Case Study, Management IKEA: Design and Practice

Assignment 1
Introduction
This assignment is based on the case-study entitled “IKEA: Design and Practice” from Jacobs, Chase and Aquilano (2009), Operations and Supply Management, 12 Ed., McGraw-Hill Irwin, pp.116-117.
The case is presented on Thursday 5 December and has therefore been pre-read to be completed on Friday 6th December 2013.
Instructions
Answer the following questions in paragraph form.
Questions
1. Describe the customers that IKEA attempts to appeal to.

2. In a world where products keep getting more expensive, explain how IKEA can keep selling them more cheaply.
3. Describe IKEA’s process for developing a new product.
4. What are additional features of the IKEA concept (beyond their design process) that contribute to creating exceptional value for the customer?

5. What would be important criteria for selecting a site for an IKEA store?