Harley daivison
Páginas: 2 (477 palabras)
Publicado: 21 de junio de 2011
9-906-410
REV: APRIL 5, 2007
RICHARD L. NOLAN SURESH KOTHA
Harley-Davidson: Preparing for the Next Century
There are very few products that are so exciting that people will tattoo your logoon their body. — Richard Teerlink, Retired CEO, Harley-Davidson In 2003 Harley-Davidson, under the leadership of Jeffery Bluestein, celebrated its 100 birthday. The company, which almost wentbankrupt in 1970, had successfully shed its product and marketing doldrums and was once again the market leader of the U.S. heavyweight motorcycle industry. For the last 18 years the company had led theindustry in retail sales with a commanding lead of 50% market share in the United States and 32% globally. Noted Fortune: “Harley . . . ranks among America’s top growth stocks since its 1989 IPO[initial public offering]. Its 37% average annual gain runs just behind the 42% pace of another ‘86 debutante: Microsoft.”1 While the company’s successful history was in his thoughts, Bluestein wasaware of the formidable issues facing him and his top management team. The company’s customer base had grayed considerably since the early 1990s, and the average age of Harley riders rose from 35 to 47years in the past decade. Younger Americans (25- to 34-year-old men) seemed to prefer the light sports bikes offered by Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki. Bluestein recognized these concerns bynoting: “The only thing that can stop us is if we get complacent. Even though we’ve been successful, we can’t stand still.” On April 25, 2005, the company’s stock price declined 17%, despite anincrease in first-quarter profits and company sales. The steep decline was in response to the company’s revised estimates for planned 2005 sales; the company lowered its sales estimate by 10,000 unitsand noted that it planned to make 329,000 units for the year. The need to reexamine or change strategy became more urgent.
th
1 “Will Harley-Davidson hit the wall?” Fortune, August 12, 2002....
REV: APRIL 5, 2007
RICHARD L. NOLAN SURESH KOTHA
Harley-Davidson: Preparing for the Next Century
There are very few products that are so exciting that people will tattoo your logoon their body. — Richard Teerlink, Retired CEO, Harley-Davidson In 2003 Harley-Davidson, under the leadership of Jeffery Bluestein, celebrated its 100 birthday. The company, which almost wentbankrupt in 1970, had successfully shed its product and marketing doldrums and was once again the market leader of the U.S. heavyweight motorcycle industry. For the last 18 years the company had led theindustry in retail sales with a commanding lead of 50% market share in the United States and 32% globally. Noted Fortune: “Harley . . . ranks among America’s top growth stocks since its 1989 IPO[initial public offering]. Its 37% average annual gain runs just behind the 42% pace of another ‘86 debutante: Microsoft.”1 While the company’s successful history was in his thoughts, Bluestein wasaware of the formidable issues facing him and his top management team. The company’s customer base had grayed considerably since the early 1990s, and the average age of Harley riders rose from 35 to 47years in the past decade. Younger Americans (25- to 34-year-old men) seemed to prefer the light sports bikes offered by Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki. Bluestein recognized these concerns bynoting: “The only thing that can stop us is if we get complacent. Even though we’ve been successful, we can’t stand still.” On April 25, 2005, the company’s stock price declined 17%, despite anincrease in first-quarter profits and company sales. The steep decline was in response to the company’s revised estimates for planned 2005 sales; the company lowered its sales estimate by 10,000 unitsand noted that it planned to make 329,000 units for the year. The need to reexamine or change strategy became more urgent.
th
1 “Will Harley-Davidson hit the wall?” Fortune, August 12, 2002....
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