1 Running head: SWOT Analysis Honda Motor Company SWOT Analysis Honda Motor Company Ivy Nimley Davenport University BUSN 520 Professor Shaps March 22, 2015 Table of Content Introduction and Overview…………………………………………………………….....……….3 Strengths……………………………………………………..………………………………..…..3 Weaknesses………………………………………………………………………………………..6 Opportunities…………………………………………………………………...….….……..…....7 Threats………………………………………………………………………………………..……8 External Factors Impacting Decisions…………………………………...…………………..……9 Recommendations for Changes in Leadership and Structure……………………………………10 Possible Future Scenarios…………………………………………………………………..……11 Conclusion…………………………………………………………....……………………....….12 Appendix……………………………………………………….…...……………………...…….12 References……………………………………………………….……...…………...…..……….14 Introduction and Overview Honda motor company operates on four basic principles which influences its decisions concerning its growth, these are “’Respect for the Individual’ and ‘The Three Joys’-expressed as ‘The Joy of Buying,’ ‘The Joy of Selling’ and ‘The Joy of Creating’” (Honda Worldwide, 2011). Hondas belief has always been respecting uniqueness founded on their specific clients’ exceptional charms, whereas providing uninterrupted satisfaction through their merchandise. Ever since its creation in 1948, Honda has remained faithful to these principles, this has made them remain on top in the market. It is also credited to be top in the market because of its fresh inventive equipment, merchandises of greater value at sensible rates, global buyer gratification, and obligation to safeguard the environment and improvement of security in a peripatetic society. Honda is just like any other corporation and it shares of in-house and exterior elements, dictating its accomplishment and progress. Its strengths and opportunities favors the company but there are the internal weakness and external threats from competitors that shadow the company.in that case a SWOT analysis is mandatory to determine the weak points and strong points for a better outcome. Strength To clearly portray the strengths of the company, one must one must classify the company’s exceptional moments through its portfolio, accomplishment, and reputation. Its portfolio is built on its diverse products and its global brand image. Honda’s brand is valued at $17 million, it is also the company that makes the best automotive engines in the world. The diversity of its products is another strength, it’s the largest producer of motorcycles, automobile engines, garden equipment, scooters, generators, ATVs, solar cells, robotics and jets. This only means that its main focus is not only on automotive vehicles but also other technological advancements (Honda corporate, 2011). Another strength is form of organization, it has two forms of organization divisional and decentralized. In the divisional form it makes sure that even the lower management are given work according to their experti.

1. 1
Running head: SWOT Analysis Honda Motor Company
SWOT Analysis Honda Motor Company
Ivy Nimley
Davenport University
BUSN 520
Professor Shaps
March 22, 2015
Table of Content
Introduction and
Overview……………………………………………………………...
..……….3

2. Strengths……………………………………………………..………
………………………..…..3
Weaknesses…………………………………………………………
……………………………..6
Opportunities…………………………………………………………
………...….….……..…....7
Threats………………………………………………………………
………………………..……8
External Factors Impacting
Decisions…………………………………...…………………..……
9
Recommendations for Changes in Leadership and
Structure……………………………………10
Possible Future
Scenarios……………………………………………………………
……..……11
Conclusion…………………………………………………………....
……………………....….12
Appendix……………………………………………………….…...
……………………...…….12
References……………………………………………………….……
...…………...…..……….14
Introduction and Overview
Honda motor company operates on four basic principles which
influences its decisions concerning its growth, these are
“’Respect for the Individual’ and ‘The Three Joys’-expressed as
‘The Joy of Buying,’ ‘The Joy of Selling’ and ‘The Joy of
Creating’” (Honda Worldwide, 2011). Hondas belief has always
been respecting uniqueness founded on their specific clients’
exceptional charms, whereas providing uninterrupted
satisfaction through their merchandise. Ever since its creation in

3. 1948, Honda has remained faithful to these principles, this has
made them remain on top in the market. It is also credited to be
top in the market because of its fresh inventive equipment,
merchandises of greater value at sensible rates, global buyer
gratification, and obligation to safeguard the environment and
improvement of security in a peripatetic society.
Honda is just like any other corporation and it shares of in-
house and exterior elements, dictating its accomplishment and
progress. Its strengths and opportunities favors the company but
there are the internal weakness and external threats from
competitors that shadow the company.in that case a SWOT
analysis is mandatory to determine the weak points and strong
points for a better outcome.
Strength
To clearly portray the strengths of the company, one must one
must classify the company’s exceptional moments through its
portfolio, accomplishment, and reputation. Its portfolio is built
on its diverse products and its global brand image. Honda’s
brand is valued at $17 million, it is also the company that makes
the best automotive engines in the world. The diversity of its
products is another strength, it’s the largest producer of
motorcycles, automobile engines, garden equipment, scooters,
generators, ATVs, solar cells, robotics and jets. This only
means that its main focus is not only on automotive vehicles but
also other technological advancements (Honda corporate, 2011).
Another strength is form of organization, it has two forms of
organization divisional and decentralized. In the divisional form
it makes sure that even the lower management are given work
according to their expertise, the decentralized form makes sure
groups units around products, customers or geographic regions,
which is the essence of the several factories that produce goods
that are specific for different parts of the world (Bateman &
Snell, 2013). These forms of organization protect the company
from any market or technological disruptions because there are
many fall back options. This means if one product goes down
the company does not collapse because there are other products,

4. also if one store is not doing well the others still support it
(Honda Corporate, 2011).
Honda has had a very successful domination over other
automotive companies, this becomes an added strength, for
instance its motorcycle dominates the Asian market giving it an
edge over any other company, this means that it can compete
with any company for overall shares and profits. The other
strength is the fact that it has production plants and research
centers worldwide therefore they have the capability to improve
their products as technology advances. This means that they are
ahead of others when it comes to modification of their products
so that they can compete with any new or more advanced
products in the market. The involvement in motorsport has also
helped the company advance the performance of its engines.
Honda is very popular, this means that many people are familiar
with its products and trust them which means they recommend
the product whenever they get a chance which is good for
marketing. The company has been around for a while therefore
the products have reached every part of the world due to
efficient distribution, and continuous production. This could not
be possible if the products were not good or the customers were
not satisfied, that therefore makes it a strength for the company
(Honda Worldwide, 2011).
Weakness
All companies has weaknesses, for Honda their main weakness
is not being able to dominate the truck industry compared to its
competitors. This therefore means it has not fully dominated the
automotive industry. Hondas products are pricey yet they have
been referred to as “boring and bland”, this is really affecting
their market especially among the youth who want exiting,
fancy, roomy, powerful, and exotic but cheap cars like what
Nissan is now offering (Honda Corporate, 2011). Recently
Honda Motor Company has been suffering from bouts of recalls
which is affecting their reputation, the recalls has been from
faulty parts and production defects.
Another weak point is the lack of domination in the European

5. market, this has led to a significant lose in profits over the
years, yet the company claims to be a global manufacturer (Car
Complaints, 2011). These issues are affecting the company
globally leading to losses, there has been a decline in its
dominant markets like in Asia and North America. The other
problem is that people want cheaper cars and since the cost of
raw materials is high it becomes hard for Honda to provide that
therefore its customers are now buying from companies that can
provide cheap products (Honda Corporate, 2011).
Opportunities
Honda has the opportunity to rise and dominate the market as it
were before because of the opening of a new market demand for
environmental friendly, fuel efficient vehicles. This means that
people are looking for cars that are powered by hybrid systems
of gas and electricity, hydrogen or flexible fuel engines (Honda
Engines, 2011).the other are is to get into the truck line and
produce a truck brand that can compete with other companies in
the market. Lastly even in the already existing brands there is
always room for growth by making sure that they distribute the
products to markets that they have not fully exhausted like the
European market. This means producing new and existing
products that fit the customers in those areas. They should also
work on inspecting and ensuring quality of the products being
released to the market to avoid recalls which reduces customer
confidence in their products (Honda Corporate, 2011).
Threats
Every company faces threats for Honda it’s the recent increase
in prices of raw materials which raises the cost of production
making the end product expensive, which is not particularly
attractive to customers. The increase and decrease of the
currencies is becoming a problem because the world market is
becoming unpredictable. Honda is spending millions on research
of alternative sources of fuel, however recently the fuel prices
have gone significantly low therefore there is a threat their
products will have no demand.
The other factor is that Hondas main market is in Asia and

6. recently that part of the world has been hit by one natural
disaster after another therefore the company’s production plants
are under threat of destruction which could lead to major
losses(Honda Worldwide, 2011). However the biggest threat is
from its competitors who are offering better and cheaper
products making customer shift, this is a major threat because to
be on the same level they have to sell their products at a loss
which could be very bad for business (Honda Corporate, 2011).
External Factors Impacting Decisions
External factors affect a company’s growth and success both
positive and negative. In this case the negative external factors
are affecting Hondas path to success and reaffirmation as a
global automotive power. The factors are the financial go-slow
and antagonism in international automotive market, tightening
emanation criteria, the spells of recall and escalating Yen
against US Dollar had lead a to abrupt reorganization of
Honda’s front-runners and general business methodology. The
company is no longer driven by its principles of quality,
uniqueness and joy it’s now driven by survival. However they
are trying to change this by changing management, they recently
replaced Takanobou with Takahiro Hachigo and also the other
management has been replaced with a much younger group of
people all with the aim of giving the company a new direction
(Levin, 2015).
Recommendation for Change of Leadership and Structure
Honda motor company did not wait for a change of leadership to
be recommended to them instead they have listened to
complains and decided to do a whole company shake up where
old employees chose to retire and give space to a younger
breed, they even replaced the CEO with a younger one. “In a
release statement by soon to be former CEO of Honda, Ito
Takanobou, ‘Honda is ready to make a new leap forward. To do
this, Honda needs to be led by a new, younger team’” This
approach is indeed a great example of strategic planning with
“major targets or end results that relate to the long-term
survival, value, and growth of the organization” (Bateman &

7. Snell, 2013).
All this was done because of the public outcry that their
products were boring and bland. The new CEO is an expert in
product design, procurement and operation hopefully his
expertise will help save the company (Levin, 2015). Hachigo
will help attract more business from china hence strengthening
the Asian market. This is proof of the significance of
international based understanding that Honda is looking for as a
remedy for its underprivileged worldwide presentation in
aforementioned years.
Possible Future Scenarios
The change in management will positively affect the company,
hopefully they will upgrade their products to make them more
exiting and fancy especially in aesthetics. This is evident since
they have released the new Acura NSX which they discharged
earlier because of fuel cost, this will definitely excite young
customers to make them gain trust in the company again. The
elected CEO has global experience from working in china
therefore he will be able to give ideas on how to capture the
global market and capture opportunities that were taken for
granted. With China’s thriving populace, a substantial market
share in motorbikes in the republic will strengthen the
corporation’s accomplishment and lessen many of the pressures
the corporation has had to deal with over the past several
(Levin, 2015).
Conclusions
Honda motor company does not only focus on automotive it is a
very diverse company that also has its hands on manufacturing
and technological fields. Its involvement in several areas
ensures that it remains relevant always, however with changing
economic times there is no surety of safety from losses and lack
of sales. All we can do is wait and observe the new CEO will
make in the company to change its SWOT analysis in future.

8. Appendix
Valuable in Achieving Objectives
Detrimental to achieving Objectives
Internal Factors
Strengths
1. Diversified Product Portfolio
2. Strong Brand Images
3. Largest Vehicle Manufacturer
4. Successful Motorsport Program
5. Powerful Research & Development
6. Popular Company
7. Refined Production System
8. Innovation
9. Highly Experience
10. Well Known Reputation
11. Engines with high durability
12. HighCredibility
13. High Customer Satisfaction
Weakness
1. High End cost structure
2. Boring and Bland Style
3. Economic Down Fall
4. Underpowered Vehicle
5. Lack of strong truck line
6. Recent Bout of Recalls
External Factors
Opportunities

9. 1. Increasing Fuel Prices
2. Positive Outlook for Global Motorcycle Industry
3. Growing Demand for environmental friendly vehicles
4. Growth through acquisitions
5. Offering of low emission vehicles
Threats
1. Economic Slow Down
2. Intense Competition
3. Rising raw material prices
4. Natural disaster
5. Appreciation of Yen vs. Depreciation of US Dollar
6. Decrease of fuel prices
References
Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2013). M: Management. New
York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Levin Doron, (2015). Honda: This will be our year. Retrieved
from http://fortune.com/2015/01/15/honda-2015/
Honda Worldwide (2011). Philosophy Honda Worldwide :
Honda Motor Co.,Ltd. Web. Retrieved on Nov 13, 2015, from
website http://world.honda.com/profile/philosophy/
Honda Corporate (2011). Historic Timeline Honda Corporate -
Vision, Offices, Headquarters, Corporate History. Web.
Retrieved on July. 23 2011.
http://corporate.honda.com/america/timeline.aspx
Honda Corporate (2011). Vision, Offices, Headquarters,
Corporate History. Web. Retrieved on July 20, 2015, from
website http://corporate.honda.com/
Car Complaints (2011). Car Problems, Car Complaints, &
Repair/Recall Information. Retrieved on July 23, 2015, from
website http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/
Honda Engines (2011). Why Choose a Honda Engine?" Honda
Engines - Small Engine Models, Manuals, Parts, & Resources.
Retrieved on July 20, 2015, from website

10. http://engines.honda.com/why/
Fingerprint evidence is one of the most common and important
pieces of crime scene evidence. One of the most important steps
in the examination of fingerprint evidence is locating the prints
at the crime scene and accurately processing them. Fingerprints
are usually visualized and lifted using fine particles or powders
(also known as a physical method), such as powder dusting,
luminescent powders, and magnetic powders. There is also a
process referred to as chemical lifting, including such
techniques as iodine fuming, spray reagents, and cyanoacrylate
fuming.
A senior investigator has instructed one of the new recruits
to lift possible fingerprints from various spots within the crime
scene and to collect and preserve footwear and tiretrack
impressions that have been located outside of the abandoned
warehouse. This is the first time that the investigator will be
performing these duties in an actual crime scene, and he has
asked you to help him through the process to ensure that he
produces the best evidence. In this assignment, you will provide
a walk-through for the new investigator on the fingerprinting
and casting processes.
The following processes have proven to be reliable for the
development of fingerprints:
· Chemical lifting
· Cyanoacrylate fuming
· Fume circulation
· Ninhydrin
· Visualization/lifting in blood
· Visualization/lifting on tape
· Visualization/lifting on currency

11. · Visualization/lifting from oily or greasy surfaces
· Visualization/lifting from magazines/photos
· Visualization/lifting on painted surfaces
· Visualization/lifting on human skin
Group Portion (1)
· Using the Small Group Discussion Area, discuss the following
questions with the other group members:
· What general areas should always be inspected for possible
fingerprints? Explain.
· What is the documentation process regarding the lifting of
fingerprints? Explain in detail.
· What are the 2 general types of surfaces in which investigators
must lift fingerprints? Explain.
· As a group, select 4 of the fingerprinting methods from the list
above. All members must use the 4 selections for their
individual portions.
Individual Portion
· Address the following in 1–2 pages:
· Explain the following for each fingerprinting method selected
by the group:
· Once the surface/material/substance has been designated for
fingerprinting, what is the process for the selected method?
Describe and explain in detail using a step-by-step process.
· Briefly explain the purpose of each step.
· Be sure to referenec all sources using APA style.
Group Portion (2)
· As a group, address the following in 3–4 pages:
· What is the casting process used for the footwear and tiretread
impressions outside of the warehouse? Explain in detail.
· What materials will you use to lift these molds from the
ground? Explain.
· What is the process for casting these impressions and creating
molds? Describe and explain in detail using a step-by-step
process.
· Briefly explain the purpose of each step.
· Responsibilities must be divided evenly among all group

12. members.
· Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.