Diss.--Wirtschaft--Hohenheim--Univ., 1995. / Bibliogr. p. 261-283.

It is argued that the neo-classical approach of regarding the market economy as a largely sufficient means of optimising technological and economic development is quite unrealistic and market forces alone cannot assure rapid technological and economic development. It is suggested instead that the pace of technological change and industrial transformation can be accelerated by well-directed pro-active State intervention. To do so, the State must allocate resources, articulate goals, identify time frames, design and implement appropriate policies as well as establish linkage and integrative mechanisms. This thesis focuses on defining the characteristics of a State that can stimulate technological advancement in carefully selected sectors to achieve mastery of particular technologies in the drive for economic development. According to the argument of this thesis, it is by means of a developmental State, that technological development can become endogenised and it is differences in State capacity that largely explain variations in economic performance amongst developing countries. State actions that create coherence between the public and private sectors, so leading to a synergistic interaction promoting the strengths of both to the detriment of neither are also defined and described. From the starting position that it is the developmental State that is best positioned to co-ordinate and prioritise in order to bring about rapid technological and economic development, the thesis explores what are the defining characteristics of such a State. In addition to the three features recognised in the literature: - relative autonomy, capacity, and embeddedness - the thesis argues that for a State to become developmental, four other features are required. These are: - legitimacy of the State, unity in society, motivation for economic development, and political stability. The essence of this thesis's theoretical contribution is that it is the extent to which these seven features are developed, as well as the manner and extent of their interaction with one another, that determines the level of developmental capacity of a State in any particular period. By means of this theoretical framework, the socio-historical and political processes in the South Korean and Turkish States are analysed with reference to their car manufacturing industries. Technical changes implemented throughout the history of the three Turkish passenger car plants are investigated, together with the firms' characteristics and performance. The nature and objectives of technological changes generated in the plants are explored and both macro and firm-level factors that affect the firms' technological efforts are identified. The focus of the case studies is to uncover the precise nature of the means and mechanisms whereby the South Korean State's interventions proved to be so much more effective than those of the Turkish State.

Afin d’accroître la valeur perçue de leur offre, les entreprises peuvent avoir recours aux stratégies d’enrichissement de produits, consistant à ajouter de nouveaux attributs à des biens déjà existants sur le marché. Toutefois, une revue de la littérature, complétée par une étude qualitative exploratoire, permettent de constater que ces politiques marketing ne conduisent pas nécessairement à une amélioration du degré d’attractivité d’un produit complexe. Afin de clarifier les conséquences de ces stratégies sur la valeur perçue d’une offre, une expérimentation est menée dans le secteur automobile. Celle-ci démontre qu’un attribut supplémentaire est seulement susceptible de créer une valeur émotionnelle additionnelle et peut à l’inverse provoquer, dans plusieurs cas, une détérioration de la valeur sociale ou de la valeur économique d’origine du produit complexe. Certains des effets observés peuvent s’expliquer par le prix perçu et l’avantage fonctionnel perçu de l’attribut ajouté. Néanmoins, les coûts d’apprentissage perçus de l’équipement supplémentaire ne semblent pas affecter, d’un point de vue global, le processus de valorisation d’un bien complexe enrichi. / In order to increase the perceived value of their offerings, companies can implement product enhancement strategies, consisting in adding new attributes to existing products. However, a literature review and an exploratory qualitative survey highlight that these marketing strategies are not always effective to improve the attractiveness of a complex product. To clarify the consequences of these innovation policies on perceived value of a product, an experiment has been carried out in the car industry. According to the results, a new attribute can only generate an additional emotional value. In contrast to this value creation, it may cause, in some cases, a decrease of the social or economic product value. Some of these effects can be explained by the perceived price and the perceived functional advantage of the added attribute. However, the perceived learning costs of the new feature don’t seem to be able to act, on the whole, on the process of enhanced complex product valuation.

O objetivo deste trabalho de pesquisa é realizar uma análise exploratória do desenvolvimento de novos produtos e produção em empresas do segmento automotivo que adotam a estratégia modular. A estratégia para a indústria automotiva é uma forma de simplificar a gestão de um produto, considerado complexo, num ambiente de intensa competição, inovação tecnológica e redução do ciclo de vida do produto. Na verdade, é um conjunto de conceitos que leva a novas formas de organizar o desenvolvimento do produto e a produção, possibilitando a transferência de atividades de projeto do produto e produção na cadeia produtiva. Para o delineamento da pesquisa foi utilizado o estudo de caso na análise de duas montadoras de veículos comerciais que produzem produtos semelhantes (caminhões e chassis de ônibus). Uma das montadoras opera com o sistema de consórcio modular e a outra, embora mais convencional, aplica o conceito de modularidade na linha de montagem final. O estudo de caso também foi utilizado na análise de dois fornecedores de primeiro nível, que fornecem motores para a montadora que opera o consórcio modular, sob a óptica do desenvolvimento de novos produtos e montagem do módulo no veículo. De uma forma ampla, a pesquisa revelou que os novos desenvolvimentos de produtos modulares influenciam o sistema produtivo existente e por outro lado, este também exerce influência no projeto do produto. Para minimizar as consequências as montadoras lançam medidas que integram os times de engenharia e fornecedores e adotam medidas para simulação do processo antes do início de produção. / The aim of this research paper is performing an exploratory analysis of the new product development and production in automotive companies that use the modular strategy. The strategy for the automotive industry is a way to simplify the management of complex products in an environment of intense competition, technological innovation and shorter product life cycles. Indeed, it is a set of concepts that lead to new way of organizing the product and production development, enabling the transfer of project activities and production in the chain. Aiming the research design, it was used the case study analysis in two automakers, which produces similar products (trucks and bus chassis). One of the automakers operates the modular consortium system, and the other, though more conventional, applies the modular concept in the final assembly line. Also, the case study was used in the analysis of two first tier suppliers, which supplies engines for the automaker that operates the modular consortium, in order to know how the new product development happens. Generally, the research has shown that the new product development influences the existing modular production system, and in the other side, this also influences the product design. However, to minimize the consequences, automakers launch measures in order to integrate the teams and suppliers, and adopt measures to simulate the process before starting of production.

M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Sc. (Environmental Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Comm. / The objectives of this research can be summarised as follows: To integrate the customer research technique of attribute analysis with the volume planning process. To determine whether attribute analysis, is a useful and reliable tool for determining purchase behavior in the small sedan segment of the motor industry. To determine a customers perception of total product value through attribute analysis. To analyse the influence of price in the purchase decision. To determine whether a market share theorem that weights the perceived value of a vehicle, relative to its competitors perceived value is a reliable predictor of market penetration. To identify the determinant attributes in the decision making process of purchasing a small sedan vehicle. The research component of this dissertation is limited to the small sedan passenger segment of South African car market. While it is recognised that the small sedan segment is only one sub-sector of the vehicle market, it is felt that the study will provide a fair reflection of how the approach could be utilised in other sectors.

A mathematical model which predicts the cooling system performance for a rally car is derived in this study. A case study vehicle was made available by a local manufacturer for evaluation of the cooling system. Two heat exchangers compatible for the vehicle were tested in a controlled wind tunnel environment to determine its heat transfer characteristics. Including the relationship between fluid flows and vehicle speed, a function resulted through which the cooling system performance can be predicted. Including the heat generated by the engine to be dissipated by the cooling system and the effect of ambient conditions on heat generated and dissipated, an energy balance results. Using the energy balance a contour plot is generated which predicts the suitability of the heat exchanger at various ambient conditions. The tool thus allows the user to assess the cooling system on the day of the race, highlighting whether the required cooling will be achieved. / Dissertation (MEng(Mechanical))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted

The automotive components manufacturing sector is facing tremendous pressure to remain competitive in a global economy. The application of performance improvement techniques to optimise factor production inputs remains a key strategic mechanism to effect the necessary change towards competitiveness. The high failure rate of these programmes, however, is a risk factor that should be considered by manufacturing firms. The investment into the implementation of these programmes will yield no return if the organisational maturity profile is not considered. The expected gains may not materialise and the execution of critical projects may take much longer than required. It is for this reason that an approach towards selecting the correct Performance Improvement Programme to optimise the performance of companies is a business imperative. Through a better understanding of the relationships between Performance Improvement Programmes and Organisational Maturity Variables, implementation success rates can increase, leading to improved results and sustainability. The approach taken to this research was quantitative in nature. Various descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to the selected respondents from the Eastern Cape automotive sector. The respondents had a working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Six Sigma. The research instrument was administered through an online survey. The research sought to identify whether there was a relationship amongst the variables under the three identified constructs. The research also sought to establish whether there was a difference between the specific Performance Improvement Programmes’ and Organisational Maturity Variables’ relationships. This affirmed the use of a new framework that integrates the programmes on the basis of their relationship to Organisational Maturity Variables. The research also provided insight into the challenges of the industry from a performance perspective and linked these with the relationship between Organisational Maturity Variables and Organisational Performance Variables. This allowed the researcher to include this additional insight as a consideration in the integrated implementation framework developed as part of the research. The results show that good consideration should be given to the Organisational Maturity Variables as these variables are related to the successful adoption of Performance Improvement Programmes. The research also shows that Lean Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance and Six Sigma are related to an organisations’ maturity profile in different ways. These results support the integrated Performance Improvement Programme approach, using a common set of tools and selecting the necessary programme specific tools based on a firm’s maturity profile. The research affords industry a framework to aid in decision making considering the relationships tested as part of this research. The linkages between Performance Programmes, Organisational Maturity Variables and Organisational Performance Variables are now more specific in nature.

Management’s response to shareholders’ return on investment as a priority occurs in an increasingly dynamic environment. Accompanying these activities is the need to realign responsibilities and to allocate scarce resources effectively. This is done in order to ensure that companies achieve global competitiveness and increase shareholders’ return on investment. Against this backdrop, local industry needs to find new methods or strategies in order to achieve world-class competitiveness, and to be able to access foreign investment. One way to achieve these goals is through Value Based Management (VBM). The objective of this study is to evaluate the strategic intent of Multinational Entities in applying VBM to increase shareholders’ return on investment. Based on the study, certain factors are critical to ensure the success of VBM. A postal survey to managers in the motor manufacturing and component manufacturing companies was conducted to check the managers’ familiarity with VBM, and their scope, and usage of VBM; and, based on the finding, to evaluate the impact of VBM on companies’ results. The empirical finding was compared with a literature review, and the following findings were made: There is a strong understanding and application of the VBM principle on the part of local entities with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); Departmental performance is critical to an entity’s overall performance; Based on the study, 23 per cent of the respondents use Economic Value Added (EVA) as an internal reporting measure, and an average of 19 per cent use other metrics; A total of 89 per cent of respondents indicated that they strongly agree with the use of incentives for motivation. The above-mentioned points were covered by means of 4-M framework ― that is: Measurement, Management, Motivation, and Mindset.