Purpose: The purpose of this research study is the empirical analysis of theelements affecting supply chain vulnerability with a focus on theautomotive industry.

Methodology: This research is based on a deductive approach. In order to fulfilthe purpose of the study, the authors stated three hypotheseswhich were tested with help of quantitative data. Moreover, thesurvey strategy was used while using questioning in order to gatherinformation from subjects. With the help of a web-based questionnairethe data was collected. The collected data was then usedfor statistical analysis, in particular by using a OLS analysis, Mann-Whitney-U-Test and Spearman correlation. By making use of thestatistical results the authors where able to test the stated hypotheses.

Research limitations: The research was conducted within only one specific industry, inparticular the automotive industry. Furthermore, the relatively lowamount of 32 respondents must be mentioned. The last imitationof the research study is the missing consideration of any interdependenciesbetween the groups of supply chain practices and supplychain risks.

Theoretical Impl: This research represents a contribution to the existing knowledgein field of supply chain risk management and more precisely to thefield of supply chain vulnerability within the automotive industry.As one of the few quantitative research studies that deal with theanalysis of elements affecting supply chain vulnerability, this researchinvestigates statistically the cause-effect relationships, correlationsand differences of elements affecting supply chain vulnerability.

Managerial Impl: The results of this study contribute greatly to practitioners withinthe automotive industry. With the help of the comprehensiveSCVM and due to the high degree of detail regarding the supplychain practices and their categorization into source, make and deliverpractices, managers within the various supply chain functionsof a company can easily identify their individual need for actionsbased on the findings of this study.