Indian Institute of mana gement Kozhikode

Interdependence of Resource, Capabilities and Competencies in de term ning i Companys Strategy and Performance
A case of HERO HONDA
Submitted by Derrick Vijayan

2009

C O N T EN T S
Contents......................................................................................... Abstract .......................................................................................... Hero Hond a and Hero Group ...................................................................... Three Phases of Strategic Intent in Hero Hond a ................................................... Ind ian Automotive indu stry........................................................................... Resource based View of Strategy Development:....................... ........................ ...................... 2 .3

.......... .4 ..4 ......... .5 6 ..7 .9 ..... .9 11

.............................

Resources and capability Built within manu facturing Organisation....................... Classi fication of Resources .................................................... ...............................

Resource Und er VRIO Framework (Barney, 1986)............................................. Strategic Implication and Performance.............................................. Phase 2:1994-1999................................................................................. Phase 3: 1999-2009............................................................................... Sales and Revenu e Performance ..........................................

...................

.............. 11 ............... 16

...............................

16

Porter five forces analysi s........................................................................ Strategic Shift..................................................................................... Porters Five Busi ness level strategies.................................................. Sales and Financial Performance................................................. Conclusi on.................................................................................. References....................................................................................................

............. 18 .................. ................ ......................... .......................... 19 21 21 23

........ 24

A B S T R AC T

In this report, we have discussed here the interdependence between resource, capability and Competency of an organization and the result of such interdependence on the companys Strategy and Performance. A company can achieve sustainable competitive advantage in dynamic environment by such interlinking only. We have taken the case of Hero Honda. Hero Honda started its motorcycle business in 1984 after collaboration with Honda, Japan. They started with the production of CD-100 first 4 stroke bike in India. In the last three decades they have undergone sea change in their strategy. We will study the change management in an agile firm like Hero Honda. The Last three decades have been divided in three phases. During first phase of 1984-1994, they stressed on resource view of Strategic development. During the phase two of 1994-1999, they made their Business strategy as market penetration and Consolidation. During this phase they launched their most successful Bike Splendor. During third phase of 1999-2009, they have strategic focus on market and Product Diversification in the wake of increasing competition from external market. The study carried out in this report comprises of views from various Literature including Firm resources and Sustained competitive advantage (1986,91) by jay Barney, Competitive strategy (1980), Competitive Advantage (1985) Why are firms Successful? (1990) by Michael Porter, Resource based view of manufacturing strategy (2002) by Roger R. Shroeder, Kimberley A. bates and The Resource-Based Theory of Competitive Advantage: Implications for Strategy Formulation by Robert M. Grant.

H ER O H O N D A AN D H E R O GR O UP

"Hero", the brand name symbolizes the steely ambition of i t s f o u n d e r s the Munjal brothers. Hero came into being in the year 1956 c h a n g i n g i t s e l f from a modest manufacturer of bicycle components during early 1940's to the world's largest bicycle & two-wheeler manufacturer today (Hero Honda Motors Ltd, started in the year 1984 as a JV between Hero Group & Honda Motors, Japan). Such a Journey was propelled by one vision to build long-lasting relationships with everyone, including workers, dealers and vendors. This philosophy has paid rich dividends for Hero Honda through the past three decades. Hero, n o w a name synonymous with two-wheelers in India is a multi- unit, multi-product, geographically diversified Group of companies under the flagship of Hero Group. T h e group rolls its own steel, through fully integrated operations, which makes critical components such as free wheels for their bicycles. They have the vision to simultaneously diversify into many varieties of ventures, including product designing, ITES, finance and insurance. The prime motive of the Hero Group is "Engineering Satisfaction" and it has become a way of life and a part of the work culture of the Group. From now on, we would mean Hero Honda Motors Ltd. whenever we state either Hero Honda or HHML and the Hero Group in totality when we state simply Hero.

T H R EE P H A SE S O F ST R AT EG I C I N T EN T I N H E R O H O N D A

We have divided the whole duration of 1984-2009 in three phases for understanding the relationship between their resources, capabilities and Competencies in developing their strategy. Phase 1: 1984-1994 During this Period, they launched first 4-stroke bike CD-100. They stressed more on Developing dealer and supplier network, they had focussed on operational efficiency. They followed market diversification strategy as their Business strategy with campaign Fill it, Shut it, Forget it. Phase 2: They launched Splendor during this period which is a multi segment targeted Robust vehicle. With this product which is largest selling bike in the world

they focused on market consolidation across country. The market punch line of their business strategy of market consolidation was Desh ki dhadkan Phase 3: In the wake of outside competition from Bajaj, TVS, Honda, they started with Business strategy of Aggressive Marketing and Market Diversification. Their campaign during this period was Har Gaon Har Aangan. At Resource development level, they stressed upon Product Innovation and Product Diversification
I N D I A N AU T O MO T I VE I N DU ST R Y

Indian Automotive sector deals with four forces working on It. 1. Government policies: Overall Economic Growth has driven this market in recent time. Policy impact on Oil Prices as well as Lower duties and taxes on auto parts have direct effect on this sector 2. New Product launches: Contemporary products to satisfy various levels of need of Indian consumers have filled the market.
3.

Cost Competitiveness: Although the variety is enough in market, yet the sub 125cc vehicle segment is very much cost competitive. Also India is fast becoming low cost manufacturing hub. Increasing consumer demand: It has been mainly driven from high Income of Indian market. Other factors are easier financing, Lower interest rates, urbanization, Poor public Transportation system.

4.

R ESO UR C E B A SE D VI EW O F ST R A T E GY DE VE L O P M EN T :

Phase 1: 1984-1994
During This period resources developed by hero Honda can be seen from various frameworks point of view. 5.1 Internal Analysis Strength:
1.

Operational: They stressed upon Six sigma, Just in time, ERP. Through Anciliarization, they achieved close virtual Integration with suppliers. They developed very good Distribution and after sales Network. Some of the companies they collaborated with to develop in house production units are: Showa, Puch, Kawasaki.

2.

Cost Competitiveness through development of In-house production of completely knocked down kits (CKDs). Marketing: they started with Fill it shut it Forget it campaign which showed the robustness of their bike. They had complete knowhow of Indian Consumer Behavior from past experience of cycle business and they had a well established Distribution Method in entire India. Financial Strength: with Zero debt, They had their say in decision making capability. Also they have shown double digit growth till date.

3.

4.

5.

HR Strength: They had no organized labour Union. The higher management wanted the employees to grow with Hero Honda. They had internal employee philosophy of Hero is growing Grow with Hero

Weakness:
1.

In the 1st phase they had over dependence on Honda.

2. The no of Product launched were very less

3. 4.

They didnt cater to all the segment of Market Customers were left with very few options.

5. R&D expenditure was low.

R ESO UR C E S A N D C AP A B I L I T Y B UI L T WI T H I N M AN UF AC T U R I N G O R G AN I S AT I O N

The manufacturing Capability and resources of Hero Honda can be seen under the framework developed by (St. John and Harrison, 1999). The resources and Capabilities are divided under three categories namely proprietary Process and Equipment, Internal learning and External learning.

C L A SS I F I C AT I O N O F R ES O U R C E S

The Resource of Hero Honda can be classified under three heads namely Physical capital (Williamson, 1975), Human Resources (Becker, 1964), Organisational (Tomer, 1987).

R ESO UR C E UN DE R VR I O FR A ME WO R K ( B A R N EY , 1 986)

Resource based view developed by jay Barney (1986, 91) take the assumption of Firm resource heterogeneity and Firm resource Immobility. To achieve sustainable competitive advantage, an organisation should have its resources as Valuable, rare, Imperfectly Inimitable and Organisational capability.

8.1 Resources as seen under VRIO frame work:

1.

Value Highly fuel efficient, even though Medium powered Robust Bike for Rural environment Good relationship with Customer Increased loyalty Resulted in High revenue

2.

Rare Anciliarization Vertical and Virtual integration First mover advantage Consistent Double digit growth since Inception Market growth by 22% but it grew by 35%

3.

Inimitable Distributor network Brand value due to Honda Its the Honda that makes it Hero Legendary campaign of Fill it, shut it, forget it

4.

Organization Strategic Market leadership Effective Operational Efficiency Good HR policy Inclusive Growth target CSR activity

8.2 Competencies: The competencies developed based on these Resources were:

1.

Technical Superiority Manufacturing Excellence Sales and Marketing

2. 3.

4.
5.

Brand Image Visionary Leadership

S T R AT EG I C I M P L I C AT I O N AN D PE RF O R M A NC E

Strategy
Based on These resources and Competencies, The strategy developed was to strive for synergy between technology, systems and human resources, to produce products and services that meet the quality, performance and price aspirations of its customers and to maintain the highest standards of ethics and social responsibilities.

Impact on performance
The sales in terms of number of Motorcycle grew from around 40000 in 1985-86 to around 180,000 per annum in 1994.

P H AS E 2 : 1 9 9 4 - 1 999

Business strategy

Hero Honda Update of Honda contract for another 10 yrs in 1992. They planned for more R&D support from Honda in two wheelers. Product were launched in sub125cc segment Splendor launched in 1994 for office going middle class people It is the largest selling bike in the world till date

Marketing strategy

Focused on Market Consolidation across country with punch line Desh ki dhadkan Sub125cc became Star (BCG matrix)

BCG Matrix:
Splendor launched in this phase became star and till date they are reaping maximum benefits from it. CD 100 had crossed breakeven phase and it got the position of CashCow from star, now it was profiting the company without any investment required. Street that was launched in last phase became famous in overseas market but it was not liked in domestic market and so they had to divest this brand which got position of question mark in BCG matrix. Sleek was the dog in matrix and hence they had to kill it.

Value Chain Analysis

Value Chain Analysis Primary Activities 1. Inbound logistics Close Integration with suppliers JIT ,Tight control and reduction of logistic cost Vendor supply through conveyors ( at Haridwar with 100 ancillary unit) rd Reduction of Inventory, 3 party logistics Virtual Integration through Working with vendors in developing their production facilities 2. Operations

Lean manufacturing (JIT) Inventory cost less, Working capital less, Transaction cycle less Fully automatic Robotic operations plant hence Production per unit employee very high 1000 motorcycle per employee per year

3. Outbound Logistics Approx 1,00,000 exports Delivery Channels through three Plants Focus on minimum waiting period (Customer satisfaction) Wide and deep distribution Network

4. Marketing and Sales

Fill it, shut it, forget it - To show value for money Desh ki dhadkan Expanding and market consolidation Har Gaon har Aangan To reach villages further (2007) Brand Popularity through Cricketers and Popular stars like Hrithik Roshan, Virender sehwag, Harbhajan singh, Priyanka Chopra Hero Honda passport programme For customer loyalty Launch of Newer range of Bikes in 125cc+ range, Electric vehicles

5. Service

One of the best after sales service in Industry Cheap but quality rich spare parts Benefit of inbound logistics (Network) transferred to customers Mobile service stations for rural Areas

6. P HA SE 3 : 1 9 9 9 - 2 0 0 9 This phase witnessed a strategic shift from earlier operational core competencies to the addition of other core competencies which is marketing, after the transition phase II. This phase was much more competitive than first or second phase. Number of competitors increased manifold, apart from its regular competitors Honda also became the direct competitor in this phase. Competitors are

Honda, Bajaj. TVS-Suzuki, Kinetic, Yamaha etc.

Strategy Adopted: Product diversification: In this phase Hero Honda has launched 5-7 new models almost every year. They diversified their product based on target customers groups Aggressive Marketing: They have extended their core competency from operational efficiency to marketing efficiency, added new advertisement strategy and customer base. Branding strategy: They have launched new bikes keeping in mind needs of various segments of customers like family, office-goers, youths, girls etc. Even after change in strategy they maintained leadership position in market in revenue as well as number of unit sells which is evident from the following data.
S AL ES AN D R EV EN UE P ER F O R M AN C E

Bike Sales trend Market Growth (%) Share %

Apr-Jun Company Hero Honda Bajaj Auto TVS Motors Honda Others Total Market 2008-09 8,77,089 3,91,100 2,92,530 2,26,068 78,980 18,65,767

Apr-Jun 2009-10 10,94,996 3,31,731 3,15,785 2,84,890 1,08,467 21,35,869

24.84 -15.18 7.94 26.01

51.26 15.53 14.78 13.33

14.48

P O R T ER FI VE FO R C E S A N A L Y SI S

Threat of new entrants Phase I Joint Ventures like Bajaj-Kawaski, Kinetic, and TVS Competition on volume basis Phase III Strong

Rivals from India two-wheeler companies like Bajaj, Kinetic and TVS Potential competitors like HMSI, Chinese (low cost) and other foreign companies, Competition on Quality and Power for niche segments Strong Threat of substitutes Phase I There were very few number of competitors named Scooters and Mopeds only Weak Phase III Motorcycles had replaced scooters and mopeds High Earning has driven market towards High-end Bikes Introduction of low cost four wheelers (e.g. Tata Nano) Efficient Public Transport Medium Intensity of rivalry among competitors Phase I Meager no. of competitors Demand growth higher than Supply growth (space for all) Phase III Weak

Intense rivalry among the competitors vying for the No. 1 spot Aggressive marketing strategy by competitors

 into new segments

Companies like Bajaj, TVS, Kinetic, HMSI are trying to enter Rivalry from low cost Chinese bikes and Yo bikes (Electrical ) Very less competition in sub125cc segment (Splendor and Strong

Passion)

Bargaining power of buyers Phase I First Mover Advantage Meager options available with buyers Weak Phase II

Uniqueness of CD100 shaded by introduction of feature-rich models by competitors Launch of splendor in response to competition was huge strategic success Phase III The customers have high bargaining power as there are lot of choices to choose from The customers are searching for features in addition to price and fuel efficiency like style, pickup etc Strong Bargaining power of suppliers Phase I & III Suppliers are mostly companies owned by the Hero family. Hence, HHM wouldnt be facing much threat from the bargaining of the suppliers Weak

Porter 5-Forces Conclusion

cc) Phase I Industry was highly attractive, High entry barrier due to lack of technical know-how Phase III Highly competitive Moderately attractive Urban industry Highly attractive Rural market for sub125cc bikes No technology barrier for sub-125CC vehicle (Entry barrier for higher

S T R AT EG I C SH I F T

Product Diversification They launched on an average 6-7 models per yr for last 5 yrs (2004-09). Some of the Successful models are Hunk, Glamour, Karizma, Pleasure, Hunk, and Glamour. They cater to various 125cc+ Range. With changing scenario in international market, they have come up with collaboration with Ultra to produce Electric Vehicle named Hero Ultra.

R&D Expenditure Increased In this phase, R&D base has been developed for Hero Honda in India in collaboration with Honda. Now the engineers collaborate in bringing out better products to suit Indian condition for different segments. Market Diversification They have now started targeting to High End Niche segment also, which means that they have moved from sub125cc segment. They have also launched first Scooter for Women

Branding
During December 2007, They came up with campaign Har Gaon Har Aangan to cover 25000 villages. They have found that sub125cc segment market is there in villages. They have roped in cine stars Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra as Brand ambassador. These efforts have given them better Brand visibility than earlier phase. They have even roped pulled in Cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan singh for advertising. Positioning for Different Segment Young ladies - Pleasure ad Why should boys have all the fun Young and Brash - MTV Roadies - Brand Association Family oriented segment SA RE GA MA PA Association In the first phase they have mainly targeted only the office-goers middle class customers and they were mainly emphasized the technical efficiency of Honda and robustness of CD-100 bike through fuel efficiency.

Shift in strategy from First Phase (above) to Third Phase (below):

They have launched Pleasure for youth girls. They also associated their brands with different TV Soaps for family oriented customers. Apart from that they have launched Karizma with Macho-man image and associated with young energetic youth.

P O R T ER S FI VE B U SI N E SS L E VE L ST R A T E GI ES

Differentiation Uniqueness Broad target Differentiation Strategy For each range separate products Hunk, Ambition, Splendor NXG, Karizma, CD100, Pleasure Differentiation based on Quality and features No cost leadership Positioning for each segment done separately
S AL ES AN D F I N AN C I AL P E R FO R MA N CE

Financial performance

Sales performance

C O N C L US I O N

Through above discussion we have seen that three is Strong Interdependence between Resources, Capability, Competency, Strategy and performance. While in Phase 1 &2, Hero Honda adopted the Resource driven strategy to have sustainable competitive advantage. During phase 3, its strategy was Environment Driven Strategy. Hence, we see that as these variables changed, Hero Honda changed its strategy. Which shows agility in Strategic approach of Hero Honda? Despite change in Environment External as well as Internal collaborations, Hero Honda has been able to maintain the market leadership, this shows that such an approach towards interlinking variables provides them long term sustainable Competitive Advantage.

R EF ER EN C E S

1.

D G Sirmom, MA Hitt, RD Ireland, Managing Firm resources in Dynamic market to create value, looking inside the Black Box, Academy of management review, A W king, 2007, Disentangling Interfirm and Intrafirm causal Ambiguity: A causal Model of conceptual ambiguity and Sustainable competitive Advantage, Academy of Mgt Review, 32, 156-178 J B Barney, 2001, Is the resource based view useful perspective for Strategic management research? Yes, Acad of Mgt review 26, 41-56 J B Barney, 1991, Firm resources & Sustained Competitive Advantage, Journal of Management, 17:99-120 R G Shroeder, K A bates & M A Juntilla 2002, A Resource base view of manufacturing Strategy and the relationship to manufacturing Performance, Strategic management Journal, 23: 105-117

2.

3.

4.

5.

Hero and Honda Fill it, shut it, forget it? By Raghuvir Srinivasan Business Line 7. Swaraj Baggonkar / Mumbai July 12, 2009, Hero Honda aims for 25% growth, Business Standard 8. J F rayport, JJ Sviokla, Exploiting the virtual value chain 9. C. K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel, Strategy as stretch & Leverage 10. WWW. Herohonda.com 11. www.herogroup.com 12. www.indiatoday.com 13. www.businessweek.com
6.