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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
401

The response of an original equipment manufacturer to the Motor Industry Development Programme: a case study

Franse, Ricardo January 2006 (has links)
On the 21st September 1995, the government introduced the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP), in compliance with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Deliberate efforts by the South African government were required to promote structural changes to the domestic motor industry by opening up the economy to international competition through a programme of tariff reduction and export promotion. The integration of the South African automotive industry into global markets would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, without the MIDP and it would thus be safe to conclude that the economic performance of the researched would have been close to impossible if it was not for the MIDP. The MIDP, as an economic policy, has been embraced by the researched company as a "vehicle" to drive corporate goals in terms of value creation for all stakeholders. The research proposition that the MIDP as an economic policy has contributed to the economic performance of the researched company is examined. In this respect, Annual and Management Accounting reports were analyzed to determine the effect the MIDP has had on the researched company over the last ten years. In addition, two semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the Strategic Finance Planning executive and the Financial Controller of the company. The results show that the MIDP has had positive spin-offs for the researched company. The same results should be valid for the other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the local automotive industry that have embraced the MIDP as a vehicle to create economic value added.
402

A case study of strategy implementation at a major Eastern Cape component supplier company in the automotive industry

Koyana, Gwyneth Puseletso January 2009 (has links)
A review of the literature on strategy implementation reveals that there is limited knowledge on how strategies should be implemented. This thesis focuses on a case study of strategy implementation at a major Eastern Cape component supplier company in the automotive industry, for purposes of establishing how the company implemented its strategies to become one of the best cost leaders in the manufacture of automotive pressed metal body components in South Africa. Data collated from the company is analysed and discussed with a resultant description of how the research participants understood the process of strategy implementation within the research company during the period January 2006 to December 2007. Interviews were undertaken within the levels of top management, middle management and the operational employees. Interpretations were made of the constructs made by the research participants in their understanding of how the research company implemented its strategy to become one of the best cost leaders in the manufacture of automotive pressed metal body components. It transpired from the findings of the research that the research company manufactured 70% of its products for one major client. During the manufacture of its products, the research company had to conform to the quality standards required by the main client. The main client was therefore offered the desired service at the best price. The strategy of the research company was to strive to be one of the best cost leaders in the manufacture of its products. It sought to do this by producing high quality products. Analysis is made of the strategic content, strategic context, operational processes and outcomes for the research company after the implementation of its strategy. It emerges in the case study that the strategy implementation factors cannot be considered separately in linear models but holistically, since one implementation factor may influence the others, resulting in a context and process based approach.
403

Managing conflict across cultures, values and identities: a case study in the South African automotive industry

Mayer, Claude-Hélène January 2008 (has links)
Over the past fifty years, interest in the field of conflict management and peacekeeping has developed worldwide. During the same time, the potential for trans-ultural) conflict has escalated. This can mainly be attributed to the trend towards globalisation, as well as the growing complexity of societies increasingly experiencing more intercultural encounters or cultural transition situations and work-related or organisational conflicts. Cultural transition situations occur in the South African international automotive industry where the emergence of international co-operation, such as joint ventures (driven by globalisation) and new diversity management trends, have changed the way business is conducted. Due to these changes, employees of diverse origins with different cultures, values and identities work together, experiencing work-related conflicts. The purpose of this study was to assess managerial perspectives on conflict, identity and values, as well as on how (trans-cultural) conflict is managed in a selected international organisation in the South African automotive industry. The contribution of this study is twofold, namely to increase the understanding of the complexities of conflict in organisations; and to provide recommendations for conflict resolution strategies to manage (trans-cultural) conflict constructively by considering the values and identity aspects of those individuals involved. This study comprises a single explanatory case study which made use of qualitative data collection and analysis to investigate managerial perspectives on conflict, identity and values, as well as the management thereof, in the selected international organisation in the South African automotive context. Based on the main findings from this case study, it could be concluded that managers with diverse backgrounds experience work-related conflicts which are related to value and identity concepts in the selected organisation. The conflicts experienced fell into the categories of Communication and Treatment, Position and Competition, Organisation and Race and Gender.An overview of the occurrence frequency of value statements revealed that equality, communication and respect were the most commonly indicated values in conflicts. These value concepts include sub-concepts such as: · for equality: race, gender and human equality; · for communication: open, personal, free, decent, calm and proactive communication; and · for respect: mutual respect for self and others. With regard to value concepts and according to value domains of Schwartz (1994) and Schwartz and Bilsky (1987), the value dimensions of selftranscendence comprised the highest number of value statements. This dimension included the value domains of universalism and benevolence. Conflict in the data material was interlinked with identity. The extracts, based on the key words of the identity factors, demonstrated that the identity factors were related to either a weakening or strengthening effect on identities. Social and identity multiplicity in managers provides creativity spaces and flexibility in cases of strong identity patterns. Particularly with weak identities, the existence of conflict potentials could lead to complex conflicts and challenges in conflict management. Communication was most often mentioned as important to successful conflict resolution management and included examples such as round-table talks, smooth communication, face-to-face communication and room meetings. Communication was followed in frequency by strategies of internal intervention, which included the use of the formal structure of the organisation to resolve conflicts.
404

A maquina automotiva em suas partes : um estudo das estrategias do capital nas autopeças em Campinas / The automotive machine in its parts : a study on the strategies of the capital in automotive components sector in the region of Campinas

Pinto, Geraldo Augusto 06 November 2007 (has links)
Orientador: Ricardo Luiz Coltro Antunes / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T10:32:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pinto_GeraldoAugusto_D.pdf: 3740087 bytes, checksum: 69a9eaea78524b43a0163c2b3f00a928 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: A década de 90 trouxe grandes mudanças nas relações entre o Estado, as empresas e os trabalhadores no Brasil. Na indústria automotiva, a abertura comercial permitiu às montadoras aplicar estratégias globais no suprimento de autopeças, configurando uma cadeia de fornecimento hierarquizada, onde, nos primeiros níveis, estão as fabricantes de sistemas completos dos veículos (sistemistas), as quais também reproduzem estas relações com suas fornecedoras. Acompanhando este processo, mudanças na gestão do trabalho têm reformulado as estruturas de cargos nas plantas, exigindo novas competências aos assalariados e alterando o relacionamento que mantêm entre si nas esferas gerenciais e operacionais, fatos que se refletiram na própria organização do movimento sindical. Focando tais transformações no setor de autopeças da região de Campinas, os objetivos desta tese são compreender: (1) os principais aspectos das relações estabelecidas entre plantas filiais de grupos transnacionais com suas matrizes, bem como com suas clientes e fornecedoras, nos processos de hierarquização e redução da cadeia automotiva, cujo deslanchar no Brasil ocorreu em meio à desnacionalização deste setor; (2) como estes aspectos se relacionam com a implantação da gestão flexível do trabalho nestas plantas filiais, inclusive no tocante à conjugação de métodos dos sistemas taylorista/fordista e toyotista; (3) como tais mudanças têm afetado os trabalhadores, seja quanto aos perfis profissionais e educacionais exigidos e o montante de empregos ofertados, seja quanto às formas de mobilização e negociação sindicais construídas neste contexto. Para a consecução destes objetivos, revisamos a literatura sobre a reestruturação produtiva e sua difusão no Brasil após os anos 90, e realizamos um estudo de caso empírico numa empresa transnacional, situada na região de Campinas e fornecedora tanto de grandes sistemistas de autopeças quanto de montadoras. O Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos de Campinas também foi pesquisado, mediante entrevistas junto à sua direção e presidência, nas quais se abordaram as ações desta entidade em face da reestruturação produtiva nas empresas e das políticas neoliberais, suas concepções acerca das conseqüências destes processos sobre os trabalhadores, bem como o relacionamento que o sindicato vem tendo com a CUT. Os resultados mostram que a desnacionalização do setor de autopeças brasileiro teve profunda relação com as estratégias globais dos grupos transnacionais desta indústria, refletindo um embate entre corporações dos EUA e da Europa frente ao avanço da concorrência nipônica, liderada pela Toyota, embate no qual têm contado com a atuação dos Estados e das classes trabalhadoras. A implantação da gestão flexível nas plantas filiais de países periféricos, por sua vez, não apenas é parte desta luta mundial pela acumulação de capital, como a reproduz no próprio relacionamento cotidiano entre os assalariados, das gerências ao chão de fábrica, onde a hibridez do taylorismo/fordismo com o toyotismo tem configurado perfis de qualificação que fragmentam social, econômica e politicamente os trabalhadores. Por fim, a terceirização e o desemprego que emergiram destes processos têm imposto obstáculos à ação sindical, levando tensões e rupturas entre instâncias locais, estaduais e federais nos setores mais combativos, como ilustra o rompimento do Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos de Campinas com a CUT / Abstract: The Nineties brought significant changes to the relations among the state, the companies and the working class in Brazil. In the automotive industry, the commercial opening allowed car assembly companies to utilize global strategies on its parts supply, forming a hierarchized supply chain where, in the first levels are the manufacturers of complete vehicle systems (systemists), which also reproduce these relations with their suppliers. Following this process, changes in work management have remodeled the position structures in plants, demanding new competences to working class and altering the relationship that is maintained among them on the operational and managerial aspects, facts that reflected in the own union movement organization. Focusing on such transformations in the automotive components sector in the region of Campinas, this study is aimed at: (1) the main aspects of the relations established among branch plants belonging to transnational groups towards their headquarters, clients and suppliers, in the hierarquization and reduction of automotive chain whose boom occurred during this sector¿s denationalization; (2) how these aspects are related to the implantation of flexible work management in these branch plants, including when it comes to the taylorist/fordist and toyotist systems; (3) how these changes have affected working class, whether to their required personal and educational skills, whether to their union mobilization and negotiations build in this context. In order to achieve these goals, we went over the literature about productive restructuration and its spread across Brazil after the nineties, and we carried out an empirical study case in a transnational company, located in the region of Campinas and both supplier of big automotive components and assembly companies. The Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos de Campinas was also surveyed, through interviews along with its management running, in which actions of this institution were approached in the face of companies productive restructuration and neo-liberal policies, their conceptions about the consequences of these processes to the working class, as well as the good relationship the union has had with CUT. Results have shown that the automotive components sector denationalization had a deep relation with the global strategies of transnational groups of this industry, reflecting a struggle between American¿s and European¿s corporations against the Nipponese competition, led by Toyota, struggle which has counted on States and the working class. The flexible management implantation in the branch plants of peripheral countries, on the other hand, is not only part of this world struggle for capital accumulation, as well as the reproduction on the daily relations among in shop floor managers, where the taylorism/fordism hybridity along with toyotism systems have formed profiles of qualification that fragment socially, economically and politically the working class. Lastly, outsourcing and unemployment which rose from these processes have build big roadblocks to union actions, conducting strains and ruptures among local, state and federal institutions in the most combative sectors, as it has shown the disruption between Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos de Campinas and CUT / Doutorado / Sociologia / Doutor em Sociologia
405

The relationship between leadership and internal customer satisfaction within a motor manufacturing company in Gauteng

Samuel, Glen January 2005 (has links)
This research investigates the relationship between leadership and internal customer satisfaction, also called employee satisfaction in this document. The research is conducted within an automotive manufacturer situated in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. The Service Profit Chain forms the foundation on which this research is based as it suggests that the various factors within the service delivery system of an organisation ultimately affect the success of an organisation. From the Service Profit Chain, it is established that a factor that affects employee satisfaction is the leadership within the organisation. The Full Range Leadership Development Theory provides the backbone for analysing the leadership style of each manager by using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. The company’s employee satisfaction model provides the theoretical construct against which the employee satisfaction of the managers’ subordinates is measured using the company’s employee satisfaction questionnaire. Information was gathered from the managers who rated their leadership styles as they perceived it; and from their respective subordinates who rated the managers’ leadership style as they perceived it and also their satisfaction as employees as they perceived it. Data obtained from each instrument, for the respective managers, was then statistically analysed. The reliability of the data could not be proved for some of the factors of the 2 research instruments. However, this research found a statistically significant relationship between transformational leadership and some factors of employee satisfaction, albeit a weak relationship. The null hypothesis was rejected and the alternate hypothesis accepted. A statistically significant relationship exists between leadership style and employee satisfaction levels within an automotive manufacturing organisation.
406

Risk assessment and the effects of overhead work - an automotive industry example

Elliott, Andrew Brent January 2008 (has links)
The focus of this investigation was an analysis of the work demands being placed on South African automotive industry workers as there is a recognised problem with regard to the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Preliminary work was conducted to highlight the dominant risks and areas which elicited higher numbers of MSDs within the chosen automotive plant. An area of concern was highlighted through medical record analysis and the use of risk assessment tools, thereby prioritising the need for ergonomic intervention. In particular, the effects of varying restricted and overhead work heights on the biomechanical, physiological and psychophysical responses of an individual were investigated. Twenty-eight subjects were required to complete sixteen conditions. The conditions consisted of the adoption of restricted and upright overhead static postures, with half requiring the holding of four kilograms of weight in the hands and the remaining eight conditions having no weight. Testing was carried out using an electromyography unit, ergospirometer and a perceptual Body Discomfort Map and Scale. This involved a habituation and testing session. The results of the testing revealed the biomechanical and physiological responses were dependant on the change in height. Body discomfort was also shown to be variable over the changing height conditions. This indicates that there is a significant effect of height on an individual’s responses during overhead work. The extreme restricted (-200mm and -100mm) and upright (+300mm and +400mm) overhead conditions within this study were limiting, as they elicited the highest muscle activation, physiological responses and body discomfort ratings. Positions that are preferable to adopt, which were identified from the results in this study, indicate conditions closer to head height (0mm and +100mm) were favourable. The results therefore illustrate how awkward working postures during work are likely to elicit higher demands from an individual, which could lead to an increased risk for the development of a musculoskeletal disorder. The added factor of weight elicited significant results over all variables, excluding a respiratory The focus of this investigation was an analysis of the work demands being placed on South African automotive industry workers as there is a recognised problem with regard to the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Preliminary work was conducted to highlight the dominant risks and areas which elicited higher numbers of MSDs within the chosen automotive plant. An area of concern was highlighted through medical record analysis and the use of risk assessment tools, thereby prioritising the need for ergonomic intervention. In particular, the effects of varying restricted and overhead work heights on the biomechanical, physiological and psychophysical responses of an individual were investigated. Twenty-eight subjects were required to complete sixteen conditions. The conditions consisted of the adoption of restricted and upright overhead static postures, with half requiring the holding of four kilograms of weight in the hands and the remaining eight conditions having no weight. Testing was carried out using an electromyography unit, ergospirometer and a perceptual Body Discomfort Map and Scale. This involved a habituation and testing session. The results of the testing revealed the biomechanical and physiological responses were dependant on the change in height. Body discomfort was also shown to be variable over the changing height conditions. This indicates that there is a significant effect of height on an individual’s responses during overhead work. The extreme restricted (-200mm and -100mm) and upright (+300mm and +400mm) overhead conditions within this study were limiting, as they elicited the highest muscle activation, physiological responses and body discomfort ratings. Positions that are preferable to adopt, which were identified from the results in this study, indicate conditions closer to head height (0mm and +100mm) were favourable. The results therefore illustrate how awkward working postures during work are likely to elicit higher demands from an individual, which could lead to an increased risk for the development of a musculoskeletal disorder. The added factor of weight elicited significant results over all variables, excluding a respiratory individual.
407

EFFEKTIVISERING AV MATERIALFLÖDET : – HUR KAN ETT FÖRETAG FÖRBÄTTRA SINA EKONOMISKA PARAMETRAR? / Optimization of the material flow : – How can a manufacturing company improve its economic parameters?

Merkouris, Dimitrios January 2015 (has links)
The automotive industry has given over the last seven decades to the industrial world a sustained demand for vehicles. It is classed as one of the largest industries in the world and an industry that most use and develop new technologies with the goal to reduce their costs and increase their productivity.The Japanese philosophy that calls from the west-world for Lean Management is based on, among other things, the elimination of the "muda" which translates as waste through continuous efforts aimed at achieving a robust manufacturing. To achieve this, uses several methods and tools and among others is the Just-In-Time approach the most abundant. JIT means the right material will be in the right place at a specific time. This study will most be focused on a strategy that is considered the most extreme application of the concept, namely the Just-In-Sequence strategy in which the components are delivered in the right time and in the right sequence in a pull system manufacturing there the goal is to see if the lead times and resource need can be minimized.To test the appropriate theory takes the study place at Volvo Cars in Torslanda, Sweden. Volvo Cars manufactures some of the most popular cars in the world, with production in Europe, Asia, and from 2018 also in the United States. The company implements the Lean methods and especially JIT but also JIS in some parts of the assembly.This study was done on the engine department there the engines arrive from the supplier in a rack that runs further to the different buffers and from there to the production line for final assembly.The purpose was to investigate and report on how the company could through using of the JIS strategy affect the material flow as well as which economic benefits had this implementation resulted.The study took into account both sequencing at the supplier and sequencing in the plant after the arrival. Both methods resulted a more efficient flow of materials in which a reduction in the need of resources was noted. The sequencing at the supplier proved to be even more advantageous, as in most of the cases, production costs less at suppliers but also the reduction in capital was radically.IITo achieve a perfect sequence requires close cooperation with the suppliers and a quite big investment to create robust processes that eliminates the error probability.The main recommendation to Volvo Cars is to mostly focus on the big picture than on each plant individually. To achieve a more efficient flow and a better result for the entire organization is something that should be given priority even if a facility would then get a worse result. Finally, it is recommended to Volvo Cars to invest in a Just-In-Sequence strategy which bring benefits such as freeing up operative area in the factory, but most important of all, it reduces the lead times and the resource-costs. / Fordonsindustrin har under de senaste sju decennierna gett till industriella världen en oförminskad efterfrågan på fordon. Den klassas som en utav de största industrierna i världen samt en industri som mest använder och utvecklar ny teknik med mål att sänka sina kostnader och öka sin produktivitet.Den japanska filosofin som västervärlden kallar för Lean management grundar på bland annat eliminering av ”muda” som översätts som slöseri genom ett kontinuerligt arbete som siktar till att uppnå ett robust tillverkningssystem. För att uppnå detta används flera metoder och verktyg och bland andra är Just-In-Time metoden den mest förekommande. JIT innebär att rätt material ska vara på rätt plats på en specifik tid. I denna studie kommer mest läggas fokus på en strategi som anses av de flesta företag vara den mest extrema tillämpningen av konceptet, nämligen Just-In-Sequence strategin där komponenterna levereras helt enkelt i rätt tid och i rätt sekvens i ett dragande system och målet är att se om ledtiderna och resursbehovet kan minimeras.För att prova den lämpliga teorin äger studien rum på Volvo Cars i Torslanda. Volvo Cars tillverkar några utav de mest efterfrågade bilarna i världen med produktion i Europa, Asien och från och med 2018 i USA. Företaget använder sig av de ovannämnda Lean metoderna som JIT men även JIS på vissa delar av monteringen.Denna studie skedde specifikt på motoravdelningen där motorer ankommer ifrån leverantören i rack som vidare körs till olika buffertar och därifrån till produktionsbandet för slutmonteringen.Syftet var att undersöka och redogöra för hur företaget kan med hjälp av JIS-strategin påverka företagets materialflöde samt vilka ekonomiska fördelar hade denna implementering medfört.Studien tog hänsyn till både försekvensering hos leverantören och sekvensering efter ankomsten till fabriken. Båda två metoderna resulterade i ett effektivare materialflöde där en minskning av behövande resurser märktes. Sekvenseringen hos leverantören visade sig vara ännu fördelaktig då i de flesta av fallen är tillverkningskostnaderna mindre hos leverantörer men även minskning av bundet kapital var radikalt. Att nå en perfekt sekvens kräver nära samarbete med leverantören och en ganska stor investering för att skapa robusta processer som eliminerar felsannolikheten.Den huvudsakliga rekommendationen till Volvo Cars är att fokusera mest på helheten än på varje fabrik individuellt. Att nå ett effektivare flöde och ett bättre resultat för hela koncernen är något som borde prioriteras även om en anläggning skulle i så fall få ett mindre bra resultat. Slutligen rekommenderas till Volvo Cars att investera i en Just-In-Sequence strategi något som medför fördelar genom att frigöra viktig yta i fabriken men viktigaste av allt, genom att minska sina ledtider och sina resurskostnader.
408

Improving quality and productivity through lean manufacturing at an automotive manufacturing organisation in Durban

Rathilall, Raveen January 2011 (has links)
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Technology: Quality, Durban University of Technology, 2011 / The manufacturing sector, considered to be an important industry in any country, is often plagued with a significant degree of competition due to global marketing. In order to cope with this challenge, organisations attempt to improve their manufacturing operations by using different tools and techniques to reduce costs while remaining profitable. This study investigated the existing lean production system of an automotive manufacturing organisation in Durban. The objective of the study was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current lean manufacturing process in an attempt to improve quality and productivity. An empirical study was conducted, using a survey questionnaire with an assessment score ranking to gather and evaluate employees’ responses pertaining to lean application in the production environment. The quantitative method of research was adopted. The results of the study showed evidence of misalignment and inconsistencies for lean adoption in the organisation. There were significant relationships established between departments and job positions. The analysis demonstrated that operators within production showed the highest sentiment of disagreement for certain lean principles. The validity of the operators’ responses was significant as operators are the frontline of all processes and were in the best position to rank the extent of lean adoption. Several important findings on the implications of lean activities that affect manufacturing performance were revealed. The study concluded that a significant gap exists between the actual adoption of lean principles on the shop floor to those that are documented. It is recommended that organisations develop structured follow up procedures in order to have more control of the production system and thus ensure sustainability. Future research should focus at incorporating better and more efficient lean assessment tools to identify gaps in the production system and to replicate this study to track other South African organisations that claim to manufacture lean.
409

中國汽車產業的發展:從上海福斯汽車的案例來分析國際合資企業的成功因素 / Development of the Chinese Automobile Industry: Analysis of success factors for International Joint Ventures at the example of SVW

杜娣娜, Maria, Martina Unknown Date (has links)
The Chinese Market is the fastest growing market in the world. Especially in the car industry, where most countries are already saturated, in China the number of cars per person is still increasing, which makes it even more interesting. Many foreign companies have tried to enter the Chinese market in order to get a share of the profit. In the Automotive sectors, foreign companies that want to enter into China need to do this through a Join Venture (JV) together with a Chinese company. Often, these JVs fail, due to different reasons. However, Shanghai Volkswagen, the JV between the German Volkswagen AG (VW) and the Chinese Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) company, which was founded as early as 1985, is one of the very few successful, if not the most successful international JV in the Chinese automotive market. This paper tries to identify the main reasons for success of the German –Chinese JV, of which intercultural sensitivity, mutual respect for the other sides’ way of doing business, the willingness to commit long-term and with a high investment, were the main results. Even though many of the factors are mainly concerned with the environment as it was in 1985, some of the factors can still be a point of orientation for companies who want to enter the Chinese market at this point of time.
410

Essays on The German Automobile Industry

Leuwer, David 30 July 2014 (has links) (PDF)
This thesis consists of four essays that study the effect of demand and supply shocks (namely exchange rate shocks, policy shocks and oil price shocks) on the German automobile industry using time series analysis techniques; i.a. intervention analysis, (time-varying) VAR models, state space modeling and Kalman filtering. Chapter 2 investigates the degree of (EUR/USD) exchange rate susceptibility of the German automobile industry (and mechanical engineering industry). It is shown that – in contrast to well-known warnings by business representatives and politicians alike – an appreciation of the Euro does not necessarily cause German vehicle producing companies “pain” in the sense of an aggravated business climate (although the (quantity) effects on exports are as predicted by theory). Chapter 3 first of all deals with the effect of the global economic crisis on the German manufacturing sector in general and the German automobile industry in particular. Even more important, the influence of the scrapping scheme, that was introduced as part of the “Konjunkturpaket II” in 2009, is researched. Chapter 4 focusses on the role of (systematic) monetary policy as well as the automobile industry in the transmission of oil price shocks to the economy. Chapter 5 extends the results of chapter 4 by examining carefully the role of fuel-efficiency in explaining the different degrees of sensitivity of the vehicle industries in Germany, Japan and the US with regard to oil price shocks.

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