Greene, K – Case Study – Prep #1 – Harley Davidson
William Harley and the Davidson brothers (Arthur, Walter, and William) founded Harley
Davidson in 1903.
External Forces
Political – Legal Environment – When Harley Davidson first started there were no
government agencies that attempted to impose their rules/laws onto the Harley Davidson
Company. However, after World War II, the war brought higher government standards
that had to be met. In 1969 American Machine and Foundry (AMF) bought Harley
Davidson and brought in corporate direction that lead risked the future of the company.
Economic Environment – Harley Davidson throughout the years has always identified
and marketed to a wide variety of age groups and different backgrounds and has been
successful. The article identified how the Core Customer’s income had increased
throughout the years.
Sociocultural Environment – Harley Davidson took to relating to other demographic
areas very well. The article identified the distribution of people showed different
backgrounds and how Harley Davidson zeroed in on both men and women of all ages and
was identified as “Outreach” customers.
Technological Environment – As Harley Davidson understandably grew throughout the
