Harley Davidson Case Analysis
HARLEY DAVIDSON COMPANY
Case Analysis
I. DEFINITION OF THE CASE PROBLEM The Harley Davidson name has been shattered into pieces. The loss of customer’s demand for their products proves a problem probably too much to handle for the present managers/owners of the company. The product quality mainly has deteriorated significantly that leads to the low demand for the Harley Davidson choppers. Problems always do arise that need immediate actions to take place. What can be done in order to resolve this? Who do we have to replace for proper management of this company? How do we improve the product quality? What designs do we have to change in order to make it more appealing to customers? Who do we approach for these new designs? What do the customers yearn for, more power or comfort? How do we get the customers back? How do we get them to trust the Harley Davidson name again? What should be done overall in order to make us rise back to where we were in the past? All these questions were the problems that the Harley Davidson Company was searching for in the hard times of the company. It really makes you wonder though if they would be able to overcome this, what do you think?
II. CRITICAL ISSUES
These are some of the issues that were encountered by the company:
1. British competitors were beginning to enter the market with faster, lighter-weight bikes.
2. Honda Motor Company of Japan began marketing lightweight bikes in the United States, moving into middleweight vehicles in the 1960s.
3. The company purchased an Italian motorcycle firm, Aermacchi, but many of its dealers were reluctant to sell the small Aermacchi Harleys.
4. The rapid expansion led to significant problems with quality, and better-built Japanese motorcycles began to take over the market.
5. The Chinese government’s road restrictions pertaining to riding motorcycles in general in the country’s urban areas
III. ANALYSIS OF THE
Case Analysis
I. DEFINITION OF THE CASE PROBLEM The Harley Davidson name has been shattered into pieces. The loss of customer’s demand for their products proves a problem probably too much to handle for the present managers/owners of the company. The product quality mainly has deteriorated significantly that leads to the low demand for the Harley Davidson choppers. Problems always do arise that need immediate actions to take place. What can be done in order to resolve this? Who do we have to replace for proper management of this company? How do we improve the product quality? What designs do we have to change in order to make it more appealing to customers? Who do we approach for these new designs? What do the customers yearn for, more power or comfort? How do we get the customers back? How do we get them to trust the Harley Davidson name again? What should be done overall in order to make us rise back to where we were in the past? All these questions were the problems that the Harley Davidson Company was searching for in the hard times of the company. It really makes you wonder though if they would be able to overcome this, what do you think?
II. CRITICAL ISSUES
These are some of the issues that were encountered by the company:
1. British competitors were beginning to enter the market with faster, lighter-weight bikes.
2. Honda Motor Company of Japan began marketing lightweight bikes in the United States, moving into middleweight vehicles in the 1960s.
3. The company purchased an Italian motorcycle firm, Aermacchi, but many of its dealers were reluctant to sell the small Aermacchi Harleys.
4. The rapid expansion led to significant problems with quality, and better-built Japanese motorcycles began to take over the market.
5. The Chinese government’s road restrictions pertaining to riding motorcycles in general in the country’s urban areas
III. ANALYSIS OF THE