Crisis, Resilience and Survival Lessons from the Global Auto Industry

Crisis, Resilience and Survival charts the evolution of the global automotive industry, revealing the pressures and challenges facing firms in this huge but turbulent realm of business. Long-term overcapacity and swings of the economic cycle mean that many car companies are in financially perilous positions. Yet failures of auto companies are rare, and many have bounced back from the brink. Using the concept of the 'survival envelope', Holweg and Oliver argue that the ability to design, develop, manufacture and distribute vehicles competitively is not the only factor in ensuring success. Using detailed analyses of two failures (Rover and Saab) and two near-misses (Chrysler and Nissan) they explore how scale, market reach and supportive stakeholder relations can make the difference between success and failure in this global industry. This book will appeal to anyone working in, or studying the auto industry, as well as those interested in corporate success and failure.

Acknowledgments; 1. Why a book on corporate resilience?; 2. The evolution of a global industry; 3. Competing in a global industry; 4. Concepts: stakeholders, operations and context; 5. Rover: inside a failing car company; 6. The failure of Saab automobile; 7. Near misses: Nissan and Chrysler; 8. The future shape of the industry; Appendix; Endnotes; Bibliography; Secondary data sources; Index.

Matthias Holweg is Professor of Operations Management at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He is interested in how process improvement methodologies, such as lean thinking, have evolved and been adapted over time, and what impact they have on the competitiveness of the firm. He is co-author of The Second Century and The Lean Toolbox.
Nick Oliver is Professor of Management at the University of Edinburgh Business School, where he served as Dean from 2007 to 2012. His particular specialities are lean methods and organizational resilience. He is co-author of The Japanization of British Industry.