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This dissertation presents an in depth investigation of the office furniture industry and of the factors that influence selection and purchase of office furniture. It also utilizes data obtained in a national survey of nearly 270 office furniture buyers to investigate several general conceptual marketing issues. The industry-specific investigation includes a look at the history of the office and at events during the past 2-1/2 decades that have impacted the market for office furniture. It also includes a comparative look at the relative performance of wood (SIC 2521) and metal (SIC 2522) industry sectors. The performance of the office furniture industry is also compared with the wood household furniture industry (SIC 2511). This report includes a detailed look at the industry's changing product mix and use of wood-based materials. While the total use of wood-based material inputs by the industry was at record levels for all material categories in 1987, use on a per unit of output basis declined in several material categories. Material preferences, as expressed by survey respondents, indicated that solid wood is still rated highly and is the material of choice for interior and exterior applications in conventional office furniture manufacture. Twenty-six attributes of office furniture and of dealer/manufacturer services were rated on dual 7- and 5-point Likert scales for importance and difference, respectively. The most important attribute was the ability of the dealer manufacturer to provide products free of defects. However, when differences in the performance of suppliers or products were taken into account, the top determinant attribute was the ability to deliver on schedule. Comparisons of quality and selection and purchase ratings suggested that respondents tended to rate attributes on the bases of their use in selection and purchase higher overall than they rated their use in assessing quality. However, the relative ranking of attributes within the two sets of ratings were highly correlated. Respondent ratings of the 26 attributes were utilized in a multivariate study of quality dimensions employing confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. Results of these analyses supported operationalization of most of Garvin's eight dimensions of quality. / Ph. D.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1991. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-50). Also available via the Internet.

Bakgrund: Globalisering och utveckling samt allt större konkurrens har ökat risker för många företag. Detta, tillsammans med de tidigare uppkomna finansiella kriserna i världen har gjort att vikten av riskhantering har ökat. Risk har blivit en betydelsefull faktor som varje företag borde ta hänsyn till och hantera utifrån egna behov. Med tillgång av råvaror, erfarenhet och kunskap är svensk möbelindustri en viktig industri för landets ekonomi där den största delen omfattar tillverkning av kontorsmöbler, vilket tillhör branschen “offentlig miljö”. Sveriges satsning på offentlig miljö är viktig för samhället på grund av allt snabbare utveckling och digitalisering där det uppstår ett allt större behov av kreativa och flexibla inredningslösningar på aktivitetsbaserade arbetsplatser. I och med ett allt större krav på kvalitet, design och hållbara produkter, ställs tillverkande möbelföretag inför olika risker som är branschspecifika och som måste behandlas. Det finns i dagsläget tre standarder ramverken som används för riskhantering, nämligen COSO ERM, ISO 31 000 samt FERMA. Ramverken är avsedda att hjälpa till företag att på ett systematiskt sätt hantera sina risker. Det som dock tidigare studier visar på är att dessa ramverken är alltför generella och inte anpassade till ett företags specifika behov. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är:- att identifiera vilka risker och riskområden uppfattas som mest problematiska i dagsläget och i framtiden- att beskriva och analysera hur tillverkande företag inom svensk möbelindustrin hanterar risker i dagsläget samt- att utveckla en riskhanteringsmodell som är anpassad till tillverkande företag inom svensk möbelindustri. Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie som byggs på den teoretiska referensramen utifrån studiens nyckelord. Empirin till studien har inhämtats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer från sex företag av olika storlek som tillverkar kontorsmöbler till det offentliga rummet. Slutsats: Det insamlade empiriska materialet har gett mig en bild över olika risker som bran- schen står inför idag och som måste hanteras. Dessa risker är återförsäljare, beroendet av arki- tekter, ändrade trender inom inredning av offentliga rum samt i viss mån även problem med transport, det vill säga platta paket. Riskområden som branschen står inför i framtiden är, för- utom förändrade kontorstrender och brist på rätt kompetens, även cirkulär ekonomi, arkitek- ternas makt, återförsäljare samt platta paket. På grund av faktum att det inom branschen inte jobbas aktivt med riskhantering samt med nackdelar de befintliga riskhanteringsramverken besitter, har en anpassad riskhanteringsmodell för tillverkande företag inom branschen ut- vecklats. / Background: Globalization and development as well as increasing competition have increased risks for many companies. This, together with the previously emerging financial crises in the world, has led to the increased importance of risk management. Risk has become an important factor that each company should consider and manage based on its own needs. With the availability of raw materials, experience and knowledge, the Swedish furniture in- dustry is an important industry for the country's economy, most of which involves the manufacture of office furniture, which belongs to the industry line "public environment". Sweden's commitment to the public environment is important for society due to faster development and digitization, where there is an increasing need for creative and flexible interior design solutions for activity-based workplaces. With increasing demands on quality, design and sustainable products, manufacturing furniture companies are a subject to various risks that are industry-specific and therefore must be treated. There are currently three standard frameworks used for risk management, namely COSO ERM, ISO 31 000 and FERMA. The frameworks are intended to help companies manage their risks systematically. What previous studies indicate, however, are that these frameworks are too general and not adapted to a company's specific needs. Purpose: The purpose of this study is:-to identify which risks and risk areas are perceived as most problematic at present time and in the future,-to describe and analyze how manufacturing companies in the Swedish furniture industry cur- rently handle risks and-to develop a risk management model that is adapted to manufacturing companies in the Swe- dish furniture industry. Method: A qualitative interview study based on the theoretical reference frame and on a study keywords. Empire for the study has been obtained through semi structured interviews from six companies of various sizes that manufacture office furniture for public spaces. Conclusion: The collected empirical material has given me an insight of various risks that the industry faces today and which should be addressed. These risks are retailers, dependence on architects, changed trends in interior decoration of public spaces and to some extent transport problems, that is flat packages. Risk areas facing the industry in the future, apart from chang- ing office trends and lack of proper skilled staff, include circular economics, architects' power, retailers and flat-rate packages. Since the industry does not work actively with risk man- agement and with the disadvantages existing risk management frameworks possess, a custom- ized risk management model for manufacturing companies in the industry has been developed.

The contemporary economic, social and environmental context is at the edge of change. Governments, individuals and, companies need to take drastic measures to save the planet Earth. It has been globally communicated and understood that our lifestyle is not sustainable. If we do not transform how we produce, consume, travel and live, the future generation’s ability to evolve in the world we know today might be compromised. The study is using the Circular Economy as a way to rethink industries and furniture usage. In this case, the researcher inquired the office furniture industries. The goal at the end of the research process is to find an alternative to the linear business model established in the office furniture industry. The project is providing a holistic vision on the furniture’s journey from production to recycling. The proposal is based on the analysis of the current state of the office furniture industry to transform the linear business model to a circular model. The research was mainly lead thanks to three collaborators. The most important collaborator in the study is Steelcase. The company is the leader and expert in the office furniture field. Thanks to one year of experience at Steelcase, the researcher acquired deep knowledge about the office furniture industry in the heart of the industry of interest. It allowed to collect valuable information to understand the challenges office furniture industries are facing. And, finally, analyse the potential and challenges the transition from a linear to a circular business model represents for office furniture companies. The researcher also gained knowledge from dealers working at Blanchet-D’Huismes, who have a lot of expertise about the workplace and the office furniture industry. Finally, the last collaborator involved in the study is WeWork, a company renting workplaces, which represent the new business models appearing in the office industry. The research is lead from a designer’s point of view. Thanks to the experience and conversations with professionals from the workplace industry, valuable knowledge was acquired. With a deep understanding of the office furniture industry, the researcher designed a circular model. In order to share the findings of the research, the model was visualised with diagrams which allow anyone from the office furniture industry to understand the project. The goal of the project is to communicate the issues with the current model and propose a new approach to how the workplace could be furnished in the future.

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This paper presents a project done within the field of office interior design, which aims to create an efficient set of services that caters to the needs of the interior designer while procuring and implementing used furniture in their projects. The project was conducted in collaboration with Plym Projekt AB, an interior design company who introduced the thesis topic, and Easy Steps, sustainability-focused consultancy company. The collaboration involved regular sessions throughout the course of the thesis, including feedback, guidance and co-creation. During the past two years, the Plym has seen an increase in the demand for sustainable furniture options in the office interior design field. Since then, the company has been attempting to update its business model to provide its customers with a sustainable alternative, encountering obstacles along the way. In addition to a literature review, primary research was conducted, including stakeholder interviews and an end-user questionnaire. Upon empirical data, the authors identified a gap in the industry that is ideally suited for a new actor. The project results in the development of this new actor and its business activities through service design, proposing a set of services that will not only benefit the interior designer, but also its clients, furniture suppliers, and other stakeholders in the office furniture industry. Finally, the service is partially demonstrated through the prototype of a digital platform.

Two analysis techniques were demonstrated for use in new product development by the wood products industry. A new molded wood structural product developed by the U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory known as FPL Spaceboard II was used to illustrate the techniques. Determinant attribute analysis was first employed to identify the product attributes most important to purchase decisions regarding substrate materials for the office furniture industry - the most likely target for introduction of Spaceboard II. A matrix-type decision model was then developed and illustrated which assists in selecting the most attractive product-market opportunity for a new product still in the development stages based on market attractiveness and relative competitive advantage of the product. Surveys were directed to manufacturers of office furniture and to producers of industrial particleboard and medium-density fiberboard which currently are the most common materials utilized as substrates in the office furniture industry. The furniture survey collected information regarding the perceived importance and variability of an array of physical product characteristics in the selection of a substrate material for office furniture. The survey of industrial particleboard and medium-density fiberboard producers acquired information regarding the importance of factors affecting decisions to enter and compete in a given market and ratings of the office furniture substrate market on those factors. The results of the determinant attribute analysis indicated that fastener withdrawal strength, surface smoothness, flatness, stiffness (MOE), and edgebanding capability were the product attributes which would most affect the decision to purchase substrate material for office furniture, and consequently are the attributes to focus on in developing a new product for that market. Use of the decision model was illustrated with Spaceboard II and resulted in a hypothetical matrix with the product positioned based on the attractiveness of the office furniture substrate market and Spaceboard II’s relative competitive advantage over existing materials in that market versus its competitive position in other market scenarios. / Master of Science

n/a---Introduction--- This thesis deals with an investigation od a Professional Development Scheme which gave three Teaching Service teachers working experience in one of Australia's largest research organisations, a Canberra hotel, and an ACT office furniture business (one of the largest manufacturers of its kind within Australia) during the September school vacation of 1988.-----Aim----The aim of the thesis is to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of the Professional Development Scheme in the context of the relationship between the school and the world of work.

<p>The project consisted of developing an office workstation specially designed to compete at the Spanish market. The assignment was received from the Daifuku Designs, a design company in Barcelona, Spain. Daifuku Designs are well experienced in various kinds of product and interior design, but has not designed office furniture earlier. The project’s purpose was to introduce the company to the branch of office furniture.</p><p>The research phase consisted in three different parts, a survey concerning office work that was handed out to Swedish and Spanish office workers and cleaning staff, studies of the world leading companies in the branch of office furniture and educational visits at different showrooms and offices.</p><p>The project resulted in a desk that is offering a flexible space dividing system and a unique cord solution. The space dividers can be put anywhere along the desktop and are easily moved by hand. All the cords and cables are hidden in the desk and computers, phones, e.g. can be installed anywhere on the desk. The desk can be used both separately and in big office landscape. Flexibility is a common sales argument and the demand of this kind of flexibility is constantly growing. The trends to hire personnel and to work in temporary project groups are two reasons to the growing demand. The office furniture needs to be able to be used in different ways when the constellation of the project group is changing. It is a big advantage if the same desks can be used for different occasions.</p> / <p>Projektet bestod av att utveckla ett kontorsskrivbord, designat för att marknadsföras på den spanska marknaden. Uppdragsgivare var Daifuku Designs, ett designföretag i Barcelona, Spanien. Daifuku Designs har stor erfarenhet i olika sorters produkt- och inredningsdesign men har ej designat kontorsmöbler tidigare. Projektets syfte var att introducera företaget på kontorsmöbelmarknaden.</p><p>Researchfasen bestod av tre olika delar, en enkät om kontorsarbete som gavs ut till svenska och spanska kontorsarbetare samt städpersonal, studier av världsledande företag inom kontorsmöbelindustrin samt studiebesök på olika showrooms och kontor.</p><p>Projektet resulterade i ett skrivbord som erbjuder ett flexibelt avskärmningssystem samt en unik sladdlösning. Avskärmningarna kan sättas vart som helst längs skrivbordet samt kan lätt flyttas för hand. Alla sladdar och kabeldosor är gömda i skrivbordet och datorer, telefoner, etc. kan installeras vartsomhelst på skrivbordet. Skrivbordet kan användas separat så väl som i ett större kontorslandskap. Flexibilitet är ett vanligt säljargument, behovet av denna typ av flexibilitet växer hela tiden. Trenden att hyra in personal samt att jobba i projektgrupper är två anledningar till det växande behovet. Kontorsmöbeln måste kunna användas i många olika grupperingar när konstellationen i projektgruppen förändras. Det är en stor fördel om skrivbordet kan användas för många olika tillfällen.</p>