Automakers are facing a growing process of financialization that can be characterized by the preference to value capital through financial activities as more profitable than by productive activities. The aim of this article is to study the financialization of the automotive industry by analyzing the five largest automakers in the world: Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, General Motors (GM) and Ford. The profitability of financial activities was compared to that of productive activities; shareholder structure; share acquisitions; origin of top managers; compensation to executives; employee salaries; dividend payments to shareholders and employment. The results showed that increasingly more financial activities are fundamental to businesses dominated by major shareholders. Dividend payments have shown compliance to shareholder value maximization principles. Compensation to executives has shown that there is a layer of highly paid top managers, while in the workforce, salaries are below the average of the countries in which the automakers operate. The proportion of times that a CEO’s earnings outweigh the average earnings of less skilled workers is hundreds of times. Employment has been changing, with significant increases in China, for instance. This article aims to improve the knowledge of this important sector of world industry and contribute to development of economic sociology.

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and Industry 5.0 (I5.0) represent important changes in industrial paradigms. I4.0 is centered on efficiency and competitiveness, and I5.0 adds sustainability, human-centricity, and resilience to the framework. Despite their growing relevance, much of the existing research remains techno-centric, neglecting the sociocultural and institutional forces shaping them. This study investigates how the transition from I4.0 to I5.0 is occurring using an institutional perspective. A qualitative methodology was employed, combining theoretical synthesis and secondary data analysis to develop an integrative model. The proposed model draws on insights from Institutional Theory, Scandinavian Institutionalism, Management Fashion, and Quintuple Helix, emphasizing the role of translation and diffusion in institutionalizing these paradigms. We maintain that both of them are fundamentally discursive, shaped by institutional pressures, shared meanings, and stakeholder interactions. I4.0 already allows for a heterogeneous vision adjusted to different perspectives and stakeholders. I5.0 goes further by responding to criticism about social and environmental issues and introducing resilience, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis. As a result, I5.0 aligns with a broader range of actors and interests, increasing its potential for widespread acceptance and long-term impact. This research challenges deterministic views of technology, arguing that this new industrial revolution is not eminently technology-driven but instead emphasizes the central role of discourse and institutional processes in shaping its development.

Purpose: The growing adoption of Industry 4.0 offers opportunities and promotes changes in markets, business models, supply chains and operations. However, adopting new technologies and practices is beyond the simple rational decision and the search for efficiency. There are contextual social and cultural systems that influence the behavior of people and organizations. Hence, institutional theory can yield interesting insights in the study of Industry 4.0. The purpose of this article is to examine how and to what extent institutional theory has been used to explain Industry 4.0.Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review of Industry 4.0 and the broader field of digitalization was performed using Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The authors analyzed the results using multivariate techniques (Descending Hierarchical Classification and Correspondence Factor Analysis) with the aid of the IRAMUTEQ software.Findings: Results indicate there is little research that uses an institutional perspective to investigate Industry 4.0. Most of them are quantitative and are based on the concept of institutional isomorphism. Qualitative studies, e.g., case studies and the use of theories such as institutional logics and institutional work could generate a richer comprehension of Industry 4.0. Besides, consideration of meso (e.g., organizational fields) and macro (e.g., countries) level of analysis should be more extensively explored.Originality/value: This paper identifies research gaps and points to relevant issues frequently not considered by researchers and practitioners. It reinforces a call for an institutional perspective where the concept of Industry 4.0 can be understood as a rationalized myth. Therefore, the meaning, practices, and consequences of Industry 4.0 implementation are expected to vary across organizations and countries.

Purpose: The paper seeks to ascertain some of the implications of the supply chain configuration for important elements of the chain's management at an automaker using the industrial condominium configuration.Design/methodology/approach: In an attempt to identify the main motivating factors for the adoption of an industrial condominium configuration, a basic case study framework was built to guide and define the key content of the research. The framework considers simplification, cost reduction, process integration, and shared infrastructure as the four main interdependent factors that impel and drive an automaker's implementation of a condominium. It also considers product and process management, logistics management, performance assessment and relationship management as business processes significantly affected by implementation of the condominium. Using an intentional sampling approach, a case study was made of an automaker that uses the industrial condominium configuration, and of four of its representative suppliers.Findings: The study confirmed that the supply chain's configuration is indeed a determining element in the way the automaker's relationship with its suppliers is conducted and substantiated the importance of the logistics management process within the context of the condominium.Research limitations/implications: The research reported involved only one case study.Practical implications: The paper proposes and discusses four interdependent factors that motivate and drive an automaker's implementation of a contemporary industrial condominium in the auto industry.Originality/value: The study was conducted in a supply chain with an automaker using an industrial condominium and four suppliers situated in different positions, and contributes mainly to the understanding of new forms of supply chain configuration.

Purpose: This paper aims to analyze the influence of technology-based business incubators (TBIs) on the resources of technology startups in Brazil. The authors identify which resources are offered and explore the importance of resources for TBIs and startups. The theoretical background is based on the resource-based view, the resource dependency theory and total factor productivity.Design/methodology/approach: The study is characterized by a descriptive approach. The method includes a multiple case study and a survey. For data collection, we conducted interviews with three managers from TBIs and distributed questionnaires to 30 startup founders. The content analysis supports the identification of the resources, while the quantitative approach explores the relationship between total factor productivity and resources.Findings: Resources are the linkage between startups and TBIs, promoting the development and continuity of these organizations. Among the resources offered by TBIs, the most representative is physical resources, due to the early stage of startups. TBIs do not offer financial resources directly but facilitate access through networks with other actors.Research limitations/implications: The research implications depict the importance of resources as a link between TBIs and startups. The results highlight how TBIs play an important role in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the context of emerging economies such as Brazil.Originality/value: This article performs a multi-theoretical analysis, addressing the perspectives concerning resources. No previous study has used this combination of perspectives to analyze the relationship between TBIs and startups in Brazil, filling the gap about this subject in emerging economies.