Abstract
The objective of this article is to analyse cultural influences when French companies cooperate with Mexican companies (subsidiaries of the French, established in Mexico) in the field of automotive manufacturing. An OEM supplier and a final assembly plant were selected to perform the study. Interviews with the workers, supervisors and managers have been performed. Case studies were collected in order to analyse the problems and to illustrate technical as well as cultural solutions. The analysis showed that important differences and coincidences in the manufacturing solutions could be explained from the cultural (French and Mexican) standpoint. The conclusions integrate some recommendations for French and Mexican companies that are in actual cooperation or that are planning to globalise in the corresponding countries.



Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.References
Bejar NR (1987) El mexicano, aspectos culturales y psico-sociales. Universidad Autónoma de México, México
Crozier M (1964) The bureaucratic phenomenon. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Hall ET, Hall MR (1998) Understanding cultural differences. Intercultural Press, USA
Hosftede G (1987) Relativé culturelle des practiques et théories de l’organisation. Revue francaise de gestion, septembre, octobre pp 10–21
Hofstede G (1991) Cultures and organizations, intercultural cooperation and its importance for survival. Harper Collins Business, London
Hofstede G (1993) Cultural constraints in management theories. Acad Manage Exec, 7(1):81–94
Hofstede G (1994) The business of international business is culture. Int Bus Rev 3(1)1–14
Hofstede G (1997) Cultures and organizations. software of the mind. McGraw Hill, USA
Kras ES (1989) Bridging the gap between U.S. and Mexican manager. Intercultural Press, USA
Moran RT (1994) Au-délà des cultures, les enjeux du management international. InterEditions, Paris
Moritz EF (ed) (2003) Sports, culture and technology – an introductory reader. Artefact Verlag, Sottrum
Oddou G, Derr C (199) Managing internationally, a personal journey. Dryden, USA
Ramírez S (1977) El mexicano psicología de sus motivaciones. Grijalbo, México
Rodríguez-Trejo A (2002) La gran aventura del cambio. Revista Mundo Ejecutivo, Abril, pp 5–7
Ruth K (1995) Industriekultur als Determinante der Technikentwicklung, edition sigma. Berlin
Acknowledgment
This research was funded by both Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT—México) contract No. 35981-U and the National Science Foundation (NSF—USA) contract No. DMI-0116635.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Acosta, C., Sánchez, R., Rodríguez, A. et al. The influence of culture in automotive manufacturing — a Mexican-French comparison . AI & Soc 18, 242–256 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-003-0291-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-003-0291-9