Ali Mothana
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Akshaya Varghese
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Strategy / Business
Program:
Authors: Ali Mothana, Akshaya Varghese
Session: Session 1: 9:00 am – 9:50 am
Poster: 8
Abstract
The United States is experiencing an unprecedented transformation in its transportation business, where many companies that have been heavily involved and invested in fossil fuel automotive technology have been attempting to reimage themselves as a newer and more modern mobility company, mainly due to pressure caused by the release of the Roadster. Currently, past research does not examine the complexities in the transition between Detroit’s Big Three– Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (previously known as Chrysler)– past of identifying as hegemony in the automotive industry to their newer and more innovative mobility identity. So far, this research has analyzed 10ks and quarterly earning calls with a code to observe that recently the Big Three have shifted their identity towards mobility, innovation, and artificial intelligence. However, an essential aspect of this transition and this research is the impact of emotion, particularly nostalgia, which refers to the longing for the past and how it could impact their development identities. The current hypothesis is that nostalgia could strengthen collective identity and bonds to foster innovation amongst these companies, but too much nostalgia could result in stagnation. This research will analyze 10ks and earning calls, publications, and books written by and about executives to address this hypothesis.
