Publications

December 1984 (Revised March 1986)
Teaching Note

Kalamazoo Plant: Parts Division, Acme Motors, Teaching Note

By: Michael Beer

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Auto Industry; Michigan

September 1997 (Revised May 1998)
Case

Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America: The Quest for a Model Workplace

By: Lynn S. Paine and Dale Coxe

This case details the sexual harassment case brought against Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America by nearly 300 female employees in April 1996. The recommendations developed for the company by former U.S. Labor Secretary Lynn Marten are presented. In response to... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Groups and Teams; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Behavior; Attitudes; Problems and Challenges; Working Conditions; Crime and Corruption; Auto Industry; United States

November 1990
Supplement

Honda Motor Co. (B): Views of Senior Management

Provides a follow-up to Honda Motor Co. and Honda of America (A). Describes the memos of Nobuhico Kawamoto, newly appointed Honda president, and Shoichiro Irimajiri, newly appointed executive vice president, with respect to the challenges facing Honda in the 1990s.... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Planning; Auto Industry

January 1978
Case

Studsel Automotive Co.

By: Robert G. Gilbertson and F. Warren McFarlan

Keywords: Auto Industry

June 1985 (Revised August 1985)
Teaching Note

Volkswagen Group, Teaching Note

By: Malcolm S. Salter

Keywords: Auto Industry

16 Sep 2015
News

Built for Speed

oil by 2050. Written by energy analyst and physicist Amory Lovins, the book noted the lack of efficiency of modern auto manufacturing. Rogers saw an opportunity. And after seeing firsthand the political and human consequences of the... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; Machinery Manufacturing; Manufacturing

05 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

HBS Cases: Porsche’s Risky Roll on an SUV

A decade ago, Porsche, the luxury car company, found itself at a crossroads. Renowned for its classy (and expensive) sports cars, the firm had taken a hit in the wake of the 1987 stock market crash and suffered in great part due to Porsche's dependence on the U.S.... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Auto; Auto

June 1981
Teaching Note

Contract and Consensus at General Motors--1900-1984, Teaching Note

By: J. Ronald Fox

Keywords: Contracts; Auto Industry

April 1991 (Revised July 1992)
Case

Koito Manufacturing Ltd.

By: W. Carl Kester and Robert W. Lightfoot

Having acquired a 26% stake in Koito Manufacturing, a Japanese automotive parts supplier in the Toyota Group, T. Boone Pickens seeks a seat on Koito's board of directors. Koito's management resists, claiming Pickens is an unhelpful greenmailer, not a true long-term... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Debates; Corporate Governance; Production; Supply Chain; Performance Efficiency; Welfare; Auto Industry; Japan; United States

April 1990 (Revised January 1993)
Teaching Note

Fiat--1986 (TN)

By: W. Carl Kester

Teaching Note for (9-288-003). View Details

Keywords: Auto Industry; Italy

January 28, 2023
Article

Will We Blame Self-Driving Cars? A New Study Finds That People Are Likely to Hold Autonomous Vehicles Liable for Accidents Even When They’re Not at Fault

By: Julian De Freitas

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Legal Liability; Trust; Perception; Auto Industry

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September 2022
Article

The Power and Limits of Expertise: Swiss–Swedish Linking of Vehicle Emission Standards in the 1970s and 1980s

By: Mattias Näsman and Sabine Pitteloud

Recent decades have witnessed increased public concern about vehicle emissions and growing frustration with political inaction and business preferences for the status quo. This article provides historical perspective on such regulatory dynamics by analyzing the Swiss... View Details

Keywords: Business And The Environment; Business And Society; Emission Reduction; Automobiles; Standard Setting; Norm-enforcement; Regulation; Expertise; Experts; Business and Government Relations; Environmental Regulation; Standards; Auto Industry; Switzerland; Sweden

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December 2021
Case

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Assessing Risk in Carlos Ghosn's International Escape

By: Eugene F. Soltes, Grace Liu and Muneeb Ahmed

In 2018, automotive tycoon Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan on financial misreporting charges, followed later by charges of improper payments and misappropriation of funds. Over a year later, still awaiting trial, Ghosn organized his escape from house arrest in Tokyo... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Decision Making; Cost vs Benefits; Decision Choices and Conditions; Ethics; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Law; Courts and Trials; Rights; Risk and Uncertainty; Auto Industry; Japan

June 6, 2019
Article

Tesla's Advantage? 'It's the Software, Stupid.'

By: Lou Shipley

Without question, entrepreneur, innovator and engineer Elon Musk is a controversial figure, but there is no disputing that his first-to-market Tesla electric vehicles are not only revolutionizing the high-end driving experience, but also disrupting the automobile... View Details

Keywords: Tesla; Elon Musk; Autonomous Vehicle; Transportation; Software; Technology; Disruption; Auto Industry

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January 2020
Teaching Plan

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group: Acquisition of Volvo Cars and Volvo Cars: Acquisition by Geely

By: Willy Shih

This teachning plan is for the two cases 619-041 which describes Geely's acquisition of Volvo Cars, and 619-042 which describes Volvo Cars' acqusition by Geely. The case is designed to illustrate the different sides of an M&A transaction and the organizational culture... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Mergers and Acquisitions; Auto Industry; China; Sweden

2011
Book

Detour: My Unexpected, Amazing, Life Changing Journey With OnStar

By: Chet Huber

Detour is the story behind the launch of OnStar’s now well known blue button, as told through the eyes of its founder and CEO of over fourteen years, Chet Huber. It’s a personal narrative that describes the events that led up to General Motors’ unexpected choice... View Details

Keywords: General Motors; OnStar; Technological Innovation; Business Startups; Transportation; Safety; Personal Development and Career; Creativity; Success; Business History; Auto Industry

2011
Module Note

Suppliers to Dealers: Stakeholders' Management at TVS Motor Company Ltd.

By: Shashank Shah, Shashank Shah and A. Sudir Bhaskar

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Supplier Relationships; Dealer Network; Auto Industry; India

July 1999 (Revised January 2004)
Case

Chrysler and BMW: Tritec Engine Joint Venture

By: H. Kent Bowen and Courtney Purrington

A gifted project leader lacks significant new product development experience. The case highlights the issues and procedures related to defining the project strategy: organizing senior management approvals and support for creating a "heavyweight" team; aligning the... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Joint Ventures; Projects; Business Strategy; Management Teams; Groups and Teams; Machinery and Machining; Design; Business Processes; Product Design; Product; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Auto Industry

Article

The Dark Side of Strategic Alliances: Lessons from Volvo-Renault

By: Robert Bruner and Robert Spekman

This article explores sources of failure in strategic alliances drawing on field research into one of the most prominent alliance collapses in recent years. The alliance of Volvo and Renault married the two largest enterprises in their respective countries for economic... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Alliances; Failure; Auto Industry; Europe