Business Head

Toyota recently took over of General Motors in its market leadership in the automotive industry. One core competency of the company is their brand management due to which their brand is known even in the parts of the world where cars are not the common medium of transportation. Another core competency is their supply chain management, which links to their ability to maintain a steady stream of raw materials coming in for production because of their long-term good standing with their steel, glass, plastic and other raw materials supplier. Their logistics system handled by outsourced firms also form part of their core competencies, leading to excellent inventory management and always on schedule production activities. Another core competency is their ability at the moving assembly line. Being the pioneer of such mass production system, they were able to get ahead of the competitors manufacturing processes-wise and were also able to save on costs and time. another core competency is Toyota’s focusing on its product development technology under a single product-information-management program through standardising and incorporating them. If sustainable development is to achieve its potential, it must be integrated into the planning and measurement systems of business enterprises..

Implementation of Toyota’s current business level strategy(hybrid technology)

For its current business strategy, toyota plans to introduce demand-creating products. For instance, the company scheduled to launch the iQ ultra-efficient package vehicle in Japan and Europe in 2008. The iQ was specifically designed to reduce CO2 emissions and realize higher fuel efficiency. Furthermore, in January 2008, Toyota Motor announced its plans to commence sales of lithium-ion battery- equipped plug-in hybrid vehicles to fleet customers in the US and elsewhere by 2010. The company also launched models such as the Prius and LS600h hybrids at the 2008 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, held at...