The effects of diverse culture of IKEA in UAE to Impact of cultural diversity on IKEA

Executive Summary Being incorporated in Sweden , IKEA holds more than 20% overall market share in Sweden , also able to expand successfully over the last twenty-five years in executing what no furniture distributor has ever endeavoured to turn to be an international player in an industry where it was regarded to be local earlier.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The effects of diverse culture of IKEA in UAE to Impact of cultural diversity on IKEA specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More IKEA is the largest furniture retailing giant with a turnover of just 1 million Euros in 1954 and its total turnover has reached 22713 million Euros in 2009 and just 1 store in 1954 to 301 stores in 37 nations in 2009. In UAE, it has two retail stores besides in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Today, IKEA is renowned for its low-priced quality furniture to major markets around the globe. IKEA is the only distributor in its field to have victorio usly made itself in whole of the Europe including Eastern and Southern Europe and more noticeably in USA and in whole of the North America. It is really astonishing how IKEA is managing this vast network of diversity and it appears to be in a characteristic bond of sorts with a robust corporate culture footed on the company’s founder. IKEA acknowledges that cultural variances can result in challenges and misapprehensions but at the same time, they can remain as an incredible source of advantage. IKEA spreads its culture through its â€Å"IKEA Style† by organising seminars for all of its employees whereby the organisations values and roots are detailed and deliberated. Some of the newly joined employees are allowed to make a trip to Sweden where they used to visit the shed where the founder of the IKEA established his business at the start. Some of the employees are even made as an ambassador of the culture they belong. (Hoecklin 35). Impact of cultural diversity on ind ividuals and organisation Identity Structures The mixed group of identities that are seen in the business organisation and the muscle of individual’s connection with particular identities and for instance , despite all people have a gender identify , they differ greatly in the extent to which this identity is significant to them in their own self –definition. (Cox Beale 33).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Prejudice and Discrimination Prejudice refers to the prearranged negative demeanours towards individuals on some group identity. When prejudice demeanours get transformed into demeanours, the discrimination happens. Since discriminations and prejudice are pertinent to a number of group characteristics in business organisations and since, they can be specifically damaging to interpersonal associations. (Cox Beale 96). Stereotyping The state of mental proces s in which the individual is regarded as a member of a group and the info that one has kept in one’s mind about the group is attributed to the individual is known is stereotyping. There exist significant differences between valuing cultural differences and stereotyping. Since, stereotyping is pertinent and persuasive across a wide spectrum of group identities in business organisations, it is important to know more about it as it is decisive for developing capability to manage diversity. (Cox Beale 78). Often, Stereotyping is footed on false notions and anecdotal corroboration or even on consciousness without any direct experience with a group. It denotes about the negative characteristics to members of a group. It engrosses the postulation that characteristics assumed to be common in a cultural group which will be applicable to each and every member. For example, Hamed is an UAE Muslim and hence, he is not aggressive by White, female American standards. (Cox Beale 81). Ethn ocentrism It refers to the predisposition to regard members of one’s group as the focal of the universe, to deduce other social groups from the outlook of one’s own group and to assess the behaviours, beliefs and values of one’s own group to somewhat more positively than those of out-groups. (Cox Beale 33). Resistance to change To know more about the business strategies for administering diversity is a major achievement in bypassing resistance to change initiatives. The resistance to initiating organisational change initiatives associated to diversity frequently happens since these initiatives are regarded as just other stranded efforts in an apparent endless succession of â€Å"hot† interference efforts for making organisations to be more vibrant and competitive. This kind of resistance is footed on very genuine concerns, particularly insofar as they spotlight on the necessity to assimilate different intervention efforts and to make sure that they all a re connected to in general business strategy of the business organisation. (Cox Beale 42). Informal Integration It refers to the impact of diversity, for instance s, the differences in group identity, on informal networks for communication and socialisation and on informal processes of sponsorship and development. Thus, the communication styles practiced by IKEA facilitate to comprehend the nature of host culture like culture of UAE and to operate with behavioural setups and local cultural restrictions in UAE. (Cox Beale 34). Communication There are instances where differences due to intergroup may result in communications barriers or breakdowns. As per Tannen (1994), members of various cultural factions frequently have poignant variances in styles and languages of communications. If diversity in work groups is not well administered, these variances present may act as a bar to understanding and thereby making preserving rapport and trust more difficult. (Cox Beale 42)Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The effects of diverse culture of IKEA in UAE to Impact of cultural diversity on IKEA specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Differences in Management styles If a management trainee is recruited in an IKEA store and if he has to be trained as a entry level manager ,then he will be given training in each of the hourly jobs where he will be learning how the IKEA store is being run , how each department of IKEA functions and rests on a variety of management styles. (Tanke 2000:160). Theory X and theory Y are developed by Douglas McGregor which has two generalised assumptions about human behaviour. Theory X is based on the assumption that people in general are lazy and they must be pushed in productive demeanour on the job. Theory Y is based on that assumption that people can be self motivating and enjoy work if a proper atmosphere exists. McGregor was of the view that majority of people’s nat ure adjusts to Theory Y, where as majority of management styles are based on theory X. (Tanke :209). Literature Review As per research study conducted by John Kotler and James Heskett who were the professors of Harvard Business School in American companies, there were close relationship long-term economic performance of the company and strong corporate culture. Thus, Kotler and Heskett findings corroborate the concept that it is the specific cultural traditions that decide the victory of the strategy for managing the cultural diversity (Hoecklin 35). IKEA is following a successful strategy for managing the cultural differences as it blends the national cultural values of Sweden that with its strategy itself. In IKEA corporate values and practices are constructed around such Swedish values as frugality , egalitarianism , simplicity , hard work , paying attention to individuals etc.Thus ,the values appears to present at the more fundamentals level of human nature that to be specific t o one national culture. IKEA adopted a careful approach and has entered into various markets rather carefully and peers into how they can harmonise present trends in a market. This â€Å"fusion† assists to reduce cultural clash with customers and employees. The job application form of IKEA in all regions including UAE have the following statement at the top thereby establishing a clear cut policy for commemorating diversity from an employee’s initial interface with the IKEA. â€Å"In our IKEA family, we wish to have the human being as focal and to support each other.† (Parker 81).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The establishment of networked systems for communication both socially and technically that helps to adopt fastly has been a special trait of Swedish. What has been referred as â€Å"relationship management â€Å"engrossed in might communications systems has been pioneered in the Sweden. Such value added networks together with the variety of services they offer, emanate from out of the highly developed â€Å"visual spatial† intelligence that is mirrored in creating cultural diversity in IKEA. (Lessem 359). IKEA stands as model that the creation of transnational corporate culture and identity is possible and the replica selected by IKEA for establishing its transnational corporate identify has been however condemned since it is more heavily relied towards Swedish national culture. It is to be noted that the simple transnationalisation of a Swedish culture around the world might be followed by a significant losses to corporate’s flexibility and as well as creativity. I t is rather surprising that the overwhelming success of IKEA’s strategy which means one-directional conveyance of the Swedish management technique to assimilate into other cultural atmosphere like UAE. It really connotes that IKEA’s values specifically vulnerable to cultural convergence and transnationalisation since they symbolise significant values of our present times and globalised world. (Mann Gotz 307). To remain successful in USA, IKEA was compelled to make transformations to the idea that had earlier worked well in Europe and Asia including UAE. In 1985, IKEA entered into the American market. In 1988, IKEA witnessed a steel fall in its sales in USA in alarming proportion. It was evident that some features of the IKEA ideology were not appreciated or understood by Americans. To adjust the IKEA culture with that of American culture, IKEA has to undertake major transformations in its cultural ideology. Though it was a novel experience for IKEA, it has been compel led to introduce some proper cultural fine tunings in other nations also including UAE. Though, the salient structure of IKEA cultural ideology remained unchanged, some fine-tuning was needed to Americanise the concept. Due to this, IKEA penetration into the US market progressed up astonishingly. (Edvardsson Enquist 2008:89). About 20,000 new employees are being recruited by IKEA on yearly basis. All of these new employees are appointed at the national level and there has been much transfer between various nations’ operations. IKEA is of the strong view that diversity offers a more demanding business. (Edvardsson Enquist 89). Appropriate staff recruitment at the store level at UAE has been regarded as a cornerstone and specific attention is paid to experience in retailing and a service-oriented attitude of the new recruits and if they lack specific skills, adequate training is being given to them that will suit the cultural diversity of UAE. When interviewed the managers of various IKEA stores across the globe including UAE, they observed that the key role played by the IKEA culture is one of the strong factors of success. (Edvardsson Enquist 91). The style in which IKEA sells furniture through Swidishness or Swidishness through its furniture is the best illustration of the style that present globalisation encourages the commoditification of the cultural difference. (Radway Janice 1994: 206) It is to be observed that as societies integrate culturally, they become more diverse in many aspects. For instance, IKEA has brought Swedish design to UAE co-existing with UAE design. (Collier Dollar 15). IKEA has built a vibrant corporate culture footed on some key values of the company’s founder which are fundamentally the same in every nation in which IKEA do business. IKEA’s style of management has a universal appeal. IKEA employed a global style of management which maintained a â€Å"Swedish Flavour â€Å"which is in consonance with their own corporate practices which have an edge over other styles of management. IKEA employs pioneering workplace efforts to corroborate its inclusive viewpoint like â€Å"pancakes with store manager â€Å"gatherings where co-employees have a chance to exchange their view in an open forum. For supervisors and managers, IKEA is having in place mandatory value workshops in regular phase. In IKEA, diversity is being ensured and also celebrated and the every employees are asked to rate the managerial skills of IKEAs managers and their rating will be used in their salary review. Recommendation Tools for Managing Diversity Empowerment Diversity exists in a business organisation when there exists varied cultural, demographic and personal differences among the employees who work there and the customers who receive services or products from there. (William 2005:395). Diversity refers to characteristics of individuals that mould their identities and their experience in the workplace. Diversity refers to the magnitude of variances among members of an organisation or a group. In many ways, people are diverse. Within the workforce, people differ in their ethnicity /race, gender, religion, ability and age. There also exists differences in their sexual , military status , values ,expectations , socioeconomic status , lifestyle , work style , and position or function within the organisation .( Lussier 2006:242_. Keys (1995) emphasises that through empowerment of employees a business can achieve organisational process and can attain an excellent quality service. Further, TQM spotlights on managing the whole organisation to yield quality to customers and significant ingredients include employee empowerment, client satisfaction and continuous enhancement in customer satisfaction. ( Kirst –Ashman Hull 167). Diversity Training Programs IKEA’s dedication to the ever prolonging development of its employees was mirrored in the IKEA’s policies on development and tr aining of its employees. The company is having in place a wide-ranging professional and training program to strengthen and promote the advancement of its workforce. Its workforce could make use of many available resources including classroom sessions, books and online instructions to cater their needs in acquiring advanced knowledge or increasing their skills. IKEA is also having specialised training programs in provinces like health, diversity, environmental and safety consciousness. (Pearce 709). Mentoring/Networks Mentoring has been used an important tool of IKEA’s employee knowledge program . IKEA launched a program namely â€Å"partners for growth† which was a twelve months mentoring effort that teamed IKEA’s junior managers with senior managers from different locations of IKEA. Mentoring is anticipated to train and prepare junior managers for the top positions in the future and to assist IKEA to cater its needs in coming years. (Pearce 709). Summary IKEA i ntends to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity of a neighbourhood. For instance , IKEA store in Atlanta has a mixed workforce which includes Asians , whites , Hispanics and African –Americans. Its stores office in Atlanta also does have a diversified workforce as logistic manager of its store is a German whereas its workers include workforce from Denmark , Guyana , Canada and Spain. Thus , diversity in IKEA is one facet that to move around its Swedish roots but at the same juncture acknowledging varied cultures. Thus , IKEA is having a diversified workforce where its entire workforce is called co-workers and its managers are involved in helping the company to market its products towards target customers . IKEA is strongly believing in variety of workforce from varied backgrounds will fortify its organisation setup and thus making their company a really true ,strong , global company. ( Ritzler 2007). Conclusion If one takes into account the lessons learnt by IKEA when t hey globalised their business strategies and by relying on particular theory and research in the gamut of cross cultural diversity it could be concluded that in spite of real globalisation process , cultural differences prolong to divide the globe into provinces and conditions and the possibility of perusing a global style of management and standardisation of products , operating methods and services on the global level. Hence, variances in perceptions, communications and values which make significant to comprehend the nature of host culture and function with local cultural restrictions and behavioural patterns. These issues may make constraints in the fields like product development, marketing, HRM, organisational structures and other management problems. Comprehending behavioural variances is a crucial factor as it defines the style in which organisations do businesses. Hence , international companies like IKEA must assess their business practices to make sure that regional norms in UAE in behavioural characteristics are being given great significance. Thus , IKEA tradition encourages the realisation of every individual potentiality and respecting everyone’s diversity and IKEA visualises this as an integral aspect of its competitive advantage. Recruitment strategy of IKEA relies heavily on values and diversity and not on its earlier retail practices. IKEA’s dedication to diversity is corroborated by the fact that it offers translations for non-English applicants both during the recruitment phases and during the induction phases and IKEA’S workplace slogan is â€Å" dare to be you.† Thus , IKEA’s rational cultural diversity and workplace efforts have assisted to maintain the lower labour turnover rate in the industry and it also helps to increase its performance and profitability year after year. Works Cited Collier, Paul Dollar, David. Globalisation, Growth and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy. New York: World Bank, 2002. Cox, Traylor Beale, Ruby L. Developing Competency to Manage Diversity : Reading , Cases and Activities. New York: Barrett –Koehler Publishers, 1997. Edvardsson Bo Enquist Bo. Value-Based Service for Sustainable Business: Lessons From IKEA. New York: Taylor Francis, 2008. Hoecklin , L.A. Managing Cultural Differences For Competitive Advantage. Hyderabad: University Press, 2000. Kirst –Ashman , Karen K Hull, Grafton H. Generalists Practices with Organisations and Communities. London: Cengage Learning, 2008. Lessem, Ronnie. Management Development Through Cultural Diversity. New York: Routledge Taylor Francis Group, 1998. Mann, Clarence J Gotz, Klaus. Borderless Business: Managing the Far-Flung Enterprise. New York: Greenwood Publishing, 2006. Parker, Barbara. Introduction to Globalisation and Business: Relationships and Responsibilities. New York: Sage Publishing, 2005. Pearce. Strategic Management : Formulation , Implementation and Control. New Delhi. T ata McGraw Hill, 2008. Radway, Lawrence Janice. Cultural Studies: Vol 8, Issue 2. New York: Routledge Taylor Francis Group, 1994. Ritzler , Karl W. ( 2007). Swedish Standards Drive IKEA. 18 December 2010 Web. Tanke, Mary L. Human Resources Management for the Hospitality Industry. London: Cengage Learning, 2000. 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Stylish Dorm Room Decorations to Make It Feel Like Home

Stylish Dorm Room Decorations to Make It Feel Like Home A dorm room is a place that you spend much time in and which might tell a lot about your personality. Making this room feel like home is hard especially if you have a limited budget. But we have a few ideas for you on how you can make your room stylish and cozy. Moreover, some of these ideas are DIY, so you can create a magical interior without spending too much money on it. Style Unoccupied dorm rooms look the same with their ordinary sets of furniture and plain walls. But once a student moves in, the room can be given an ultimate makeover to fit the individuality of its inhabitant. There are a lot of interior design styles that can be applied to the dorm room. The most popular of the dorm room themes are: Scandinavian Boho Minimalism Shabby chic If you like the way certain interior looks, pay attention to the colors, forms, and objects associated with a certain style in order to be able to replicate it in the design of your dorm room. Save the pictures of the design that you like to get inspiration for your room makeover project. Lets take a look at some ideas of different interior design styles compilation made by Canvaspop: This infographic shows that plants, lamps and other small details play a significant role as they help to support the general style of the room and create the right mood. Textile The textile can totally transform a boring and plain room. It can be changed whenever you crave changes in the interior of your dorm room, reused in DIY projects or taken from home to help you when you feel homesick. Bedding: Pillows and Coverlets What textile can you use to decorate your dorm room? Pick some decorative pillows and a fancy rug to make your room cozier. Or, you can make some yourself. For example, you can write inspirational quotes on pillow covers using special fabric paints. Alongside with multiple color choices, there are also metallic colors – golden, copper, and silver, which will add a little chic. Fabric paints are non-toxic and dont fade when washing. Various handmade pillows can become cute college dorm decorations for everyone. Source: OrganizeYourStuffNow Watch a video on how you can customize your boring pillowcases to decorate your dorm room without spending too much money. And if you are on a tight budget and want to save money every day, check out our tips on inexpensive meals for college students. Coverlets and blankets are also great for everyone who needs to make the bed neat or get warm during cold evenings. Choose vibrant and contrast shades to add a pop of color if your room is rather monochrome or use pastel shades to make your interior calm and relaxing. Sources: Dormify and Mill Valley Rugs If you need a rug to put next to your bed, you can make it using your old T-shirts. Cut your old clothes in stripes and braid these stripes together. Then you can sew all of the braids together or glue them to the base (for example, the old towel or a piece of cardboard) to get a colorful and cute rug as your dorm room decor. Sources: Createwhimsy and DesignGalleryQatar Watch a detailed tutorial: Wall Decor If you want to change the setting of your dorm room quickly and without much effort, the easiest thing that you can do is to decorate your walls with various pieces of art that you can buy in the store or craft yourself using the ordinary materials. Prints and Posters Prints and posters are one of the most popular ways for students to decorate their dorm rooms. Posters are inexpensive and dont require being nailed to the wall, so you dont need to worry about the dorm deposit (only in the case when you want  to throw an unforgettable party in your dorm room). Source: Twitter Posters with inspirational quotes and favorite bands, movie or book characters can be placed anywhere in the room and changed for another poster if needed. So, make sure to look for the pieces that will brighten up your room and your mood. Many girls wonder â€Å"How do guys decorate their dorms?† Well, with posters and any other pieces of art just like the girls do. Any of the ideas in this article can be used in any dorm room as we picked suitable dorm room ideas for guys too. Decorative Lights The first thing that comes to mind when speaking about coziness is warm lighting. Making your place special and cozy can be easy if you have a few string lights to put around your bed or above your desk. Source: VirtualBuilding Source: BuzzFeed Wall Art Various pieces of art and dorm room wall decor can be found in stores, at garage sales, or you can craft them using the ordinary materials, for example, cardboard, threads, paper, corks, beads, etc. If you need some inspiration for your craft projects, look up some dorm room DIY decorating ideas on Pinterest or YouTube. For example, you can create a cork board to pin your schedule, pictures, etc. or a collage using pages from your favorite comic books. By the way, making such wall collages is a relaxing hobby. If you wonder what other interesting activities might become your hobbies, check out our list of weird students hobbies. Source: Pinterest And dont forget about your favorite photos of your friends and family. They can be placed on the wall as a collage or hung using clothespins and cord. Source: Pinterest If you dont have any experience in crafting, dont worry – you can always find a suitable piece in a store. Many students sell some of their belongings after graduation, so you can look for such announcements on bulletin boards or on social media. These were awesome dorm room ideas for every college student. We hope that they will help you decorate your dorm room and make it the way you want it to be. Be creative!

The Impact of Value in Customer Relationship Management on Dissertation

The Impact of Value in Customer Relationship Management on Consultation Management Industries in Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example The Private Sector and the Use of Consulting Services 13 2.4. Why Consultants? 16 2.5. Customer Satisfaction 18 2.6. Service Quality 19 2.6.1. Perceived Functional Value 23 2.6.2. Perceived Technical Value 25 2.6.3. Monetary Value 25 2.6.4. Emotional Value 25 2.6.5. Perceived Outcome Quality 26 2.7. Empirical Studies on Consulting Services 27 2.8. Conclusion 30 3. Methodology 3.1. Introduction 31 3.2. Research Approach 31 3.3. Research Methodology 32 3.4. Research Design 32 3.5 Respondents and Sampling Plan 34 3.6. Data Collection Procedures 34 3.7. Instrument 35 3.8. Validity and Reliability 37 3.9. Ethical Considerations 38 3.10. Method of Data Analysis 38 3.11. Methodological Limitations 39 3.12. Conclusion 39 4. Findings and Data Analysis 4.1. Introduction 40 4.2. Results 40 4.3. Discussion 65 5. Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1. Conclusions 75 5.2. Recommendations 77 Reflections 80 References 82 Appendices 89 List of Tables and Figures Figure 1. Determinants of customer satis faction 23 Results Table 1. Descriptive statistics: Outcomes of management consultancy services. 41 Table 2. Descriptive statistics: Evaluations of the quality of management consultancy services. 43 Table 3. Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient: Company’s competitive stance vs. satisfaction and attitudes with the use of management consultancy services. 44 Table 4. Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient: Company’s competitive stance vs. ... Frequency and percentage distribution: First engagement of management consultant services. 47 Table 8. Descriptive statistics: Attribution of outcomes because of management consultancy services. 48 Table 9. Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient: Company’s frequency of use and experience with management consultancy services vs. satisfaction and attitudes with the use of such services. 49 Table 10. Descriptive statistics: Functional value of management consultancy services. 51 Table 11. Descriptive statistics: Emotional value of management consultancy services. 52 Table 12. Descriptive statistics: Monetary value of management consultancy services. 55 Table 13. Coefficient of determination: Value structure vs. satisfaction with current management consultant. 56 Table 14. One-way ANOVA: Value structure vs. satisfaction with current management consultant. 57 Table 15. Beta coefficients: Value structure vs. satisfaction with5 current management consultant. 58 Table 16 . Coefficient of determination: Value structure vs. outcomes of management consultancy services. 60 Table 17. One-way ANOVA: Value structure vs. outcomes of management consultancy services. 60 Table 18. Beta Coefficients: Value structure vs. outcomes of management consultancy services. 61 Table 19. Coefficient of determination: Value structure vs. evaluations of the quality of management consultancy services. 61 Table 20. One-way ANOVA: Value structure vs. evaluations of the quality of management consultancy services. 62 Table 21. Beta Coefficients: Value structure vs. evaluations of the quality of management consultancy services. 62 Acknowledgements Executive Summary The study aimed to investigate the effect of Value Creation in CRM on local management consultancy industry for finding