Honda and Taurus Made a Run at Being Number One
Case Preview: In the US market there were intense competitions during the end of eighties and the beginning of nineties. The US Cars market was characterized by an intense competition in the mid- size cars “SEDAN”. During 1988 Ford Company was ranked the first in terms of selling cars in the United States, and in 1989 Honda attacked Ford Company and assumed the lead in the Unites States. In the wake of loosing number one position, Ford Company was compelled to work hard to recover this first place in the midsize category in the 1992. To that end, It adopted some strategies, such as reshaping Taurus and taking the safety position to change its image to meet customers’ needs and wants. This case study discusses the intense competition between the two wellknown brands (Ford Taurus and Honda Accord). When Ford became in the challenging position, it adopted some attack strategies to recapture the leading position in sales of the Mid-size Sedan. The case study further presents a profound analysis that goes over all the strategies adopted by Ford in competition with Honda to achieve its goal. Problem Definition in the Case: Ford Taurus was lagged by thousands of cars in sales to Honda accord (?). Furthermore, to become Number 1, “The Leader”, and beat Honda, Ford set up several strategies and stood to the management (?). The staff was capable of achieving the strategies, and the gap between the two companies obviously shrank by the time Ford achieved its objective in early 1993. SWOT Analysis Understanding Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats The importance using SWOT analysis SWOT Analysis is a very effective way of identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and of examining the opportunities and threats you face. Carrying out an analysis using the SWOT framework will help you to focus your activities into areas where you are strong, and where the greatest opportunities lie. Again, consider this from an internal and external view - do other firms seem to