German Car Research Articles

한국형 교통사고 심층조사 DB 체계 구축에 대한 연구

The accident statistics use the data from police accident reports and statistics. Although the official accident statistics are useful, they provide very limited information about how accidents occur, the cause of the accident and the injury mechanisms. This limitations could be overcome by carrying out the in-depth accident study and analysing investigations, collecting more detailed information. Meanwhile a net of in-depth investigation teams are operating worldwide, such as NASS (National Accident Sampling System) and CIREN (Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network) in US, OTS (On the spot investigation) in UK. In this study, the database structure and variables of Korea in-depth accidents investigation system would be proposed through considering the database structure of GIDAS (Germany In-Depth Accidents Study). GIDAS is one of the best system on the in-depth accident study system in the world. GIDAS was established in 1999 as a cooperation project between Federal Highway Research Institute of Germany (BASt) and research association on automotive engineering of German Car Industry(FAT). The iGLAD (Initiative for the Global Harmonization of Accident Data) was also considered to introduce into the database variables of Korea in-depth accident study. Current police reports were compared with GIDAS and iGLAD. To collaborate of the Worldwide in-depth accident data, this paper proposed that the database of Korea in-depth accident study would be introduced the structure of GIDAS and the core variables of iGLAD. Harmonization of the structures and core variables of Korea in-depth accident study will be better than the making unique ones. The database structure and core variables of KIDAS(Korea In-Depth Accident Study) introduced of GIDAS and iGLAD.

The stochastic guaranteed service model with recourse for multi-echelon warehouse management

The guaranteed service model (GSM) computes optimal order-points in multi-echelon inventory control under the assumptions that delivery times can be guaranteed and the demand is bounded. Our new stochastic guaranteed service model (SGSM) with Recourse covers also scenarios that violate these assumptions. Simulation experiments on real-world data of a large German car manufacturer show that policies based on the SGSM dominate GSM-policies.

Capturing the Usage of the German Car Fleet for a One Year Period to Evaluate the Suitability of Battery Electric Vehicles – A Model based Approach

The low driving range of battery electric vehicles (BEV) is often considered as relevant reason for the low BEV sales. In order to verify this assumption, the usage of conventional cars in Germany needs to be analyzed. These analyses may help to make more reliable and realistic statements to what extent German cars could be replaced by BEVs without restrictions for their users. Most travel surveys do only consider a single day or a short period of time in the analysis. Longer time periods should be taken into consideration when analyzing the travel data since the daily car usage is not identical every day. Since there are no representative and detailed car usage surveys over longer periods available a hybrid car usage model was developed to close that gap. This model is mainly based on three mobility surveys: the German Mobility Panel (MOP), the car mileage and fuel consumption survey, and the long distance travel survey INVERMO. We show that 13% of the modeled German private car fleet never exceeds 100km per day during a full year and could be replaced by BEVs without any usage restrictions for their car owners. Another 16% of the modeled private car fleet is driven more than 100km on 1-4 days during a full year and can be substituted with slight adjustments. These cars are often second cars of a household and used less intensively (6,600km/year resp. 7600km/year) than cars not suited for BEV substitution (14,800km/year). Households that could replace their cars tend to have a lower disposable income. The crux of the matter, however, is that substitution of conventional cars is often not feasible since the mobility budget of BEV suited households tends to be too low or does not make economic sense due to the low annual mileage.

Evaluation of Impact of Government Program for Final Car Market on Car Dealers

This paper is based on a mixed methods (MM) research design in order to evaluate impacts of the German Accelerated Vehicle Retirement program (German 2009 AVR) on the German car dealership industry. Database for the study is a purposive stratified sample of the annual statutory financial statements of 69 German car dealerships. Both the quantitative (numerical) financial data (QUAN) and the qualitative (textual) representations (QUAL) provided by those financial statements are analysed in a concurrent, convergent research design. Market data and a control group are used for defining the counterfactual situation. The results of the research are discussed verbally.

Reprisals Remembered: German-Greek Conflict and Car Sales During the Euro Crisis

During the Greek debt crisis after 2010, the German government insisted on harsh austerity measures. This led to a rapid cooling of relations between the Greek and German governments. We compile a new index of public acrimony between Germany and Greece based on newspaper reports and internet search terms. This information is combined with historical maps on German war crimes during the occupation between 1941 and 1944. During months of open conict between German and Greek politicians, German car sales fell markedly more than those of cars from other countries. This was especially true in areas aected by German reprisals during World War II: areas where German troops committed massacres and destroyed entire villages curtailed their purchases of German cars to a greater extent during conict months than other parts of Greece. We conclude that cultural aversion was a key determinant of purchasing behavior, and that memories of past conict can aect economic choices in a time-varying fashion. These ndings are compatible with behavioral models emphasizing the importance of salience for individual decisionmaking.

The Role of Openness for Business Model Innovation: Emerging Business Models of OEM Carsharing (WITHDRAWN)

This paper analyzes the business model innovation process of market-driving corporations, especially in light of an increasing openness towards the environment. We apply case study research to examine the emerging carsharing business models of two leading German car manufacturers: Car2Go (Daimler) and Quicar (Volkswagen Group). The resulting models serve as a detailed example of how organizations can create shared economic and societal value with their businesses as an alternative to hitherto existing capitalist market approaches. Our study contributes to research and practice in a number of ways. First, regarding research into market-driving behavior, the findings highlight the necessity of moving beyond creating a new business model to combine it with other innovation types in order to successfully create a new market. Second, we identify the following three critical stages of the innovation process for radically new business models: vision and prototype, experimentation and customer integration, and implementation and upscaling. Third, we contribute to research on open business models by examining that and how firms pursue different degrees of openness during the business model innovation process, which may be positively affected by strong competition. Fourth and finally, we contribute to research on the business model concept itself by illustrating the resulting interdependencies between the structures that make up a business model.

Individual characteristics and stated preferences for alternative energy sources and propulsion technologies in vehicles: A discrete choice analysis for Germany

With respect to the German goal of a transition to a lead market for electromobility within a short time period, this paper empirically examines the preferences for alternative energy sources or propulsion technologies in vehicles and particularly for electric vehicles. The data stem from a stated preference discrete choice experiment with 598 potential German car buyers. In order to simulate a realistic future purchase situation, seven vehicle types were incorporated in each of the six choice sets, i.e. hybrid, gas, biofuel, hydrogen, and electric vehicles besides common gasoline and diesel vehicles. The econometric analysis with flexible multinomial probit models reveals that potential car buyers in Germany currently have a low stated preference for electric, hydrogen, and hybrid vehicles. While our paper also discusses the impact of common vehicle attributes such as purchase price or service station availability, it particularly considers the effect of socio-demographic and environmental awareness variables. The estimation results reveal that younger potential car buyers have a higher stated preference for hydrogen and electric vehicles, males have a higher stated choice of hydrogen vehicles, and environmentally aware potential car buyers have a higher stated preference for hydrogen and electric vehicles. These results suggest that common policy instruments such as the promotion of research and development, taxation, or subsidization in the field of electromobility could be supplemented by strategies to increase the social acceptance of alternative vehicle types that are directly oriented to these population groups. Methodologically, our study highlights the importance of the inclusion of taste persistence across the choice sets and a high number of random draws in the Geweke–Hajivassiliou–Keane simulator in the simulated maximum likelihood estimation of the multinomial probit models.

Geared to Intercultural understanding: The technique of perspectivizing in biographical interviews about the East German TRABI

The novelty of the presented approach of perspectivizing for intercultural understanding is to break away from the general presumption of ‘intercultural blockage’ or ‘intercultural obstacles or barriers’, often leading to misunderstandings. Instead, the proposed study focuses on the verbal communication in intercultural contacts ‘beyond misunderstanding’ and sets out to explore realistic mechanisms of reflective activities of interlocutors and their communicative efforts that lead to interpersonal and mutual understanding. These efforts are regarded as functional pragmatic action knowledge embedded in receptive intercultural interaction. The paper examines a three-step strategy for achieving intercultural understanding that reproduces the process of considering communicative expectations in intercultural discourse: by generalizing, an interactant considers his speech action to be a cultural standard solution; by perspectivizing, he locates his speech action in the actual speech situation taking into account the cultural standards of the other. By contrasting cultures, the speaker enables the hearer to compare the speaker's cultural standards with his own and thus attain an adequate interpretation of the discourse. Four case studies are analyzed in which the three-step model is related to cultural differences, age difference, expert knowledge, and L1-L2 constellations. These differences can be accounted for within the three-step model. The data originate from a study on biographical stories about the East German car, the Trabant, commonly known as the Trabi.

Competition and Trust: Evidence from German Car Manufacturers

We explore the determinants and effects of trust relationships between upstream suppliers and downstream producers. Using unique survey data on individual supplier-buyer relationships in the German automotive industry, we show, by means of different measures of supplier-buyer trust, that higher levels of trust mitigate relationship-specific underinvestment in a classical hold-up situation. Moreover, contrary to the extant literature, we show that higher levels of supplier's trust are reflected in the buyer's choice of a more competitive procurement strategy among potential suppliers.

Competition and Trust: Evidence from German Car Manufacturers

Competition and Trust: Evidence from German Car Manufacturers

The Stochastic Guaranteed Service Model with Recourse for Multi-Echelon Warehouse Management

The guaranteed service model (GSM) computes optimal order-points in multi-echelon inventory control under the assumptions that delivery times can be guaranteed and the demand is bounded. Our new stochastic guaranteed service model (SGSM) with Recourse covers also scenarios that violate these assumptions. Simulation experiments on real-world data of a large German car manufacturer show that policies based on the SGSM dominate GSM-policies.

German Car Buyers' Willingness to Pay to Reduce Co2 Emissions

Motorised individual transport strongly contributes to global CO2 emissions, due to its intensive usage of fossil fuels. Current political efforts addressing this issue (i.e. emission performance standards in the EU) are directed towards car manufacturers. Concretely, the whole car industry has to comply with an average of 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre between 2012 and 2015, with interim targets. The long-term target for 2020 is an average of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre (by way of comparison, passenger cars currently emit 160 grams of CO2 per kilometre on average). Manufacturers who exceed the specified standard will have to pay fines. From an economic point of view this measure has to be regarded critically. But given the present EU regulation the question arises as to what the optimal strategy for car manufacturers is. Exceeding the emission standard generates costs (through the payment of fines) { but so does complying with the emission standard (through costly abatement measures). Depending on the amount consumers are willing to pay for a specific reduction in CO2 emissions it could well be optimal for manufacturers to exceed the mandatory standard. This paper focuses on the demand side. It examines whether CO2 emissions per kilometre is a relevant attribute in car choices. Based on a stated preference experiment among potential car buyers from Germany, different mixed logit specifications are estimated. In addition, distributions of willingness to pay measures for an abatement of CO2 emissions are obtained. The results suggest that the emissions performance of a car matters substantially, but its consideration varies heavily across the sampled population. In particular, some evidence on gender, age and education effects on climate concerns is provided. So, we find that women are willing to pay more for an abatement of CO2 than men, people under 45 years more than people 45 and older, and people who possess a higher education entrance qualification more than those who do not.

A cognitive model to predict domain-specific consumer innovativeness

Marketers who launch innovative products need to identify consumers who are willing to learn about, buy, and use these innovations. To optimize marketing campaigns, practitioners need to know the characteristics of this key segment in the diffusion process. Previous research, however, provides confounding results about antecedents of innovativeness because of two limitations: (1) previous studies have conceptualized innovativeness on different levels of abstraction (2) previous studies have not taken into account the influence of the product category. The present paper suggests a conceptual framework to overcome these shortcomings. Based on this framework, the paper suggests a theoretically founded cognitive model of domain-specific innovativeness for a product category with a utilitarian benefit. This model is empirically tested in the field of automotive interior. To this end, 521 German car drivers were surveyed. The results of structural equation modeling show that domain-specific innovativeness for utilitarian products is mainly influenced by specific need for cognition, special interest media usage and domain-specific opinion leadership.

The influence of price fairness on customer satisfaction: an empirical test in the context of automobile purchases

PurposeThis paper aims to link conceptually the concepts of price fairness and customer satisfaction and empirically demonstrate the influence of perceived price fairness on satisfaction judgments. Further, it seeks to examine specific factors that influence fairness perceptions including price perception and consumer vulnerability.Design/methodology/approachThe study is conducted in the context of automobile purchases in major German car dealerships. Based on a theoretical conceptualization of the constructs and an empirical pretest, 246 car buyers were surveyed and their fairness perceptions and satisfaction judgments with the car buying process measured.FindingsThe research shows that price perceptions directly influence satisfaction judgments as well as indirectly through perceptions of price fairness. Results also indicated that consumers' vulnerability, which is induced by a perceived demand‐supply relationship and the urgency of need from the consumers' side, had a negative effect on perceived price offer fairness.Research limitations/implicationsThe research demonstrated the influence of perceived price fairness on satisfaction judgments empirically. The study was conducted in the context of car purchases and the generalizability of the model should be further tested.Practical implicationsThe effect of consumer vulnerability implies that sellers should not only avoid exploiting their customers but should also anticipate consumers' potential feelings of being exploited. Being sensitive to the buyers’ psychological state and assuring buyers of fair treatment will enhance perceptions of price fairness without changing the price offer.Originality/valueBoth the direct and indirect effects of price perception on satisfaction judgment were examined in the paper. Specifically, the influences of consumer vulnerability and price procedure fairness on satisfaction judgments are new and contribute to the dual‐entitlement principle and our existing knowledge in price fairness.

The Pulse of Liability of Foreignness: Dynamic Legitimacy and Experience Effects in the German Car Market

Globalization has provided many companies with new opportunities for growth and efficiency. This requires them to operate successfully across cultural and social borders. These can be stumbling blocks to internationalization and have been found to cause frequent errors and delays for multinational companies. Such liabilities of foreignness are persistent in nature. We investigate the causes behind these detrimental effects. We identify two major factors conceptually: a lack of legitimacy in the host country on the demand side and a lack of responsiveness on the side of the multinational corporation. We test these hypotheses empirically using a comprehensive sample of the German car market, which is especially suitable due to its established domestic producers and international competitors. Our results suggest that the two factors interact. For less experienced customer groups, we find that legitimacy is the dominant factor behind the effects of liability of foreignness. As customer experience increases, liabity of foreignness caused by a lack of responsiveness becomes more of an issue.

Sales-Advertising Relationship: An Application of Panel Data from the German Automobile Industry

This paper uses panel data from the German car industry for the estimation of parameters of a demand equation applying different statistical methodologies and paying special attention to advertising variables. Two important conclusions can be drawn. First, advertising plays an important role in this market but its effectiveness depends on its form and type of message; and second, the marketing policy of a firm has to take into account the size of its cars. 1. I ntroduction This paper tries to explain the behaviour of the oligopolistic German car market using panel data from the period 1993 – 1995 applying different statistical methodologies. Our primary goal is to estimate a demand function faced by the individual car producer including the effect of advertising. Many analyses state that advertising has a limited capacity to stimulate total market growth and cast doubt on its effect in more objective tasks. We therefore seek to determine the role of advertising in this specific car market using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Classification Analysis and Instrumental Variable Method applied to a panel data model. We also try to relate our conclusions to existing literature. Murfin (1984) applies the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) of Deaton, Muellbauer (1980) to the modelling of market share in the UK passenger car market. Most estimated effects in his study on aggregate demand are shown to conceal considerable differences between submarkets. This leads to a suggestion that the model could be improved by taking into account the existence of market segmentation and heterogeneity of car characteristics and by defining the more relevant price variables. Our conclusi

There's No Place Like Home: A Strategic Framework to Overcome Liability of Foreignness in the German Car Market

Globalization has led to exciting new business opportunities around the globe. Still, national and cultural boundaries have not evaporated into a borderless world. Several studies have identified so-called liabilities of foreignness that arise from a lack of embeddedness and roots in the host market and subsequent competitive disadvantages. Countervailing strategies for these effects have remained scarce so far. We suggest that this is due to the lack of a viable approach to identify and quantify these effects and develop a conceptual framework to empirically estimate the individual degree of liability of foreignness of a firm from a market perspective. We suggest that disruptive changes in a society change the dynamics of liability of foreignness and generate opportunities for foreign companies to optimize their localization strategies. We apply our approach to a large mature market with established international competition: the German new car market. For a comprehensive sample of roughly 1,400 car models from 2003 we estimate the relative turnover disadvantage for all major foreign manufacturers. We find that most foreign producers have managed to overcome liabilities of foreignness in Germany through firm-specific advantages. Still, some face significant challenges. A submarket analysis shows that home market advantages are more deeply rooted in the Western part of Germany and that foreign competitors find a more accessible competitive environment in Eastern Germany. Therefore, East Germany is a superior platform for deploying effective and efficient countervailing strategies. Moreover, we identify a broader rationale to engage early and decisively in untapped but promising markets like China.

Open-book accounting in networks: Potential achievements and reasons for failures

Open-book accounting has been mentioned both as a means of improving the cost efficiency of supply chains and as a tool for building trust into customer–supplier relationships. However, there is little empirical evidence of how to make open-book accounting work and avoid potential pitfalls. This study, which is based on a contingency framework, contributes to reducing this deficiency in two steps: First, a single case study of a German car manufacturing network describes open-book accounting practice in detail. Second, the results of a cross-case analysis in three Finnish manufacturing networks reveal six major reasons why open-book accounting fails. On the basis of these empirical findings, the contingency framework is specified and theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research.

Global Management Concepts and Local Adaptations: Working Groups in the French and German Car Manufacturing Industry

In this paper, the diffusion process and organizational consequences of management concepts that spread globally through an industry are analyzed. Taking the example of the working group concept, the organization of the final assembly of a sample of French and German car manufacturers is studied. It can be shown that, in both countries, working groups similar to the ones used in Japanese car companies are widely diffused in the car industry. It also becomes clear from the analysis that plants have been experimenting with working groups and have adjusted them to their proper needs; a process which we call `local adaptation'. Our results indicate that the local adaptation of working groups is brought about to a large extent by the institutional differences between countries. Because of diffusion and adaptation processes, isomorphic as well as idiosyncratic tendencies in organizational structures can be observed at the same time.

Preparation of high-quality HTS rings for application in the magnetic bearing of cryotanks and pinning in grain boundaries

Seeded melt growth of YBCO high-temperature superconductors is one of the most promising preparation techniques to obtain high-quality HTS tiles for application, e.g. in magnetic bearings. Semi-finished HTSL products of complex shapes have to be developed by different seeding and multi-seeding techniques. To obtain large hollow cylinders designed for application in the magnetic bearing of a cryotank a modified multi-seeded melt growth (MSMG) process was employed. This cryotank will be mounted for testing in a vehicle of a major German car manufacturer. The MSMG process introduces grain boundaries into the HTS tiles. For transport current investigations of [0 0 1]-tilt grain boundaries in melt textured YBCO a series of MSMG bicrystals have been prepared. They exhibit a dependence of the critical current density on misorientation angle which is much weaker than the one observed in thin-film bicrystals. The bulk samples have dimensions larger than the magnetic penetration depth along the grain boundary. Thus, flux pinning has to be taken into account. Different contributions to the longitudinal pinning force have to be considered: vortices at grain boundaries can be pinned by magnetic interaction with Abrikosov vortices in the banks, by defects in the grain boundary itself or by defects which are located next to the grain boundary.