Evaluating the Impact of Sustaining Innovation on Business Performance in the US Automotive Industry - A Case Study of Tesla

Dissertation
(Evaluating the impact of sustaining
innovation on business performance in
the US automotive industry - A case
study of Tesla)

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................1
Background of the study..............................................................................................................1
Research rationale........................................................................................................................1
Research problem........................................................................................................................2
Research aim................................................................................................................................2
Research objectives.....................................................................................................................2
Research Questions......................................................................................................................2
Significance of the study.............................................................................................................2
Outline of the methodology.........................................................................................................3
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................................4
Introduction..................................................................................................................................4
To understand the concept of innovation strategies in the car-manufacturing industry .............4
To evaluate the innovation brought by Tesla in the car-manufacturing industry........................6
To identify the benefits gained by Tesla through innovation of the car-manufacturing industry
.....................................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................11
Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................12
Introduction................................................................................................................................12
Research Philosophy:.................................................................................................................12
Research Approach:...................................................................................................................13
Research Strategy:.....................................................................................................................13
Research Design:.......................................................................................................................13
Research method:.......................................................................................................................14
Data collection methods:...........................................................................................................14
Data collection instruments:......................................................................................................14
Reliability and Validity:............................................................................................................15
Ethics:........................................................................................................................................15
Limitation of research:...............................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................17

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Sustaining innovation is focus on making intentional changes to a company's products,
services or processes for generating long-term environmental and social benefits while creating
economic profits for the company. This innovation happen within pre-existing markets that
consumers and customers have demonstrated they have value already. Through this, companies
can offer and invest novel products and services that directly contribute for achieving the
sustainability (Rizki and Saripudin, 2022). They can also innovate sustainably while offering
existing products and services when they change their processes. Process change can arise in
different areas such as production, marketing, design and even human resource also. The primary
aim of the sustaining innovations is to meet the wants of current generations without
compromising the needs of the future generations. It needs businesses to actively integrate
problems such as climate change and human rights into their innovation processes. Sustaining
innovations help company in order to attract talented employees (Si, and Chen, 2020). Talented
employees performed more effectively in the job that helps company to achieve their goals and
objectives more effectively. Thus, current research is conducted to evaluate the impact of
sustaining innovation on business performance in the automotive industry. The selected
organisation for the current research is Tesla. It is an auto-mobile organisation of United States.
The company was established in 2003 by a group of engineers who wants to prove that people
did not need to compromise to drive electric. That electric vehicles can be quicker, better as well
as more fun in order to drive than gasoline cars (About Tesla, 2022).
Research rationale
The main reason behind to conduct the research in current topic is to gain knowledge
about the sustaining innovation as well as its impacts on the business performance of the
company. This information helps company to improve their product, service or processes to
generate long-term social and environmental benefits (Van Dijck and Steen, 2019). It also help
company to fulfil the needs of current generation customers in better manner. There are two man
intention of the researcher to conduct the research in this topic. The first intention is personal as
the researcher wants to gain proper information about the topic for enhancing their knowledge.
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On the other hand, other intention is professional as the researcher wants to apply its knowledge
in its professional career and make sustaining innovation in their business.
Research problem
The problem which has been identified in the current research is that the company would
face problems in innovating their products and services sustainably. Sustainable innovation
improve or modify their existing product and services. It require huge costs as it innovates the
existing products and service of the company by changing their processes (Bitzinger and Raska,
2020). It increases the cost of their products and service that affects the sale and profit of the
company. Increase in price of their key products and services may affects the purchasing
decision of the customers. Customers wants effective and innovative products and service in
reasonable price or they move to other brand.
Research aim
To evaluate the impact of sustaining innovation on business performance in the US
automotive industry - A case study of Tesla
Research objectives
 To understand the concept of innovation strategies in the car-manufacturing industry
 To evaluate the innovation brought by Tesla in the car-manufacturing industry
 To identify the benefits gained by Tesla through innovation of the car-manufacturing
industry.
Research Questions
 Explain the concept of sustain innovation in the car-manufacturing industry.
 What are the innovations brought by Tesla in the car-manufacturing industry?
 What are the benefits gained by Tesla through innovations of the car-manufacturing
industry?
Significance of the study
The current research is important for the company as it helps them to improve and
innovate their existing products and service for generating long-term environmental and social
benefits while making economic development for the company (Radnejad and Vredenburg,
2019). As it helps in making their existing products and service more effective to meet the needs
of current generation customers in effective manner without compromising the needs of future
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generations. It collect important information that may help companies innovate their existing
products and processes sustainably in order to innovative products and services to their customer
for fulfilling their current needs and demand. The research is important for the researcher also as
they can improve and develop various skills as well as enhanced their knowledge. The skills
which has been developed by the researcher while doing the current research are project
management, time management, problem solving, communication, data analytics, data handling
and budget handling. These skills helps researcher to conduct its future research in more better
manner.
Outline of the methodology
For conducting research in this topic researcher used qualitative research method for
collecting and analysing detail information for achieving the aim and objectives of the research.
There are several published sources that help researcher to collect wide range of detail
information for the research. Researcher can get more subjectivity by collecting and analysing
data by qualitative methods. It allows researcher to collects data in detailed form that make easier
in developing better understanding for the research. Quantitative research method allow
researcher generate new theory by collecting data from the existing research. Researcher used
secondary data collection methods for collecting data for the current research (Cheng and Tan,
2018). Secondary data collection method allow researcher to collect data from the published
sources such as scholarly articles, books, journals and many more. In this research, researcher
used systematic literature review and case study strategies with a aim to gather more relevant
qualitative information for the research. This kind of data help researcher to answer the research
questions for the research.
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