...corporate strategy…………………………. 2.1 IKEA business and corporate strategy 2.2 Micheal Porter’s Five Forces Model 2.3 IKEA as a competitive advantage Chapter 3 Why IKEA failed in USA………………………………….. 3.1 Cause of the failure 3.2 Different management styles in USA 3.3 Different consumer decision process 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Scope 1.2 Objective 1.3 IKEA Company Background IKEA is a Swedish furnishing company and was founded by Ingvar Kamprad 1943. It started as a one-man mail order company in a farming village in Southern Sweden called Smaland. (IKEA, 2011a) Today IKEA has become a big international company which has stores in 44 countries worldwide. The IKEA Group has grown into a major retail experience with 123,000 co-workers and is generating annual sales of more than 21.5 billion Euros. (IKEA, 2011b). The sales growth is shown in Appendix 1. The IKEA concept started in the 1950’s with catalogue marketing combined with a showroom where customers could see and touch IKEA products. The company’s three distinct features were function, quality and low price. Problems with suppliers led the company to start purchasing from foreign producers in Eastern Europe. During the 1060’s the concept was taken even further by introducing the warehouse principle. A huge store in Stolkholm was opened where customers picked the products from the shelves themselves. IKEA turned a capacity problem into a new way of...
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...1995, Marianne Barner faced a tough decision. After just two years with IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, and less than a year into her job as business area manager for carpets, she was faced with the decision of cutting off one of the company’s major suppliers of Indian rugs. While such a move would disrupt supply and affect sales, she found the reasons to do so quite compelling. A German TV station had just broadcast an investigative report naming the supplier as one that used child labor in the production of rugs made for IKEA. What frustrated Barner was that, like all other IKEA suppliers, this large, well-regarded company had recently signed an addendum to its supply contract explicitly forbidding the use of child labor on pain of termination. Even more difficult than this short-term decision was the long-term action Barner knew IKEA must take on this issue. On one hand, she was being urged to sign up to an industry-wide response to growing concerns about the use of child labor in the Indian carpet industry. A recently formed partnership of manufacturers, importers, retailers, and Indian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) was proposing to issue and monitor the use of “Rugmark,” a label to be put on carpets certifying that they were made without child labor. Simultaneously, Barner had been conversing with people at the Swedish Save the Children organization who were urging IKEA to ensure that its response to the situation was “in the best interest...
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...market-driven display inventive skills in interpreting, collecting, and using information to guide their business and marketing strategies and to achieve competitive advantage (Cravens & Piercy, 2009). The following analysis will focus on Ikea’s target market, the effectiveness of their positioning strategy, and recommended for changes to their targeting and positioning strategy. Ikea Ikea is worldwide home furnishing store that specializes in ready to assemble furniture, home accessories, and appliances. Ingvar Kamprad founded Ikea in 1943, and opened his first store in in Almhult Sweden. Today Ikea operates two hundred twenty six stores globally and hosts four hundred and ten million shoppers a year. Ikea believes in hard work to produce products that meet quality standards at prices that are affordable. These standards are accomplished by building long term relationships with suppliers, investing in highly automated products, and producing in large volumes. Ikea’s vision goes beyond home furnishings, Ikea wants to create a better every day for all people who are impacted by their business (IKEA, 2013). Target Market A target market that is well-defined ensures the ability to create better targeted marketing messages designed to appeal to the company’s specific audience. The better a target audience is defined and...
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...2004 YOUNGME MOON IKEA Invades America In 2002, the IKEA Group was the world’s top furniture retailer. With sales approaching $12 billion, IKEA operated 154 stores in 22 countries and serviced 286 million customers a year. (See Exhibits 1 through 4.) In the United States, IKEA had 14 stores, with plans to open as many as nine more in 2003. There were a number of factors that distinguished IKEA from other furniture retailers—its stores were strictly self-service and featured such amenities as playrooms for children and Swedish cafés, and all of its furniture came unassembled (customers were expected to put together the furniture on their own)—yet there was no question about the company’s success; when a new store opened, it was not unusual for thousands of shoppers to line up on the first day. Company Background IKEA was founded in 1943 when 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad decided to start a local catalog company using some money his father had given him.1 Initially, the company sold basic household goods at discount prices; in 1947, however, Kamprad began selling home furnishings. Six years later, Kamprad opened his first furniture showroom, and two years after that, IKEA began designing its own low-priced furniture. In 1958, IKEA opened its inaugural store, in Almhult, Sweden; at 6,700 square meters, it was the largest furniture display in Scandinavia at the time. By the time IKEA opened its flagship store in Stockholm in 1965, IKEA had become the favored ...
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...Case Study of IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge In 1995, IKEA met a problem that its main supplier, Indian rugs, used the child labor to produce products, although they had signed an attachment of the contract to ban employing child labor. In addition, a German documentary maker was about to broadcast the problem of child labor on German television and also invited an employee from IKEA to have a live discussion in the TV program. Marianne Barner, the leader of IKEA, must find a great solution to this serious issue to both save her business and the corporation’s brand image. In this issue, IKEA was not the one who produced products, so they might not realize the use of child labor in the process of production. In addition, child labor did not attract lots of attention from the society at that time, so they did not pay attention to the use of child labor when they were finding their suppliers. However, they sold terminal products so they were to blame. As a result, Marianne had to make several decisions, respectively about whether IKEA should accept the invitation to join the TV program, how to deal with the broken contract with Rangan Exports, how to deal with the child labor on the long term and whether IKEA should use Rugmark. To address this problem and make these decisions, IKEA has four choices. One is that IKEA could utilize its own relationship with its suppliers to solve the issue. The second choice for IKEA is to invite Rugmark Foundation on its behalf to monitor the...
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...company to capacity the market share. Therefore, the IKEA are taking advantages of new opportunities with a good manage of the information; always keep up with the world changing. IKEA obtain the distinctive capabilities with low price, renewable material and high quality. Besides that, the good customer relationship management of IKEA is enabling IKEA to cover the demand of powerful customer. 1. Background of the IKEA IKEA was establish in 1943 is the world’s largest furniture retailer which specializes in stylish. IKEA organization takes advantages in strictly management function (internal control) and expertise in superior telecommunication networks (external approaches) which create the competitive advantage for IKEA. Therefore IKEA had expanded its business in 26 countries over 128 fully-owned stores. First and foremost, IKEA use a catalog to tempt people to visit an exhibition then develop it by storing the store among whole world. IKEA spread the business globally by advanced telecommunications networks. IKEA’s attributed to its vast experience in the retail industry, in product differentiation and cost leadership. In addition, IKEA fostering close supplier relations through technology – transfer, large supply contracts and even low interest loans. IKEA soon gained a SCA over its competitors through cost-cutting and close supplier relations while placing an emphasis on the design process. In conclusion, IKEA added value though display store which offered...
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...STRATEGY IKEA Case Study JWI 540, Assessment 1: Strategy Professor: Dr. D 7/21/2013 Muhammad Akmal Khan Key Issues: IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kampard in Sweden in 1943. From a humble local shop of basic household good, the company rose to its height. By 2002, the company was world’s largest retailer in furniture business. It had the sale volume of about $12 billion. Operating 154 stores in 22 countries, the company was serving 286 million customers a year. The company undoubtedly owed the epic success to the dynamic leadership of its founder. Kampard’s focus was to supply low priced goods to the customers, as against other outlets operating individually, but was fairly expensive. The people needed inexpensive items for home furnishing. Kampard saw the opportunity ideal to offer good design products at low price meeting the need of majority of the population. He met resistance from his competitors by one mode or the other but overcame it by wisely dealing it. The company owned small and independent manufacturers of furniture to buy the stuff. Such purchases were low cost thereby benefiting the company and customers. An outlet opened in Stockholm in 1965 was built on a very large area located in the outskirts of the city it had ample space for car parking. The customers liked it as they were in the habits of coming in their cards. The showroom was self serviced. The sale items boar explanatory tickets while on display. The catalogues containing the information about...
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...COMPANY HISTORY IKEA was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad. Its first store was opened in 1958 in Almhult, Sweden and its flagship store opened in Stockholm in 1965. By 1965, IKEA was a well loved household name in the home of many Swedes. The company’s corporate slogan was “‘Low price with meaning’” (Moon, 2008, p. 24). Its main objective was to challenge the status quo by producing a good product at a low price with the development of innovative and cost-efficient methods. Beginning in 1969, IKEA began to expand its business into additional foreign markets starting with Denmark. IKEA continued to provide its consumers with quality products by utilizing “high-quality materials on the furniture surfaces that were visible and …lower-quality materials on surfaces that were low stress and less visible to the consumer” (Moon, 2008, p. 23). This idea was well received by its consumers and helped IKEA maintain a competitive advantage within the furniture industry. By 1984, IKEA had expanded into 16 different countries with over 167 stores (IKEA Timeline, 1999-2008). IKEA made its debut appearance onto U.S. soil in 1985 with its first store in Philadelphia, PA. From 1997 to 2001, IKEA’s revenue had doubled in the United States from $600 million to $1.27 billion. By 2002, the United States was IKEA’s third largest market and housed 14 of IKEA’s stores (Moon, 2008, p. 27). IKEA’s goal is to have 50 stores in operation in the United States by 2013. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths...
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...IKEA INVADES AMERICA. CASE STUDY Abstract Success is sometimes intriguing as it can be part of a combination of luck and hard work, or maybe one or the other, but IKEA’s unreadable formula for business success has been revealed; it’s simple: “great designs for the masses…” It is always easier to offer a unique product to those willing to spend any amount necessary, than to provide customers with complete solutions for little money. It is in the perfect combination that IKEA has found its niche, which has now apparently, spread globally. This case study examines IKEA’s role in the American market, its possible growth and everything else that could come ahead. IKEA Invades America IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer with sales approaching $12 billion with 154 stores in 22 countries. IKEA is a very unusual furniture retailer given the large physical size of the stores, the self-service features including self-assembly of furniture, limited product and style selection, but with customer amenities such as a playroom for children and a restaurant. Despite limitations, IKEA has been very successful and plans to open more store in the United States. In answering the questions for this case, DO NOT do any research on the company and its progress since the case was written. You must only use the information presented in the case. Adding outside information beyond what is in the case will reduce your grade! Questions What do you think of the company’s...
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...the giant home furnishing retail chain IKEA was born in march 30, 1926 on a farm which called near a small village of Agunnaryd, Smaland Sweden. In his teen ages he used to peddled matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items by bicycle as a teenager. He bought matches in bulk from Stockholm and sold them in his town with reasonable prices but he still could make good money. At the age of 17 his father gave him a reward for the success in his business. May be it was a turnover in his life. He used this money to establish his small company which will be the world's largest furniture retail company in the future. 10 years later kamprad registered his firm IKEA (Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd) on july 18, 1943. He used to sell pens, wallets. Picture frames, tables, jewelry etc. with very cheap retail prices. Kamprad has been living with his wife and children in Switzerland since 1976 at Epangales, upper lousanne. He has three children who speak French, English and Swedish. He has a quiet and peaceful life in the country of Switzerland in very nice neighborhood. Even though he is one of the richest men in world he likes to live modest life. He do not like wearing suits, flies economy classes and drives a 17 year old Volvo if not use public transportation. Today at the age of 80 invar kamprad ranked the fourth richest man in the world and richest man of Europe by Forbes magazine with the home furniture retail giant IKEA which located more than 32 countries all...
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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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...Name [optional] University The stakeholders of IKEA- Stakeholders are groups or individuals (customers, employees, suppliers, communities, and shareholders or other financiers) who can affect or be affected by the successes and failures of a business. In case of IKEA, their customers who bought furniture form them in 70 nations, all the employees who work for IKEA in 70 countries all over the globe, their suppliers all over the world who supply IKEA with the raw-material as well as furnished furniture, and all those who financed the company to open its stores and make primary investments in the 70 countries, for its geographical expansion are the “real stakeholders of IKEA”. IKEA was founded in the early 1950s, but in the mid of the 1960s it became a global furniture manufacturing company. During its expansion all around the globe, Ingvar Kampard (the founder of IKEA) opened multiple stores in different countries, some of them were self-financed by him while others were assumed to be opened as the tie up between the company’s and their stockholders (for finance) in that company, especially, those who financed the company to open the chain of stores on the foreign land. Also, when some problem arises in the indigenous market when Sweden’s local large furniture retailers threatened and all the sourcing and suppliers were blocked and even small retailers were ordered not to sell IKEA’s product, under that circumstance, IKEA has to look abroad for the suppliers. And soon after...
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...This article was downloaded by: [Hong Kong Polytechnic University] On: 3 June 2010 Access details: Access Details: [subscription number 738313287] Publisher Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 3741 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713735234 Knowledge and knowledge sharing in retail internationalization: IKEA's entry into Russia Anna Jonssona; Ulf Elga a Department of Business Administration, School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Sweden To cite this Article Jonsson, Anna and Elg, Ulf(2006) 'Knowledge and knowledge sharing in retail internationalization: IKEA's entry into Russia', The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 16: 2, 239 — 256 To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/09593960600572316 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09593960600572316 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does...
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...CHRISTOPHER A. BARTLETT VINCENT DESSAIN ANDERS SJÖMAN IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (B) After more than a decade spent struggling with the issue of child labor, Marianne Barner felt good about how IKEA had responded. But occasionally, she found herself wondering whether the progress the global furniture retailer had made was real and durable. Just as it had in the mid-1990s, in 2005 the company could still find itself on the defensive in dealing with the issue. Even more troubling to Barner was that after 10 years of working to prevent child labor among IKEA’s suppliers— introducing a clear code of conduct, developing internal controls and third-party audits, training its suppliers, supporting their corrective actions, and instituting stiff sanctions against offenders—the company was still finding cases of child labor in its supply chain. The latest issue had been drawn to Barner’s attention by Kaisa Mattson, the head of IKEA’s compliance office in south Asia. Like Barner herself a decade before, Mattson was facing the decision of whether to terminate a relationship with a long-standing major supplier. This one, however, had violated not one but several items in IKEA’s detailed code of conduct, known as “The IKEA Way on Purchasing Products”—or IWAY for short. Venkat Industries was a textile mill with over 10,000 workers, and a recent audit had shown that it had stopped using the water treatment plant it had installed as an IWAY requirement, had...
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...Development Paper: IKEA * Joe Purdoff CMB 533 Human Resource Strategies June 18, 2012 IKEA is at the top of the world’s leading furniture retailers, and has set new standards for competitiveness in household furnishings. The company has achieved this position by redefining the roles and interactions between the firm and its customers. Founded in 1943 by a poor Swedish farmer named Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA is now one of the largest furniture retailers in the world. From its inception, Kamprad wanted to create cheap, quality furniture that everyone could afford. This formula led to IKEA’s early success in Sweden and has carried over until today. IKEA's positive HR policies have supported a strong and nurturing culture that promotes diversity and creativity. To its customers, IKEA is not just a store but a way of life, which is evident through the impressive customer loyalty the company has achieved. IKEA has also been able to build a solid labor force that has helped meet the demands of its shoppers and create products that meet those demands at a reasonable price. IKEA products are sold at unique stores that serve strategically important, geographic markets. This paper examines the factors that have made IKEA such a big success and offers some recommendations for future growth. Today, IKEA has 332 stores in thirty-eight countries. In fiscal year 2010, it sold $23.1 billion worth of goods, a 7.7 percent increase over 2009 (Wikipedia). Revenues for IKEA double every...
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