Strategic Planning at Ford & Honda

Honda is a relatively new company in the automotive industry. The company was founded in 1948 as a motorcycle company, and it has remained independent since that time. The company recognizes engines as its core competency, and has built a company around that competency. Today, Honda participates in the motorcycle industry, light trucks, automobiles, generators, personal watercraft and lawn mowers, all built around the strategic competency of the company's ability to manufacture high-quality products. Unlike other automotive companies that have formed strategic alliances (including Toyota and General Motors) or even merged across national boundaries (Chrysler and DaimlerBenz), Honda continues to forge ahead independently, including offering customers in-house financing as do other major automotive manufacturers (Taylor, 2002).

The company takes a long-term approach to its strategy; Honda introduced one of the first hybrid electric cars and continues to be a pioneer in that market. The company is also doing research on hydrogen-powered cars. It is a conservative company with regard to expanding facilities and does not build excess capacity: if additional capacity is needed, another plant is built. However, the company brings new products to market faster than the competition, and brings new factories on line ahead of schedule--sometimes by as much as six months. It does not supply dealers with excess inventory, resulting in dealers c

Related Essays

STRATEGIC REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF GENERAL MOTORS .... Further, Honda is almost as strong, and no doubt .... the next decade in relation to Ford in China .... Using a strategic planning matrix to improve a firm's competitive .... (4339 17 )

HARLEY-DAVIDSON The decisions for marketing stra .... who utilized "just in time" inventory planning and Total .... wrong decisions included: * No long term strategic thinking by .... Just as Henry Ford let buyers have any .... (1884 8 )

Multinational Agreement on Investment .... II by Nissan and the Maverick by Ford, this four .... of supply have been indicated as strategic factors which .... phase is concerned, an aggregate planning of plants .... (9353 37 )

Business Strategies for Europe Business Strategies for .... product segments - Mazda (25% owned by Ford) responsible for .... You may make a strategic decision to go after a .... When planning to enter into any market, you must .... (4723 19 )

Category: Business - S