Business Policy and Strategic Management

Ivin George
A019
S.Y.B.B.A.,Ll.B.(Hons.)
TRIMESTER V

The Riders Chariot: Harley Davidson

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

Every bike enthusiast in the world would agree with the researcher when he makes the statement
that Harley Davidson is the god father of any motorcycle ever made. Harley Davidson has a
history which spans over a century; the company was started by William A. Davidson, his
brothers Walter and Arthur Davison along with William S. Harley in 1901 in the small town of
Milwaukee, America. But this iconic biking brand has had its ups and downs, in the middle of
the 20th century things went south for the company and it nearly forced the owners to shut shop,
But the cult following it had established at that time and the loyal customers ensured that the
company survived that rough patch and now has become the leader of the wolf pack.

This story of Harley Davidson has inspired the witer to take up this brand for his article, to
analyse the companys story.

OBJECTIVES:

The Objectives of the researcher in writing this article are:

 The brand Harley Davison has inspired many motorcycle companies over the years so the
researcher would like to expand on this.
Harley Davidson story is a rags to riches story of how a group of young men inspired by
the idea of having a bicycle which could run with minimum effort and were fast.
Harley Davidson has got a cult following all over the world this has feat has been attained
by the company over a period of time. The researcher tries to analyse the factors which
lead to this cult status being given to the motorcycle company.
The researcher tries to determine the road blocks faced by the company in its 100 year
long journey while creating its legacy as the worlds most iconic brand in automotive
industry.
The researcher also tries to analyse how the company got out of the big slum it
experienced in the middle of the 20th century and how the customers of the company
came together to save the brand.
The researcher tries to analyse what lead to this action of the customers which made them
come together and save this company.
The researcher also tries to analyse business policy of Harley Davidson, because it is not
a bike every Tom Dick or Harry can own, it caters to a specific class of the society, the
researcher tries to analyse what has helped Harley Davison maintain itself as a
premium/Luxury brand over the years.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

The research conducted was of secondary nature.

Materials and fact written are taken from various books, reports, articles and the internet.
All the aspects of the topic have not been covered in complete depth as the subject was
very vast.
Attempts have been made to ensure that this contains no biased views. However, views
and opinions of the researcher may have been stated in the project.
The research design type used in the study is of descriptive and of review nature.
The research fails to conduct primary research in the form of questionnaires, interviews,
field research, etc.
As the study was critical in nature, doctrinal methods have been adopted for the purpose
of research because it was not possible to study the subject by experimental method.
 Harley Davidson is a Premium Motorcycle company.
The industry is the motorcycle industry.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

The researcher intends to use:

Harley Davidson History( Documentary); https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=dmSOEjdSoZQ : The researcher intends to gather information about the companys
history and how it got its iconic status.

How Harley Davidson Revs Its Brand: http://www.strategy-

business.com/article/12878?gko=ffaa3 : from this site the researcher has
gathered information about the strategy followed by Harley Davidson in
its operations.

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle History: http://www.motorcycle-

usa.com/2008/02/article/harley-davidson-motorcycle-history/ : From this site
the researcher has gather information about the companys history.

Harley Davidson Motorcycles Museum: https://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-

d/en_US/home/museum/explore/hd-history/1900.html: this website gives the time line of
the activities and the land marks in the Harley Davidson History.
https://in.finance.yahoo.com/q?s=HOG: from this website the researcher has gathered
knowledge about the market capital and other such information about the company.

Any other book and source on this subject