Introduction
Harley Davidson is America’s most successful manufacturing company. It has established itself as market leader for the heavyweight motorcycles and is the world’s most profitable motorcycle company. Harley Davidson has been around for over 100 year and although it sitting on a healthy position in term of profitable, heavy competition and negative trends raises the question on the length that Harley Davidson will continue to be a profitable company. This Strategic analysis will summarise the Macro-environment of the Motorcycle industry as well as summaries the effect of the five forces have on the profitability of motorcycle industry. Also an internal analysis will be conducted which will outline Harley Davidson resources and
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The reason for this is because suppliers for the motorcycle industry supply raw material and components to the motorcycle industry where it is then used to manufacturer motorcycles. The suppliers are usually, many small to large organisations and therefore tend not to have high bargaining power. Also, motorcycle industries usually have high volume production which requires high volume of raw material and components, so therefore motorcycle manufacturers tend to have higher bargain power thereby reducing the price of the suppliers which increase the profits for them.
Motorcycles would be a high capital expenditure for a customer, and therefore price sensitivity would affect bargaining power of customer in this industry thereby reducing the profit for the companies in this industry.
Factors such as rising fuel prices and slow economic growth will impact two ways on the motorcycle industry in term of substitutes. Regarding motorcycle as a form of transport, fuel prices had lead to increase demand for motorcycle, therefore threat from cars will be low, and also switching cost from motorcycle to cars is relatively high, thus making threat from cars low. On the other hand public transport poses a higher threat as the switching cost to them relatively low.
Rivalry in this industry is very high with very large companies dominating the market, there also
Demand – Customers are loyal and identify with the HD brand. Currently demand outmatches supply, so HD is considering whether to raise prices or expand capacity via various options.
The motorcycle industry is very vast and contains many different manufacturers and types. Victory needs to stay ahead of its competitors such as Harley Davidson, Kawasaki and Yamaha. The thing that
The fight amongst the major players in this industry is not over price, but over capturing the market share. Since, there is no one definitive leader in the motorcycle industry on the global level, the companies tend to steal each other’s business, this makes the industry rivalry cut throat. One of the crucial factors that make this industry extremely attractive is the constant drive for innovation. Since different industry participants have different approach towards the same segment of the industry, there is a very high
Harley Davidson Company has a long history of building motorcycles that have worked to actually shape a part of the American culture. Its product positioning and marketing strategies have served as a prime example for any company to imitate. Harley Davidson has developed immense levels of brand loyalty over the years. However, the company has also been burdened by the recent economic downturn and now is going through something of a rebuilding phase as it tries to determine its best course forward. This analysis will conduct a SWOT assessment of Harley Davidson's current position and make recommendations on how Harley can continue to develop the next phase of its iconic American brand.
The overall intensity of rivalry in the motorcycle industry is strong, key players in this industry include the Harley Davidson, Winnebago, Polaris, Thor, Artic Cat and Marine Products. These top performers hold a high percentage of
In this paper we will perform a complete analysis of the Harley-Davidson Corporation including their corporate and business strategies, strengths and weaknesses, environmental opportunities, the five industry forces, and financial situation. Harley-Davidson has many attributes, which will be apparent in the following analysis. The paper will attempt to define the different components of the analysis and put them all together in a way that seeks to explain the way that they contribute to the overall success of the company and its stakeholders.
Historically Harley-Davidson to be a Niche Marketer, which is they had focused in on one particular aspect of the market. Kotler and Keller identified the following characteristics of niche marketing; customers have a distinct set of needs, they are willing to pay more to the firm that best suits their needs, it is not likely to attract competitors, gains economies through specialized products and it has a size, profit and to grow. Almost all of these hold true for the “heavyweight” segment of motor cycles that Harley-Davidson produced.
Harley Davidson is known as one of the main motorcycle manufacturers and sellers in the United States. The company had good business and great market share in the early 1960s when it commanded a total of about 70% 0f the motorcycle market, before the invasion or the intrusion of a small Japanese firm that manufactured lighter motorcycles, known as the Honda. The case study as identifies that Harley Davidson assumed the invasion by the Japanese firm and instead of tackling the competition, it waited for a long time which resulted in the company losing its command in the motorcycle market in the United States. Lack of action by the management of Harley Davidson resulted in the failure of the company
Since Harley Davison Motor Company started in 1903, they have been successfully “taking the work out of bicycling” better than any other motorcycle manufacturing company. They have experienced great success recently with growing numbers in their percentage of motorcycles shipped, up 14 percent from 1997, and their target market size, up 13.8 percent from 1997. Their brand has also grown so strong over the years that customers are willing to wait up to two years for a motorcycle. The problems that Harley Davison is faced with are how to improve their existing purchasing process, how to integrate their existing procurement methods together, and how to develop longer term
Motorcycles fall into the category called Recreational Vehicle, Motorcycle and Boat Retail Industry. These are companies that retail recreational vehicles, boats, motorcycles, jet skis, and/or related accessories. In Hoover’s classification, based on the North American Industry Classifications System (NAICS) and the older U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, motorcycles fall under a smaller subcategory called Motorcycle, ATV, and Personal Watercraft Dealers Industry. This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in retailing new and/or used motorcycles, motor scooters, motorbikes, mopeds, off-road all-terrain vehicles, and personal watercraft, or retailing these
The Motorcycles and Related Products segment was responsible for virtually all of the change in consolidated revenue as the result of increases in both motorcycle unit shipments and Parts and Accessories sales. Year end data indicate that the domestic motorcycle market continued to grow throughout 1993 and demand for the company's motorcycles continues to exceed supply. International demand remains strong with export revenues totaling $262.8 million during 1993, an increase of approximately $23.4 million over 1992. The Board of Directors approved a comprehensive manufacturing strategy designed to achieve the goal of a 100,000 units per year production rate in 1996. Basically, it is an enhancement of the Motorcycle division's ability to
The success of Harley Davidson (HD) is due to the American motorcycle icon’s effective Strategic Management. HD’s vision, mission, goals and objectives strive to exceed the requirements of its main stakeholders. Although these needs are not always met, the company has unique relationships with is stakeholders. The company stays on course with its strategic plan, despite the economy and the decline of American manufacturing and what might be considered its dwindling U.S. consumer base.
After an investigation by the US International Trade Commission, in 1983 President Reagan imposed a 45% tariff on imported bikes and bikes over 700 cc engine capacity. The new management deliberately exploited the past appeal of their big machines, building motorcycles that purposely adopted the look and feel of their earlier models. Quality increased, technical improvements were made, and buyers returned. Harley-Davidson once again became the sales leader in the heavyweight (over 750 cc) market.
Rivalry Competition: Harley Davidson has a High Rivalry Competition. HD deals with a huge amount of competition in the Motorcycles industry from other motorcycle manufacturers from around the world. These include Honda, Yamaha , Suzuki from Japan; Ducati, Aprilia, BMW and Triumph from Europe; and the Indian as its main rival from the US. The major problem HD faces here is that most of its major competitors are very diversified and have larger financial and marketing resources. For example, Yamaha generates only half of its revenue from motorcycles. The growth rate of this particular industry is forecasted to be 3.4%.
Find the solution to problem only when it has occurred: Even in late 90’s when Indian 2 wheeler market was moving away from scooters to fuel efficient, low power bikes; Bajaj was guilty of focussing more on up gradation of Chetak rather than investing money in bike production. Hero Honda the main rival of Bajaj & no. 2 two-wheeler manufacturer aggressively marketed its Splendour bike which received very good response from the market. Splendour went on to capture iconic brand status in the minds of Indian consumers and has managed to sell 11 million bikes till now. (Failure)