Situation Audit
History
The legendary motorcycle company, Harley-Davidson was founded in 1903, by William D, Walter, Arthur and William S. Harley right in their own backyard. By 1909, they had introduced the first V-twin engine, which is the company standard to this day. Harley-Davidson motorcycles were found to be useful during World War I, where they supplied 20,000 to the military. After this war, the depression threatened the motorcycle industry, and Harley-Davidson and Indian were the only ones to survive through the 1930 's. Then during the Second World War they found themselves in the light again, this time supplying 90,000 motorcycles. In 1953 their competitor, Indian closed and Harley-Davidson was the only American motorcycle manufacturer for the next 46 years. By 1970 the United States was importing motorcycles from Japan that were lower priced, imposing on Harley-Davidson 's market share. By 1986, after convincing the International Trade commission to remove tariffs on imported heavyweight Japanese motorcycles one year early, they regained their place at the top of the heavyweight market beating Honda. President Regan was amazed with the company and called them an "American success story." After this, the company continued to grow and in 2003, Harley-Davidson Inc. celebrated their 100th year anniversary.
Mission and Vision The mission of this company is to "fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcycling, by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles, branded products and services in selected market segments." Harley-Davidson wants to have happy customers that will continue to buy this brand for life. Their vision states that they are an "action oriented international company," and that they are committed to improving its relationships with stakeholders. They believe that through balancing their stockholder 's interests and the "empowerment" of