Furniture design is particularly dependent on trends. During a period of time, the design or

In IKEA, the Unsolicited Proposal came from many directions. Firstly, in 1952 the boycott by Swedish retailers to IKEA, obliged to IKEA to seek new sources of furniture. Second, the Swedish furniture market demand fall by the early 1970s. Third, IKEA had identified as we said before two big markets to

Space Age Furniture Company has manufactured tables and cabinets in order to hold a microwave oven and portable televisions. Space Age products are made in several sizes and with several features yet, they all follow the same production and assembly operations. There is quite a difference in a few products that Space Age offers. For example, the Saturn microwave stand and Gemini TV stand has a part (no. 3079) that specifically requires machining on a special lathe used only for making these parts.

Despite being well-established, over the last three years, sales at Atherley Furniture Company have remained the same while profits have declined by almost 24%. Their chair division produces three different types of chairs, the Atherley, the Caledonia and the Parkdale. Each model has its own production plan and production costs. The increasing production costs, alongside the intense competition the company faces, have become a great cause of concern for John Atherley.

Most of the competitors offer custom furniture in specific styles or with limited choices. Doe Furniture needs to emphasize the custom nature of their work. They can offer to build specific pieces to order based on a picture a customer brings in, on the size and design of a room, or a customer may suggest the functionality needed for a piece and a piece will be designed for them.

Interior design and architecture are essential, and often overlooked, aspects of everyday life. In modern society people rely on function, durability, and visual appeal when selecting designs for their homes, businesses, and places of leisure. The way that a space is designed influences such things as mood, which, in the case of a business, can impact the productivity of employees and either draw or repel customers. In residential design, the design becomes very personal and, to be considered a successful design, must properly reflect the home owner while at the same time offering some practicality that makes the space livable. An effective design, for any space, must solve some problem, be it function, flexibility, or some other criteria. Simply solving a problem would not please the customer, however, unless it offered some visual appeal. Creating function with style is the real job of any interior designer, and is essential in a content society.

5) Threat of substitutes is low, in comparison with technology that constantly evolves, furniture cannot be easily substituted. But its insignificant impact is fully neutralized by high competition problem.

Wooden lintels are no longer in great demand; however, homeowners who live in wooded areas may regard wood as a cheap and easy option. This type of structural support is not as

The services and products offered by IKEA provide value to its customers in various ways. For one, the products and services are very affordable. The products and services are not priced highly and therefore, the average customer can enjoy them. At the same time, the products are of high quality. From IKEA’s slogan “low prices but not at any price”, it is clear that the company prices its products lowly but that does not mean that the quality is compromised. IKEA satisfying its customer’s needs through providing them value for their money as they provide quality products that will last for a long time, and at affordable costs. The fact that the company has set the minimum acceptable standards for its wood, implies that it is also keen on quality and on the environmental impact of its action of making furniture ( Edvardsson, Enquist & Hay, 2006).

Perhaps Mr. Thomas should have studied and evaluated what pursuing a standard line of furniture in addition to maintaining the custom line of furniture would

Promote New Styles of Furniture: These new items would require consumer advertising in shelter magazines to be launched successfully.

First of all we believe that introducing a “simple and cheap kit” to convert your kids furniture to teenager furniture can damage the existing high quality image of the already existing “high quality” line. Second of all we think that converting “old” and probably out of fashion furniture into furniture suitable for teenagers doesn’t enhance the association with fashionable furniture. We believe that the new positioning is perceived as functional and a cheap solution which saves money. This is not in line with the first positioning of high quality, premium price, modern and safe.

The Canadian furniture market has brought success to IKEA Canada due to the high quality and low priced “quick-assembly” furniture designed by IKEA’s European engineers. However, this success brought many imitators. Sears Canada has recently published a new catalogue that includes a new line of furniture called “Elements”. The new line of furniture very much resembles IKEA’s knock-down, self-assembled line. IKEA is facing an imitation threat and should tactically respond to minimize its effects.

IKEA can make use of the internet and introduce its new product through the form of visual and audio – videos that demonstrate the function of the portable table-chair set and ways to set it up; ideas and suggestions to consumers at what place and ways they can make use of the product. Besides media promotion, flyers and advertisement on newspapers are also able to deliver the message to consumers. For consumers who are too busy to go online and read printed press, a billboard set up by the highway is able to catch the attention when they are driving pass

IKEA can establish their business by targeting both markets as their product range of interior furnishings are required by both households and business establishments. However, in either case, customers are the target for any company. To be able to find out the requirements of the customer is the challenge and is the area that the company needs to analyse

Clearly its product offering is “no frills”. In line with the Scandinavian idea of minimalism, IKEA seeks to eliminate the unnecessary in its prouducts but it makes a point out of not compromising on function or technical quality. IKEA focuses on the use of raw materials but much of its product range uses board-on-frame construction - layering of sheets of wood over a honeycomb core that gives a strong, lightweight structure with a minimal wood content.