Ikea and Human Resource Practices in China

The organizational structures within a company can be the determining factor if a business can run efficiently or run chaotically into ruin. The organizational structure is the different hierarchy’s and arrangement of authority, roles and duties in an organization. The Cheesecake factory has a very effective organizational structure which allows for its operations to run smoothly and enables the Cheesecake factory to be one of the highest earning restaurant chains. The structure contains three main levels. The first and highest level is the board of directors which contains 7 members, including the CEO David Overton and 6 directors. The next level of hierarchy called N-1 contains 7 levels including the CFO, President, Area Operations,

IKEA is a company promoting social values and paying close attention to the work atmosphere in order to encourage its employees to develop their talents and skills.

Structure is the basis through which an organization seeks to create control the direction of an organization. This is completed through clear definitions of the allocation of work, differentiation, and the coordination of having those responsibilities working together towards the efforts of the organization, integration (Bolman & Deal, 1993, pp). Through these methods, the organization is able to devise a division of labor that collaborates to bring about the missions and goals of an organization. The structure that comes about from this can be varied in their rigidness and flexibility it allows, and to an extent this is a great contribution to its success.

IKEA is a privately held, international company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds, chairs, desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer.

IKEA is rumored to be a very standardized retailer, i.e., a certain set of marketing strategies is used that are the same around the world. This indeed sets IKEA, operating on markets in Europe, US as well as Asia and Australia, apart among international retailers. Often the theoretical conclusions in international

IKEA is one of the largest multinational companies in the world dealing with several products. The company sells and designs furniture appliances and home accessories at an affordable price. Ikea has over three hundred stores worldwide enjoying the good name it has created for itself. While they are one of the most profitable furniture companies in the world there are significant challenges and threats that have been overcome and are still needed to be tackled.

The practice of world trade amongst countries has taken over the rate of domestic production. It has led to the free flowing of money across national borders, which opens doors for companies and investors to seek for best rates for financing anywhere across the globe. Such trend is known as globalization and Cullen & Parboteeah (2008) defines globalisation as the worldwide trend of borderless and interlinked world economies, and companies no longer restrain by domestic boundaries and possibly conduct any business activities throughout the globe.

Ikea has grown into a worldwide phenomenon with an almost like cult following and the world’s largest furniture retailer due in large part to its founder Ingvar Kamprad’s charismatic personality combined with his own philosophy of business management and the Scandinavian style of open management he has parlayed a fortune that will be left to one of his children who has proven their own business acumen by running one of his many companies profitably. According to Kamprad himself in his July 23, 2008 Acticule published by stoked in Major Companies Kamprad states;

IKEA’s Global approach focuses on the personal values and company’s belief, which is about how IKEA treat its employees and customers. Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, tries to transfer his values and belief, which is operation in a no-frills, cost-conscious way to store managers and employees. And the most important is he wants that they are all in business “together”, by which he means that every person who works in his global empire plays an important role and has an duty to everyone else (Jones, 2013).

IKEA is the world’s largest furniture manufacturer who offers a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at a low price that many people can afford it. IKEA’s mission statement describes the purpose and distinctive advantages of the company clearly. (See appendices Ⅰ) It can also motivate management by saying ‘create a better everyday life for people’ because employees need work together to achieve this goal.

IKEA began as a small company in Sweden selling small household items but in 1945 began selling furniture. IKEA has expanded to other European countries, Canada and Australia. Currently, IKEA is the market leader in the distribution of furniture and home decorative items. IKEA entered the Russian market in 1991 but did not open its first store until 2000 in Moscow.

The organization has mastered the art of doing business internationally and is considered to be one of the strongest global entities in today’s world. Although IKEA has succeeded on many levels, leaving the competition far behind, there are a few possible threats the company may face in the future while doing business:

For IKEA the step into the Chinese market was a big step, maybe as big at the first

Based in Denmark, IKEA International A/S is one of the world 's top retailers of furniture, home furnishings, and housewares. The company designs its own items, and sells them in the more than 140 IKEA stores that are spread throughout approximately 30 different countries worldwide. The company also peddles its merchandise through mail-order, distributing its thick catalogs once a year in the areas surrounding its store locations. IKEA is characterized by its efforts to offer high-quality items at low prices. To save money for itself and its customers, the company buys items in bulk, ships and stores items unassembled using flat packaging, and has customers assemble many items on their own at home. The company is owned by

The history of the company is very colorful and interesting. IKEA was founded in 1943 in the south of Sweden in Smaland. Its founder was seventeen - Ingvar Kamprad. The boy had a great deal of business, and IKEA was not his first venture. Previously, he was selling matches in his hometown. His capital for the establishment of IKEA comes from his father, who rewarded him for good academic performance. He called his company IKEA from the first letters of his name, and the names of the family farm and the village Agunnaryd Elmtaryd. The company initially dealt with the sale of feathers, frames, wallets, tablecloths, watches, jewelry, stockings and fine furniture. Kamprad to transport their goods, borrowed a truck from the local milkman.