Crisis, Resilience and Survival
Lessons from the Global Auto Industry

This book uses a series of high-profile case studies to examine the processes by which auto companies fail or survive.

Matthias Holweg (Author), Nick Oliver (Author)

9781107076013, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 December 2015

341 pages, 34 b/w illus. 13 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.2 cm, 0.62 kg

'This insightful book provides double value - first by providing a primer on the structural conditions and firm capabilities necessary for survival in the global auto industry, and second by examining case studies of both failure and resilience against that backdrop. Holweg and Oliver's 'survival envelope' framework and 'resilience index' benchmark provide predictive power for assessing the future crises that will surely afflict this 'industry of industries'. For as the authors cogently state, the core question revealed by their analysis is not 'why are there so many crises at auto firms' but rather 'given the conditions under which they operate, why don't more auto firms fail?'' John Paul MacDuffie, Director, Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation (PVMI), Mack Institute for Innovation Management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

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.

Subject Areas: Road & motor vehicles: general interest [WGC], Business strategy [KJC], Business & management [KJ]