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This article reviews Honda’s strategy to localize operations, organization and employment relations at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM). The management literature describes Honda as an unusually un‐bureaucratic company where individual initiative thrives. However, the production system and organization of work at HUM were found to be very tightly controlled, with little variety of work and individual initiative constrained within strict bounds. This may reflect the relative youth of the plant and the company’s strategy to embed its production system thoroughly before permitting change, or it may suggest that production work at Honda does not fit the usual characterization of the company in the literature. Local management has been given freedom to adapt certain aspects of the organization and employment relations framework to fit the British environment, but with no impact on the direct transfer of the production system.

The movement of firms towards joint ventures and collaborative projects has been a feature of the 1990s. Such agreements allow a means of spreading the costs and risks associated with new product development, sharing costly manufacturing capacity and facilities, and may also provide access to new capabilities. However, there are examples when the relationship is not a success for one of the parties involved. If firms enter joint ventures from a position of weakness or without a concerted strategy, they can become reliant on their partner. This was the case with Rover and its links to Honda. Because of financial weakness Rover’s design and manufacturing capabilities were eroded as the majority of its products were replaced with Honda developed models. This case provides important lessons and warnings for other firms seeking strategic alliances, and gives researchers an insight into the complex interaction between firms involved in such a relationship.

Flexifactories, where the product made can be changed at low cost and quickly, constitute an important aspect of manufacturing flexibility. Examination of Honda flexifactories worldwide reveals how models are changed over, the model mix altered, and whole factories switched to making new types of products. Flexifactories are logically operated as networks, constituting a bridge between the “micro” flexibility of people and machines and overall corporate flexibility, resulting in improved mass production. This is not to argue that the flexibility of flexifactories is without limit, nor that they do not contain their own rigidities. Further empirical and theoretical research is needed to compare the flexifactory model with previous models of optimal factory organization.

In 2010, Hero Honda (HH), the largest global two-wheeler manufacturing company (based on unit sales), terminated its 26 year old JV with Honda, effective 2014. In August 2011, HH, rebranded itself as “Hero”, with a nationwide campaign across media; over three months, the campaign was rolled out on 30 TV channels, leading websites, 200 radio stations, and 4, 000 cinema halls. Signages were changed in 4, 500 touchpoints over a weekend. The case documents the market and brand position of HH and its principal competitors, Bajaj and Honda in India, the rationale for ending the JV, the rebranding requirements, and the actions taken. Pedagogically, we evaluate the rebranding effort to sustain, create, and build consumer memories and emotions.

To explore subsidiary development in emerging markets and highlight the role of local factors on driving foreign firm business strategy.

This study builds upon the diamond of competitive advantage framework with regard to determinants in the local environment. Chinese motorcycle penetration into Vietnamese market has made considerable changes from which Honda has upgraded manufacturing capability, moved to higher value activities. It shows a confident process of subsidiary development. The analysis is supported by interview data in three field trips.

The penetration of Chinese motorcycle into Vietnam has brought more opportunities. Honda can utilize for long‐term investments than challenges the firm had to temporarily deal with. The effect of changes in the local market was quite specific to Honda business. Consequentially, local factors have driven the firm emergent strategy into low‐price model which is considered as Honda's local specific product in Vietnam.

Selective environment disadvantages play an important role in making pressures on firms to engage in more sophisticated activities. The distinctive competence is obtained from co‐evolution between external and internal resources rather than one itself. Continuous improvement, finding discontinuity, and reconciling resources are necessary for firms, especially when competing in international emerging markets.

The case study reflects an interesting picture of competition in motorcycle industry under the new stage of international competitive environment. Honda Vietnam case shows different features from Honda in the past and other subsidiaries in the region as the firm exists to harmonize the two dichotomizations of motorcycle business architecture: Japanese and Chinese model.

This article aims to examine the reasons for the success of the Honda (UK) apprenticeship program.

The importance to the program's success of Honda's parallel curriculum is highlighted along with a personal‐development program containing up to 17 modules aimed at helping apprentices to succeed in their current training, future career and personal life.

The article reveals that the apprenticeship program last year scored 91 percent – 14.4 percent above the national average – for its completion rates and 90 percent – 24.5 percent above the national average – for the number of apprentices who complete the program within the time‐frame promised by the company.

The role of the Honda Institute in delivering the apprenticeship program is considered.

The article positions the parallel curriculum in the context of the wider government agenda for developing socially responsible individuals.

The article reveals why Honda (UK) considers it so important that apprentices learn social and personal‐development skills alongside their technical training.

Towards the end of 2003, the Japanese government announced that GDP had grown by 1 percent coupled with a 35 percent increase in the trade surplus. These encouraging figures were attributed to increased demand for Japanese products and for the world’s second largest economy they were encouraging signs indeed. The figures even put Japan ahead of the USA in terms of economic growth.

I would like to limit my discussion to the experiences and strategies Honda has employed to evolve from our roots as a local company in Japan, with a global viewpoint — into what we are today, a global company with a local viewpoint.

This article is based on a research project on new employee‐relations practices in engine plants of European mass producers across four countries. Identifies two approaches towards a new organization of work: The German model relies on the production worker with apprenticeship, while the Honda model relies on continuous training‐on‐the‐job for production workers. One of the main results is that Honda′s production system may be a better model for British manufacturing companies – given the labour market situation – rather than the attempt to copy the German system of dual training. The German system seems to be built on a virtuous circle of company long‐termism, government and public support, and manufacturing success, which may be difficult to enter from outside. The Honda plant is in its early stages and it is not completely clear whether the principle can also work in a fully fledged capital‐intensive, high‐tech manufacturing plant, where high machine utilization is crucial.

This article explores how complexity theory can help marketers to understand a market and to operate within it. Essentially, it argues that complexity theory has the potential to provide both global and some local explanations of markets and is complementary to local theories like relationship marketing that may be more familiar to marketing managers. It establishes four types of complex systems that might be used to model social systems. Of these four types, complex adaptive systems seem most appropriate to describe markets. This is illustrated in an investigation of Honda in the global automobile industry. Implications for marketing managers centre on the need to understand feedback loops at many levels of a path‐dependent system that are inherently difficult to predict and control.