IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/ujbmxx/v54y2016i3p912-930.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Why Small Enterprises Can (Still) Operate at the Top of the Pyramid? Evidences and Interstices' Theory in the Automotive Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Vincent Frigant

Abstract

The paper questions the widely accepted vision of an automotive supply chain with a very pyramidal structure that works to mega suppliers' benefit. Mobilizing an original survey of 750 rench , we show that can still operate at the very top of the pyramid and that the different tiers remain porous. The first section explains why the modularization of the automotive industry has led to a pyramidalization of supply chains, enabling the emergence of mega suppliers. The second section shows how some are still able to rise to the top tier of the supply chain, a process explained in the third section. Using the notion of interstices initially formulated by enrose, an explanation is provided as to why mega suppliers leave certain market spaces unoccupied, with subsequently filling in the gaps. The ensuing analytical grid then leads to a conclusion that will highlight two main managerial and political implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Vincent Frigant, 2016. "Why Small Enterprises Can (Still) Operate at the Top of the Pyramid? Evidences and Interstices' Theory in the Automotive Industry," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(3), pages 912-930, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ujbmxx:v:54:y:2016:i:3:p:912-930
    DOI: 10.1111/jsbm.12182
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/jsbm.12182
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jsbm.12182?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:ujbmxx:v:54:y:2016:i:3:p:912-930. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/ujbm .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.