The automotive industry is a major pillar of the modern global economy and one of Europe’s key industries. There can hardly be any doubt about the important role of this sector as an engine for employment, growth and innovation in Europe, and there are crucial challenges and opportunities ahead. The authors shed light on a broad range of issues – globalisation and restructuring, trade and foreign direct investment, innovation, regulation, and industry policy – and put a special focus on the new member states. While change may be inevitable, progress is not. This book shall serve as a map to all stakeholders: business executives and policy makers, investors and scholars.

This book presents the current causes and effects of implementing sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) as well as green supply chain management (GSCM) strategies in the automotive industry. The reader is provided a detailed scientific review on SSCM and GSCM and presented the advantages of sustainable development concepts as well as factors causing the implementation of SSCM such as buyers’ behavior, governmental regulations, and competitiveness. The book then analyses the current situation of SSCM development, particularly in the automotive industry. It shows challenges, barriers, successes, and benefits that automotive companies obtain from implementing GSCM. Through case studies on leading German car manufacturers VW, BMW, and Daimler, the necessary activities of these companies to implement green development in the entire supply chain, including green supplier selection, green materials, green transportation, and reverse logistics, are defined. Moreover, a benchmark with companies from Asian markets such as Toyota from Japan and Geely from China is performed.

Over the past decade, the "German Model" of industrial organization has been the subject of vigorous debate among social scientists and historians, especially in comparison to the American one. Is a "Rhenish capitalism" still viable at the beginning of the 21st century and does it offer a road to the New Economy different from the one, in which the standards are set by the U.S.? The author, one of Germany's leading economic historians, analyzes the special features of the German path to the New Economy as it faces the American challenge. He paints a fascinating picture of Germany Inc. and looks at the durability of some of its structures and the mentalities that undergird it. He sees a "culture clash" and argues against an underestimation of the dynamics of the German industrial system. A provocative book for all interested in comparative economics and those who have been inclined to dismiss the German Model as outmoded and weak.

Companies from various sectors of the economy are confronted with the new phenomenon of digital transformation and are faced with the challenge of formulating and implementing a company-wide strategy to incorporate what are often viewed as “disruptive” technologies. These technologies are sometimes associated with significant and extremely rapid change, in some cases with even the replacement of established business models. Many of these technologies have been deployed in unison by leading-edge companies acting as the catalyst for significant process change and people skills enhancement. The Handbook of Research on Digital Transformation, Industry Use Cases, and the Impact of Disruptive Technologies examines the phenomenon of digital transformation and the impact of disruptive technologies through the lens of industry case studies where different combinations of these new technologies have been deployed and incorporated into enterprise IT and business strategies. Covering topics including chatbot implementation, multinational companies, cloud computing, internet of things, artificial intelligence, big data and analytics, immersive technologies, and social media, this book is essential for senior management, IT managers, technologists, computer scientists, cybersecurity analysts, academicians, researchers, IT consultancies, professors, and students.