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.

Key words: Manufacturing strategy, taxonomy, performance, ownership, automotive industry.