A taxonomy of manufacturing strategies: A study of the Turkish automotive industry

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the existence of different patterns of manufacturing strategies and the
relationship between these patterns and firm performance in the Turkish automotive industry. Apart from the
scarce taxonomic studies in the operations strategy literature, this research focuses on a single industry and
examines the relationship between the firm ownership and strategic types. Three different strategic types
(differentiators, intermediators and low emphasizers) are identified based on taxonomy of 31 international and
leading automotive firms operating in Turkey. The three types do not differ from each other in terms of
ownership, but they do differ significantly in terms of growth performance. Furthermore, it is observed that the
findings partially support the sand cone model and the underlying dimensions that described West European
manufacturers.