Harley-Davidson motorcycle Essay Example for Free

Harley-Davidson motorcycle Essay Introduction Harley-Davidson Motorcycles have been around for just over 100 years. They became popular after World War II and had continued success until the 1970A? a‚Â ¬a„? s when the company was sold. In 1981 a group of executives bought the company and turned it around into what it is today. Harley-Davidson has had some hard times and some images to shed to get to where it is now, but it has been and are still the front runner in the motorcycle industry. Industry and Competition Analysis A? a‚Â ¬A? General economic characteristics. The current market for Harley-Davidson motorcycles is mostly baby boomers who want to recapture the freedom of when they were young. Most consumers today are middle to upper class. A? a‚Â ¬A? Driving Forces The main driving force behind changes made in Harley-Davidson is image. The company has had to continually change to fit or change an image that accompanies the products A? a‚Â ¬A? Five Forces Model There is not much rivalry between Harley-Davidson and other manufactures in the United States. The only company that comes close to competing with them is Honda, however Honda does not specialize in the same type of motorcycle that Harley-Davidson does. The only substitute product would be a different type of motorcycle such as a street bike, but Harley-Davidson mainly produces touring bikes. A? a‚Â ¬A? Competitor Analysis There really are not any true competitors in the United States. BMW is competition in Europe as well as other companies that manufacture street or racing bikes, but as far as touring motorcycles, Harley-Davidson does not have any real competition. A? a‚Â ¬A? Key Success Factors Key success factors include marketing to improve or change image, production to produce enough bikes for consumer demand and distribution, having the right dealerships in place to sell the product. 2 A? a‚Â ¬A? Attractiveness This is a very attractive industry for Harley-Davidson; however it would not be a good industry for a new company to try to gain entry into due to such large brand loyalty. Company Situation Analysis Harley-DavidsonA? a‚Â ¬a„? s business strategy to become more profitable is to market a lifestyle instead of a product. They show the Harley image as being free and fun. Consumers want to get that feeling and while most people buy the motorcycles, Harley-Davidson has managed to create a market for their products even for people who do not own a motorcycle. Harley-DavidsonA? a‚Â ¬a„? s main strength is brand loyalty. People see a motorcycle they automatically think of Harley-Davidson. Their weakness however is diversification. While they are extremely successful at producing and selling touring motorcycles, they can not capture the market on other types of motorcycles. Suzuki and Honda are better known for their street bikes that HarleyA? a‚Â ¬a„? s Buell Company. This leads to their opportunities. Harley-DavidsonA? a‚Â ¬a„? s biggest opportunity is to develop a street bike that can compete effectively with a Honda or Suzuki motorcycle. Threats to Harley-Davidson include a changing culture. As Baby Boomers are becoming too old to purchase new motorcycles, they need to refocus their attention to the younger generation. In order to capture the younger generation, Harley-Davidson needs to develop a street bike as not many younger people are as interested in touring motorcycles. Financially, Harley-Davidson is doing very well. Revenues have grown at a rate of 16% over the past 10 years and have reached 4. 6 billion dollars. This is huge growth considering that the company almost went bankrupt in 1985. Key Issues That Need To Be Addressed The main issue that Harley-Davidson is facing is the aging of their buyers. As talked about earlier, the new consumers of motorcycles are going to be younger people who are looking more for performance motorcycles than touring ones. Right now Harley is expanding their current business keeping it the same as it has always been instead of diversifying the products that they manufacture. Harley has such a large brand loyalty and has finally changed the image of a Harley rider into a positive one that the company will be okay; there is just not much more room for growth. 3 Strategy Alternatives One potential strategy alternative would be to either merge or acquire another company. They have already tried doing this with Buell motorcycles, however, the Buell brand is not that well known and only make up . 8% of the market for motorcycles. If Harley-Davidson could acquire a smaller company such as Ducati that is already successful in Europe, it could market it better in the United States and gain even more market control over the industry and continue to increase profits. One weakness to this strategy however is image. Harley-Davidson has the All American image and buying a foreign company and marketing a foreign product could hurt the image to some Harley Owners. Recommendations Harley-Davidson is such a well known and well respected company that I do not necessarily think that they should change their strategy. They have already tried to incorporate new types of motorcycles into their product line with little success. While the V-Rod is vastly different from the bikes they previously made, sales are not as high as on the traditional motorcycles. Their only real option is to better market the V-Rod and Buell motorcycles to try to build a new customer base so that they can increase sales if sales really do decrease on their traditional touring motorcycles.

The Death Penalty is Effective Essay -- Support Capital Punishment Ess

The Death Penalty is Effective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capital Punishment in this country is a very controversial issue, and has been for quite some time. The history of the death penalty in America dates all the ways back to 1622, where Daniel Frank was executed in the Colony of Virginia for the crime of theft. (UAA) Many more unrecorded executions occurred until the U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics began keeping track in 1930. During that time, there was an average of about 150 executions per year. That number rose until about 1938 then began to decline until 1967, when executions in the U.S. came to a halt. There was no law or court ruling that resulted in this, it was more of a self-induced moratorium on the state level. The legal and moral questions seemed to be coming into play. Then a ruling in 1972 by the U.S. Supreme Court stated that the death penalty under current statutes is 'arbitrary and capricious' and therefore unconstitutional under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. (Furman v. Georgia) That rulin g was reached on a vote of five to four, clearly showing how even the U.S. Supreme Court Justices, the highest authority of the law, were torn on the issue. This ruling essentially made Capital Punishment illegal in the United States. This lasted about four years, until another case heard before the U.S. Supreme Court (Gregg v. Georgia 1976) that reinstated the death penalty. It stated that it must be administered with guided discretion, meaning it must be applied fairly and uniformly. Two additional cases brought before the Supreme Court this year (Jurek v. Texas) and ( Proffit v. Florida) upheld the original ruling, that the death penalty is Constitutional. All of these court rulings deal with only the legality and constitutionality on Capital Punishment. However, there are many more fractions to be examined to truly evaluate the effectiveness of the death penalty. The question of morality enters into the equation. Is state sanctioned Capital Punishment moral? Deterrence is also a nother large factor. Does the death penalty deter capital crimes? Any problems within the justice system have to be reviewed, such as defense for lower income individuals, judges discretion, and discrimination. Public opinion on the subject is a fairly important issue, as the laws in this country should reflect the public interest. The economic cost of the death penalty is of cour... .... "Wrongful Executions are Unlikely." Opposing Viewpoints . Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Shenendehowa Public Library. 24 Nov. 2003 Pataki, George E. "Capital Punishment is a Deterrent." Opposing Viewpoints . Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Shenendehowa Public Library. 24 Nov. 2003 Pojman, Louis P. "Unfair Application of Capital Punishment does not Justify Abolishing it." Opposing Viewpoints.   Ã‚  Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Shenendehowa Public Library. 19 Nov. 2003 Proffitt v. Florida. UAA Justice Center Web Site U.S. Supreme Ct. 1976. 18 Nov. 2003 http://www.uaa.alaska.edu>. Pulley v. Harris. UAA Justice Center Web Site U.S. Supreme Ct. 1984. 18 Nov. 2003 . Recent Poll Results from around the Country. 18 Nov. 2003 . Scalia, Antonin. "The Death Penalty is Legally Just." Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Shenendehowa Public Library. 19 Nov. 2003 Tucker, William. "Society Needs the Death Penalty to Deter Murderers." Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Shenendehowa Public Library. 24 Nov. 2003 Woodson v. North Carolina. UAA Justice Center Web Site U.S. Supreme Ct. 1976. 18 Nov. 2003.

Fast Food and Subway

News that Subway has passed McDonald's as the world's biggest fast-food chain is hardly a surprise to Australians, given the sandwich chain has 1,254 stores in Australia, compared to just over 780 McDonald's stores. But the rapid and unrelenting growth of Subway in Australia and overseas does raise an important question for the franchise sector: Are franchisees now favouring smaller and cheaper franchise options? Franchising expert and SmartCompany blogger Jason Gherke, of consultancy Franchise Advice, says Subway and McDonald's have pursued very different growth strategies.Where Subway uses relatively low entry prices and smaller store formats (which mean lower rents) to attract franchises, McDonald's has a strategy of owning the land that a franchisee can build a store on, with the exception, of course, of stores in shopping centres or other retail precincts. â€Å"There is a much more significant capital investment required from both the franchisor and the franchisee under the Mc Donald's model,† Gherke says.The rate at which both chains grow is directly related to that. Whereas McDonald's would need up to five years of lead time to scout store locations, get planning approvals and build a store, it could take only months to get a Subway store planned, established and up and running. The trend towards smaller store formats is one Gherke says is also evident in the pizza sector, where Pizza Hut has moved away from a dine-in concept to a pure take-away concept.Rivals such as Eagle Boys have also modified their franchise offering to include â€Å"express† outlets which can be opened in small spaces within petrol stations and airports, for example. However, McDonald's is unlikely to be too worried about being in second place to Subway – Gherke says its slower growth means that McDonald's franchises remains much sort after, and very expensive. â€Å"I wouldn't hazard a guess at what a franchise would sell for these days, if you could actually get your hands on one. â€Å"And while other fast food operators are reducing the size of their stores, McDonalds has concentrated on changing its menu (particularly to include healthier options) and changing its store formats (with the inclusion of McCafe outlets in most stores). â€Å"I can't say that I've noticed a down-sizing of their outlets. McDonalds have modified their menu and their offer rather than their footprint. † And of course, store numbers aren't the only thing that counts in the battle for the stomachs of consumers. According to IBISWorld, McDonalds has a 19. 5% share of Australia's fast-food market, compared with Subway's share of just 2%.

Civil Rights and the Second Reconstruction - 1189 Words

Civil Rights and the Second Reconstruction The Civil Rights era was one of the most tumultuous times in American history. The country appeared at once to be striving forward for social progress and, simultaneously, coming apart at the seams. It is exactly this contradiction which drives our discussion the period known as the Second Reconstruction. Named in reference to the original Reconstruction era which succeeded the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in the South, the Second Reconstruction was akin to its namesake in the intended advance of racial equality and its concurrent effect of retrenchment of white supremacist ideologies. These opposing forces would define a period in American history rightly associated with a violent realization of long-simmering cultural conflict. In many ways, the ball would begin rolling for true Civil Right reform several decades before meaningful reform could be achieved. However, as early as the period immediately following a World War II confl ict distinguished by the horrific excess of its ethnically motivated atrocities, the United States began to reexamine its own record. Accordingly, Black American in Congress (BAIC) (2012) report, During the 1940s and 1950s, executive action, rather than legislative initiatives, set the pace for measured movement toward desegregation. President Harry S. Truman expanded on Roosevelts limited and tentative steps toward racial moderation and reconciliation. Responding to civil rightsShow MoreRelatedThe Civil War And Reconstruction977 Words   |  4 Pagescalled the Reconstruction period â€Å"America’s Second Revolution†, his characterization was correct. Reconstruction can be viewed as a revolution because the previous social order, slavery, was replaced suddenly by a more favorable one, freedom for African-Americans. 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It changes aspects in history of the United States. It occurs after the American Civil War. The Reconstruction is one of the most controversial period America’s history. That is the period the South gets more benefit than the North. In my opinion, the most win of the South is that it has strengthened democracy about political, economicRead MoreChapter 22 Apush Key Terms1694 Words   |  7 Pagesthe end of the Civil War. At the end of the war, the Bureaus main role was providing emergency food, housing, and medical aid to refugees, though it also helped reunite families. Later, it focused its work on helping the freedmen adjust to their conditions of freedom. Its main job was setting up work opportunities and supervising labor contracts. 8. Exodusters Was a name given to African Americans who left the south[Kansas] in 1879 and 1880. 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