Research Paper on:
Toyota Case Study

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
study to examine Toyotas success. SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis considers a companys strengths, weaknesses, the opportunities it has and the threats it faces. The first two are  internal; the second two come from outside. Strengths: Toyotas widespread production facilities, which are located in 25 countries, give the company "benefits from economies of scale" (Andidas, 2003).  Toyota uses "just in time" production, a method by which parts and supplies arrive at the plant just in time to be used. This means that Toyota doesnt have  to keep a large inventory on hand, which reduces overhead and enables them to respond more quickly to customer demand (Andidas, 2003). Another strength is their R&D budget,  which is set at billions of dollars per year; their commitment to research has given them a reputation for innovation and led to the development of the Prius, "the worlds  first mass produced hybrid" (Andidas, 2003). Finally, the company has a solid reputation for reliability and quality, and this intangible "good will" is a tremendous asset to any company  Weaknesses: The companys image is weak in Europe, where buyers tend to prefer cars like the BMW, Ford, GM, Mercedes and other vehicles that are perceived as more "high  performance" than Toyota (Andidas, 2003). In addition, reading "between the lines" of the annual report, it seems as though there may be some dissention among upper management as to  the overall method of increasing sales (Watanabe, 2005). Katsuaki Watanabe has just been appointed as President of the company and he says "I have no intention of sacrificing efficiency  for growth or vice versa ... I feel it is critical to steer Toyota through a range of in-house and external issues guided by a constant awareness of the need