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Only a few years ago, B2B exchanges were expected to completely alter conventional buyer-supplier relationships. The reality has been otherwise. Only 10% of the 1,000 B2B exchanges launched in the past 18 months are reportedly still in operation. Meanwhile, the important B2B action seems to have shifted to industry-wide exchanges run by incumbent firms, such as Covisint in the auto industry and Transora in the consumer products sector. In a new research study, Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie and colleague Susan Helper explore this evolution

Car dealers learned fast how to handle customers who think they know everything.

Note: Business 2.0 is now part of CNNmoney and some older articles are no longer available

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Nissan, Japan's third-largest automaker, was stodgy, insular, debt-ridden. It was exhibit A in what was wrong with Japanese corporations. Then it brought in an irrepressible French Lebanese guy named Carlos Ghosn.

"The automotive industry will ride a wave of dramatic change over the next decade as new technologies emerge, markets stagnate in developed countries and grow in emerging countries, buying patterns change, and customers become ever more demanding. The industry will respond to a wide range of political, social, and economic issues: How quickly will Eastern Europe and China develop? Which trade barriers will rise or fall? Will an environmental crisis or a medical discovery prompt citizens to demand „greener" transportation - e.g., smaller cars and more public transportation? Will safety concerns trigger massive defections to safer means of transport - planes, trains, or buses?

One tool successful companies often use to help them describe possible futures and determine likely implications for their businesses is scenarios. We invite you to join us as we explore two scenarios for the future of the automotive industry - and look at future challenges and possible responses. We hope this exercise will stimulate useful discussions of vision and strategy among your teams."

Trends and drivers in the automotive industry as well as an outlook on the years to come.