...IKEA Case Study – Alan B. BalesWeek 21. What are IKEA's competitive priorities? IKEA’s corporate mantra is to have “Low Price with Meaning”. In other words,their desire is to manufacture and present a product that is both functionallysound and inexpensive at the same time. Notice, I did not use the word “cheap”or inexpensively manufactured using sub-standard materials with untested orquestionable processes. They strive to make things less expensive without evermaking customers feel “cheap”. To accomplish this, IKEA has to maintain abalance between design, manufacturing, and distribution. 2. Describe IKEA's process for developing a new product. The team behind a new product at IKEA consists of designers, productdevelopers, and purchasers of materials who get together to discuss overalldesign, materials and suitable suppliers. Each specialist contributes theirknowledge. For example, a buyer will use their contacts with suppliers all overthe world through the IKEA Trading Services office to determine who can makethis at the best quality for the right price and at the right time. This process is acollaborative effort and takes into account everything from colors to selling priceon the floor of an IKEA store. It is not corporately mandated design; it is design bycommittee if you will. 3. What are additional features of the IKEA concept (beyond their design process)that contribute to creating exceptional value for the customer? IKEA’s model also creates additional value by working...
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...Situation Analysis IKEA is a privately-owned international furniture manufacturer known for its low prices and unique style. The company’s vision is to create a better everyday life for its customers by offering a great selection of well-designed, practical home furnishings. Since IKEA has chosen this sort of affordable and distinctive marketing strategy, the company has been very successful in its expansion throughout the world. IKEA has been successful with a relatively standardized product and product line in a business with strong cultural influence. This is because: The founder formulated IKEA’s mission which states that IKEA offers wide variety of home furnishings of good design and function at prices so low that the majority of people can afford them. Such wide variety could fit a wide variety of cultures and tastes. The case studies also states that the assortment of goods are universally accepted. The principal target market of IKEA is similar across all countries and regions and is composed of people who are young, highly educated, liberal in their cultural values,white collar workers, and not especially concerned with status symbols.Most people in the IKEA target market are liberal in their tastes,preferences and cultural norms hence making them easy to accept and appreciate IKEA’s standardized products. II.Problems Found in Situation Analysis 1. What are IKEA's firm‑specific advantages? Country‑specific advantages? 2. What are the cultural...
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...segments: IKEA positions itself as a leading international furniture retailer that provides economical, well-designed and functional furniture. As IKEA’s biggest competitive advantage is the low price, IKEA tries all its best to lower the fixed cost and the variable cost, like building supplier relationships in developing countries to reduce labor and production cost; flat-packaging to reduce the freight fee; use materials in a cost-efficient way and in-house design also reduce the resign cost for IKEA. IKEA also differentiate itself with appealing shopping experience, self-service, as well as developing facilities like childcare, restaurants, and lounge rooms. The Scandinavian design and style is also a niche for IKEA. The target segments of IKEA is price-conscious people, who have tight budgets, like college students, younger adults and new families, who want to make the first furniture purchase, then the IKEA may be a very good choice for them due to its price advantage. Another target segment for IKEA is early adopters. For the modern design and unique shopping environment, people who like innovative things will likely to give it a try to IKEA’s furniture. Benefits & drawbacks to IKEA: The benefit that IKEA gains from its strategy: 1. Its price advantage is very obvious compared with other furniture retailers, which can attract large amount of price-conscious customers. 2. The hip Swedish design and appealing shopping experience is a niche for IKEA. 3. All the IKEA stores...
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...Case Study on IKEA Executive Summary The case study of IKEA has been read, analyzed; and the findings are presented in the report as required. The goal of the report was to analyze the case study of IKEA and then to present the findings as well as performing some tasks that are required in this report. Firstly, some terms that are closely associated with marketing has been described and analyzed. In addition to that, those terms are also discussed in relation with the case study. Brand, Business strategy, retail sector, price sensitive and franchisee are the terms that have been discussed in this report in the first section. In the second section, the required calculation for average number of customers of each sector and average spending of customers has been worked out. A new mission statement for IKEA has also been proposed there along with the justification for the mission statement. In the third section, the importance and nature of SWOT analysis has been discussed and elaborated. It is seen in the case study that IKEA performs a SWOT analysis that supports their process of building strategy. Moreover, the SWOT analysis of IKEA has also been performed and justified. In the fourth section, SMART objectives and some new marketing mix ideas for IKEA has been demonstrated. In the fifth Section, the concept of marketing model and minimizing the threats for IKEA has been included and demonstrated. Ultimately, the report contains what were required...
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...OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT GROUP PROJECT Report on the Operations Management strategy of Xuan Hoa Furniture and IKEA Prepared for Prof. Noel By - Group 7 - Lê Quang Anh Đỗ Thị Hà Anh Vũ Kim Phượng Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Linh Nguyễn Thị Thùy Linh May 22, 2014 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Operational management is line management of organizations that highly affect the company’s performance. It is a business function that organizes, coordinate and control the resources needed to produce a good, operational management is a business process to create highest level of efficiency and value add. Operations management is a dynamic field and presents exciting new issues and challenges for operations managers. This is also a very important coursework for everyone of us who want to become a successful leader in the future. For that reason, after completing a 3-week Operations Management course, we – Group 7 would like to present a report about our findings on the comparison of the operations management strategy between 2 companies on the field of furniture manufacturing and retailer: Xuan Hoa Furniture and IKEA. Our report is divided into 9 main parts, each one represents a strategic Operations Management decision. And every main part will be broken into 2 part: one from Xuan Hoa Furniture and one from IKEA. 1. General Introduction 2. Operations Strategy 3. Product Design 4. Managing Quality 5. Process Strategy 6. Location Strategy 7. Human Resources and Job...
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...I. View Point II. Time Context In 1943, IKEA was established by Ingvar Kamprad. The company sold fish, Christmas magazines, and seeds from his family farm. In 1948, Kamprad added furniture to his product line. In 1949, IKEA published his first catalog distributed for free. In 1953, Kamprad could no longer use the milk truck to take goods to the train. As a solution in this problem, in the same year he bought an idle factory nearby Almhut and converted it into a warehouse. In 1956, IKEA developed a concept which is self-assembly furniture which later became an integral concept of IKEA. In 1957, IKEA started to exhibit and sell its products at home furnishing fairs in Sweden. In 1958, an expanded facility at the Almhut location became the first IKEA store. In early 1960, Polish-made goods were to be found on more than half of the IKEA catalog. In 1965, IKEA opened its first store in Stockholm, Sweden‘s capital. By 1973, IKEA became the largest furniture retailer in Scandinavia with nine stores. By the late 1980’s, IKEA met with considerable success, particularly in West Germany, where it had 15 stores. In 1985, IKEA opened its first United States store in Philadelphia. By the early 1990’s, the company found that things are not going well in America. Its European-style offerings did not always resonate with American consumers. To handle this situation, IKEA reemphasized design and started promoting the brand with a series of quirky hip advertisement aimed at younger...
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...IKEA - PRODUCT LAUNCH IN INDIA (BANGALORE) Project Submission - 1 Group-7 1. Jai Prasanna Sudhan S.P (1211024) 2. Karthikeyan T (1211029) 3. Kalayappan S (1211103) 4. Ravishankar N (1211134) 5. Karthik P (1211347) Management Decision Problem: To evaluate the market opportunity for IKEA in Bangalore, India Marketing Research Problem: 1. To assess the opportunities for furniture industry in Indian market 2. To identify the segments and target market relevant to the product line of IKEA 3. To determine the branding and positioning strategy for these target segments 4. To evaluate the sustainable competitive advantage of IKEA in Indian market 5. To evaluate the effectiveness of the IKEA retail concept in Indian market Components of MR problem: S.No. | Marketing Research Problem | Components of the problem | 1. | To assess the opportunities for furniture industry in Indian market | i) How attractive is Indian market to invest in furniture industry? ii) Evaluation of Indian organized and unorganized players and their unique features in the market | 2. | To identify the segments and target market relevant to the product line of IKEA | i) What is the customer profile in Bangalore w.r.t age, income, marital status, occupation and socio economic classification? ii) Who are the potential customers for the IKEA products? iii) What are the behavioral characteristics of the targeted customers? | 3. | To determine...
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...Success Factors of IKEA 1 The Key Success Factors of IKEA Advanced English Writing 2 Abstract Taking advantage of three mayor cost-cutting strategies, IKEA has been able to maximize its profit and to succeed internationally with its concept. The self-service and do-it-yourself approach to selling furniture is one of the critical success factors IKEA uses to save costs and increase profit margins. Furthermore, it has a complicated company structure, partially in order to avoid taxes, but also to allow for some flexible management decisions to be made, based on the international needs. The third key success factor that can be held responsible for IKEA’s international triumph is its production and ordering system. The company uses recycled materials and wood alternatives in its mass productions, attracting customers from all kinds of layers of society. IKEA Key success factors International franchise Success Factors of IKEA 3 Table of Contents 1. Table of Contents ..................................................................................... 3 2. Introduction .............................................................................................. 4 3. Discussion ................................................................................................ 4 3.1 The Self-Service Approach ............................................................. 4 3.2 Advantageous Tax Planning and Decentralized Management ........ 5 3...
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...Executive Summary IKEA is the world's largest furniture retailer and the world's third-largest consumer of wood, behind The Home Depot and Lowe's. The company is known for its modern architectural designs on various types of appliances and furniture, often associated with a simplified eco-friendly interior design. They are owned and operated by a complicated array of not-for-profit and for-profit corporations. The corporate structure is divided into two main parts: operations and franchising. Older IKEA stores are usually designed in a one-way layout, designed to encourage the customer to see the store in its entirety as opposed to a traditional retail store. IKEA has suppliers in 50 countries, roughly ⅔ of purchasing is from Europe with about ⅓ from Asia but for most of its products, but the final assembly is performed by the end-user. They also have 28 distribution centers and 11 customer distribution centers in 16 countries using flat packs, transporting goods where possible by rail and sea, and utilizing fuel-saving techniques that allow them to be cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Their consumers are often the means of out-bound logistics, responsible for picking up and transporting the products. There's no room for wasted space in product packaging. Logistics roles exist at every stage in the supply chain at IKEA, from the moment a product leaves the manufacturer to the moment it is in the hands of the customer. The in-store logistics manager uses a proprietary...
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...IKEA Christopher A. Bartlett and Ashish Nanda With a 1988 turnover of 14.5 billion Swedish kronor (U.S. $1 SKr6 in 1988) and 75 outlets in 19 countries; IKEA had become the world's largest home furnishings retailer. As the company approached the 1990s, however, its managers faced a number of major challenges. Changes in demographics were causing some to question IKEA's historical product line policy. Others wondered if the company had not bitten off too much by attempting major new market entries simultaneously in two European countries (United Kingdom and Italy), the United States, and several Eastern bloc countries. Finally, there was widespread concern about the future of the company without its founder, strategic architect, and cultural guru, Ingvar Kamprad. IKEA BACKGROUND AND HISTORY In 1989, furniture retailing worldwide was a fragmented industry in which small manufacturers and distributors catered to the demands of their local markets. Consumer preferences varied by region, and there were few retailers whose operations extended beyond a single country. IKEA, however, had repeatedly bucked market trends and industry norms. Over three and a half decades, it had built a highly profitable worldwide network of furniture stores (see Exhibit 1). COMPANY ORIGINS IKEA is an acronym for the initials of the founder, Ingvar Kamprad, his farm Elmtaryd, and his county, Agunnaryd, in Smäland, South Sweden. In 1943, at the age of 17, Kamprad began his...
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...The reason behind choosing the IKEA is because IKEA is one of the world’s most successful retailers. IKEA is a global furniture brand inspired by the egalitarian society of its Swedish heritage and appears to the public to be forever Swedish. It expands its retail stores all over the world including North American, European Middle East and Asian countries but also spreads a kind of its own a highly strong business culture and values with a strong Swedish image to other countries through the establishment of business there. History: IKEA was founded in 1943 in Sweden by Ingvar Kamprad. Kamprad was born in 1926 as the son of a farmer in Småland, a region in southern Sweden. At the age of five Ingvar Kamprad starts selling matches to his nearby neighbors and by the time he is seven, he expands to selling flower seeds, greeting cards, Christmas tree decorations, pencils and ball-point pens. In 1943, at the age of 17, Kamprad became an entrepreneur and created a commercial company called "IKEA." The word IKEA was an acronym of his name and “Ingvar Kamprad” and the address, the name of his farm and village: “Elmtaryd, Agunnaryd”. Company initially sold fish, vegetable seeds, and magazines to customers in his region. Then in 1950 IKEA added furniture and home furnishings to the product line. IKEA entered new markets around the globe in the 1980s. IKEA expands dramatically into new markets such as USA, Italy, France and the UK. Operating Environment: Ikea is the world's largest furniture...
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...• Week 2 Mini Case: IKEA List IKEA’s external and internal challenges. Looking at IKEA’s challenges, which ones do you think pose the greatest threat? Why? How would you address the challenges? IKEA’s external challenges are mainly Target and K-Mart. Target has recently recruited top designers and launched a wide range of low priced furnishings. On the other hand, K-Mart has done much of the same thing and enrolled Martha Stewart to help with the design of its home furnishings. IKEA’s main internal challenge is since the company’s inception (1943) no strategic decisions have been made without Mr. Ingvar Kamprad, the founder. Since he has stepped down in 2013, his three sons have taken over leadership of IKEA. Another internal challenge has been that IKEA is privately held through a complicated network of foundations which creates constraints in accessing large sums of capital that is needed for rapid global expansion. Walmart entered a period of difficulties after Sam Walton stepped down. Do you anticipate IKEA having the same leadership transition challenges? Why or why not? In my opinion, any company that’s founder is involved from inception until he/she is not physically/mentally capable any longer and then transitions to different leadership will be problematic. When Mr. Kamprad stepped down from IKEA in 2013, his three sons took over leadership. More than likely, they will never value and commit to the company like their father did. Hopefully Mr. Kamprad...
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...ethical values such as: 1) Production/products 2) Suppliers 3) Customers 4) Workers 5) Environment 6) Local communities All of these factors have an impact on the workplace. Products/ Production: This is a print screen from the Ikea website and this shows that Ikea is very caring about the environment and they try to make sure that even at low prices that the quality of the product is still very good and they ensure they’re customers that products are safe, have good quality and are still designed to be efficient even if they are at low prices. This on they’re website ensures the customers because it is against the law to sell goods or services with the wrong description of the product and the customers will get they’re money back if the product isn’t what the description told them it would be. In my personal opinion I would trust Ikea’s ensurence of they’re products and the way they are made because my personal experience with Ikea is good every product my parents or my family has bought from Ikea lives up to it’s expectation and this proves to they’re customers that even with low prices their products have good quality, the materials used efficiently and that they are caring for the environment. If a customer’s still not sure weather they should buy an Ikea product then they can check reviews from other customers and based on their experience weather good or bad then they can decide weather to buy Ikea products or not. Source: http://www.ikea.com/ms...
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...Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK Department of Business Administration, Lund University, P.O. Box 7080, SE-220 07 Lund, Sweden c Department of Communication Studies, Lund University, Campus Helsingborg, PO Box 882, SE-251 08 Helsingborg, Sweden b a r t i c l e in fo Available online 29 September 2010 Keywords: IKEA Retail internationalisation Retail marketing mix Standardisation Sweden the UK China abstract IKEA is often cited as an example of a ‘global’ retailer which pursues a similar ‘standardized’ approach in every market. This paper systematically assesses the degree of standardisation (and adaptation) of four commonly identified retail marketing mix activities – merchandise, location and store format, the selling and service environment, and market communication – within three countries. These countries – Sweden, the UK and China – represent different cultural settings and are markets in which IKEA has been operating for different lengths of time. The data upon which the comparison is based was generated from personal interviews, in-country consumer research, company documentation and third party commentaries. The conclusions drawn suggest that whilst IKEA operates a standardized concept, degrees of adaptation can be observed in customer facing elements, and in the supporting ‘back office’ processes which support these elements. These adaptations arise from differences in consumer cultures and the length of...
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...Strategies Three value strategies have been emphasized by IKEA which includes best product, best price and best service. Ikea customers do more than purchase Ikea products, they identify with the culture and authenticity which Ikea has attached to its products to attract more customers. The Management of IKEA said, “It’s not what you say about your Ikea furnishings that matters, it's what the Ikea furnishings say about you”. (Kerin, Hartley & Rudelius, 2010). 4.1 Best Product Value Strategies IKEA have become popular over the years as cited by Michmann and Mazze (2001) due to their product’s value, in terms of quality, style, affordability, functionality and durability,. Their products are well designed, modern, functional, and durable, of high quality, competitive prices and IKEA have a wide range of products and styles. Ikea is well known for bringing low-cost products to consumers, its mission statement focuses on improving customers' lives by bringing them good quality at good value. IKEA’s mission statement is expressed in the very structure of the store which pairs its warehouse with its sales floors. The products are displayed in a Spartan, albeit attractive, manner, and a sense of economy permeates the store. The products themselves are streamlined, uncomplicated and tailored so that the strong point is function over fashion, giving consumers a more fresh idea of acquiring which ever they need. IKEA ensures quality, style and functionality by having their own...
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