Heft36 1 - SFB 580 - Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Heft36 1 - SFB 580 - Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Heft36 1 - SFB 580 - Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
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AUTOMOTIVE REFERENCES LITERATUR COMPANIES GO EAST -<br />
GERMANY AND AUSTRIA<br />
problem”, “problem of competition”, and<br />
“cooperation problem” is disrupted. Insofar<br />
the developments in the automotive sector can<br />
be operated as counterevidence, the market<br />
for independent contract manufacturing – as<br />
it existed during the last century - nearly<br />
collapses. A specific segment of the automotive<br />
industry may survive by changing its role and<br />
becoming a 1 st tier supplier, giving up the<br />
contract manufacturing by being taken over by<br />
or purchasing an OEM. With regard to the<br />
new capitalist states in Central and Eastern<br />
Europe, it can be identified that they have<br />
the capability to meet all requirements of<br />
the automotive industry. Yet concurrently<br />
they might loose their status as “verlängerte<br />
Werkbank” or as a cheap manufacturing base<br />
and may subsequently have to develop an<br />
equal production and development place of<br />
location.<br />
A second concluding remark refers to the<br />
VOC-debate. Even if the two cases are small<br />
aspects, a narrow picture and just a small<br />
part of the automotive industry, they may<br />
be appropriate to question the similarities of<br />
coordinated market economies. The German<br />
case illustrates how a traditional and regional<br />
(rooted) company can tend and adhere to<br />
well known and long established routines<br />
and institutions. As assumed before, the<br />
cooperation-partners of that company stick<br />
to these familiar routines as well.<br />
In the light of these diagnoses, the<br />
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company’s investment in Poland<br />
produces the impression of a flight<br />
forward. The traditional routines and<br />
reliabilities of the management seem to be<br />
broken, even if the institutional surrounding<br />
did not change markedly. At first sight, the<br />
second case might not be a typical Austrian case<br />
– primarily because it should be titled Austro-<br />
Canadian correctly – but the specificities that<br />
can be identified with regard to industrial<br />
relations and inter-firm relations are nearly in<br />
line with the idea of the “coordinated market<br />
economy”. Heretically, their “interpretation”<br />
and performance of industrial relations might<br />
be seen as betrayal of labour. From a pragmatic<br />
perspective, the case shows an example of how<br />
to save employment and continue to keep<br />
industrial production in a so called high-cost<br />
country.<br />
The link between the case studies and the<br />
chosen theoretical background shows a<br />
balancing act with some weakness, but may<br />
frame the question and presentation of the case<br />
studies in an appropriate way.<br />
The differences regarding investments in<br />
Central and Eastern Europe are hard to judge.<br />
In addition to a certain degree of coincidence,<br />
the proximity of the Austrian company to<br />
Central and Eastern Europe might be an<br />
easy explanation. To benefit from attractive<br />
cost structures as far as supplier-goods are<br />
concerned, the company does not have to<br />
invest abroad but rather can purchase in<br />
the neighbourhood. Moreover, it might be<br />
in a closer relation to get information what<br />
earnings and benefits are realisable effectively.<br />
The mixture of competitive labour force, skilled<br />
workers and engineers, public collective goods<br />
and less unionized labour force is still very<br />
attractive for industrial production.