WORKING FOR A BETTER PLACE
(2010)Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- The automotive industry is currently witnessing a standard battle between the emerging propulsion technologies and the internal combustion engine. Almost all efforts, whether they are initiated by governments or established players of the automotive industry, have been deployed on a small-scale basis. However, an ambitious attempt is currently being made by the venture-backed company Better Place, which intends to build the first nation-wide recharging network for electric vehicles. Empirical studies show, however, that standard shifts are complex processes which can have the duration of several decades (Ausubel, 1998). This thesis aims to identify the most important strategic challenges BP face in their quest for standard shift. The... (More)
- The automotive industry is currently witnessing a standard battle between the emerging propulsion technologies and the internal combustion engine. Almost all efforts, whether they are initiated by governments or established players of the automotive industry, have been deployed on a small-scale basis. However, an ambitious attempt is currently being made by the venture-backed company Better Place, which intends to build the first nation-wide recharging network for electric vehicles. Empirical studies show, however, that standard shifts are complex processes which can have the duration of several decades (Ausubel, 1998). This thesis aims to identify the most important strategic challenges BP face in their quest for standard shift. The research has been processed with a qualitative approach, with a case study of Better Place. The theoretical perspectives are external business environment and industry analysis, ecosystems strategy, disruptive innovations and competitive advantage. We have found that a standard shift is supported by many of the current macro circumstances. We also found that infrastructures of large scale are of most importance in order to coordinate ecosystems and attract complementary products. Car manufacturers are have major influencers on the standard shifting process since they empower the mechanisms of the path dependence. Furthermore, technology standards must incorporate flexibility in order to synchronize with the fast evolving EV-technology. Firms must also understand the danger of “overstandardization” since the international standardization work still is on an early phase. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1600528
- author
- Hakim, Dotan and Arif, Nizam
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2010
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Standard shift, disruptive innovations, sustainable competitive advantage, Electric cars EV, Better Place, Management of enterprises, Företagsledning, management
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 1600528
- date added to LUP
- 2010-01-15 00:00:00
- date last changed
- 2012-04-02 17:58:21
@misc{1600528,
abstract = {{The automotive industry is currently witnessing a standard battle between the emerging propulsion technologies and the internal combustion engine. Almost all efforts, whether they are initiated by governments or established players of the automotive industry, have been deployed on a small-scale basis. However, an ambitious attempt is currently being made by the venture-backed company Better Place, which intends to build the first nation-wide recharging network for electric vehicles. Empirical studies show, however, that standard shifts are complex processes which can have the duration of several decades (Ausubel, 1998). This thesis aims to identify the most important strategic challenges BP face in their quest for standard shift. The research has been processed with a qualitative approach, with a case study of Better Place. The theoretical perspectives are external business environment and industry analysis, ecosystems strategy, disruptive innovations and competitive advantage. We have found that a standard shift is supported by many of the current macro circumstances. We also found that infrastructures of large scale are of most importance in order to coordinate ecosystems and attract complementary products. Car manufacturers are have major influencers on the standard shifting process since they empower the mechanisms of the path dependence. Furthermore, technology standards must incorporate flexibility in order to synchronize with the fast evolving EV-technology. Firms must also understand the danger of “overstandardization” since the international standardization work still is on an early phase.}},
author = {{Hakim, Dotan and Arif, Nizam}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{WORKING FOR A BETTER PLACE}},
year = {{2010}},
}