Increasing competitive advantage through upgrading : the automotive component manufacturing industry in South Africa

dc.contributor.advisorBarnard, Helenaen
dc.contributor.emailichelp@gibs.co.zaen
dc.contributor.postgraduateGrota, Paulen
dc.date.accessioned2013-09-06T15:51:10Z
dc.date.available2011-05-11en
dc.date.available2013-09-06T15:51:10Z
dc.date.created2011-04-20en
dc.date.issued2010en
dc.date.submitted2011-04-03en
dc.descriptionDissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.en
dc.description.abstractThe research project investigates whether automotive component manufacturers located in South Africa are taking advantage of their participation in global value chains to functionally upgrade. Two factors, namely position in the value chain and global connectedness are assessed in terms of their effect on the propensity for firms to innovate and upgrade. Continuous pressure from value chain leaders to reduce costs coupled with increasing competition from other low-cost, developing economies means that South African automotive component manufacturers have to upgrade to improve their competitiveness and maintain their positions in the global value chain. This quantitative study analysed data collected through interviews from 76 companies in the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturer‟s database of firms. The results support previous literature and demonstrate that indigenous innovation does occur under certain conditions. Whilst participation in global value chains seems to stimulate innovation, it does not necessarily guarantee that innovation will occur nor does it mean that innovation will automatically result in upgrading. Questions that require further investigation include among others the upgrading trajectory firms over time and a deeper understanding of the mechanisms used by innovation leaders to absorb and deploy the knowledge and technology obtained from global interactions. Copyrighten
dc.description.availabilityunrestricteden
dc.description.departmentGordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)en
dc.identifier.citationGrota, P 2010, Increasing competitive advantage through upgrading : the automotive component manufacturing industry in South Africa, MBA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/23744 >en
dc.identifier.otherF11/101/agen
dc.identifier.upetdurlhttp://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-04032011-162741/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/23744
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Pretoriaen_ZA
dc.rights© 2010, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoriaen
dc.subjectUCTDen_US
dc.subjectGlobal value chain (GVC)en
dc.subjectUpgradingen
dc.subjectInnovationen
dc.titleIncreasing competitive advantage through upgrading : the automotive component manufacturing industry in South Africaen
dc.typeDissertationen

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