also of value to the future of bargain relations between the automotive and manufacturing industries with the government, in general. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

No description available.

No description available.

The study aims to research the performance of past and present motor industry policy in South Africa - with special reference to Phase VI of the local content programme and the Motor Industry Development programme (MIDP) - in the light of the domestic macroeconomic environment and global developments in the world automotive industry. The overall objective of this dissertation is to contribute to the debate on motor industry policy which concerns what future policy would be appropriate for the development of a viable and competitive motor vehicle industry. Thus this study is primarily policy-oriented, and the empirical analysis produced deals with important developments in the local motor and component industries and attempts to examine key variables to establish the likely impact of industry-specific policy changes - both past and future. The method of investigation involves the study of relevant theoretical literature regarding domestic automotive policy, and considers policies of low-volume automobile producing economies, especially Australia, Philippines, India and Malaysia. Also, empirical data of various sub-sectors of manufacturing in South Africa were examined and compared to the motor vehicle sector in order to determine the extent to which the macroeconomic state of the domestic economy as distinct from automotive policy might explain the performance of the South African motor industry. The dissertation presents a review of the local content programme of motor industry policy in South Africa since the early 1960s. It examines the claim that import-substituting policy in the motor industry actually had a negative impact on the country's balance of payments. The study finds questionable whether local content policy contributed significantly to the large net foreign exchange usage by the motor industry in real terms. There is evidence that increases in the nominal industry trade deficit can largely be explained by the weakening of the Rand, especially during the mid-1980s. Also, empirical data was used to make an examination of the performance of automotive exports under Phase VI and the MIDP in the context of economy-wide trade liberalization. It was found that exports of automotive products grew significantly under both Phase VI and the MIDP in real Rand terms. Thus, it seems probable that industry-specific policy played a major role in the strong export performance of the sector since the late 1980s through to the 1990s. The study then reviews the revised version of the impact of the MIDP and considers the future of the industry. The state of the domestic macroeconomic environment and globalization of the international automobile industry, including the influence of Transnational Corporations' (TNCs') strategies, will undoubtedly determine the future direction of South Africa's automotive sector. In the short to medium term, we might expect an increase in imported vehicles and some rationalization of the industry. Over the longer term, the possibility of fewer OEMs and component suppliers, and automotive exports are likely to rise as trade and the inflow of foreign investment accelerates due to foreign collaboration and global competition. A simple theoretical model applicable to the South African automotive industry attempts to show the welfare implications of a protective automotive regime (similar to Phase VI) and compares it with that of a more liberal (tariffs-only) automotive regime that may be considered as a likely policy-option for South Africa post-MIDP. The theoretical analysis indicates that the tariffs-only policy is superior to that of a more protective regime in that static efficiency losses are lower. However, the dynamic effects of such policy changes and of possible TNC responses to them, which are referred to in the previous paragraph, are not included in this simple model. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2001.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 361-383).