Revista de Management Comparat International (Oct 2015)
Supplier Relationship Strategies in the Automotive Industry: An International Comparative Analysis
Abstract
The automotive industry is a very important one as it has a large impact on the economies of every country and on our own lives. Analysing the supplier relations in this field is an interesting action as this industry is very mature in terms of development and application of purchasing practices. The first three world manufacturers cover 42% of the market and come from three different continents: Toyota, the leader, from Japan, Volkswagen, the second, from Germany, Europe and General Motors from America. Their philosophy in terms of supplier relationship is not very different, but the implementation can really depend on the cultural specificities. This article aims to discover the differences in company culture and strategy in terms of supplier relations but also analyse the impact of these relations on annual sales. The international comparative analysis will point out whether the company culture can be easily implemented in locations all over the world or the local particularities are more important.
