How do people construct shared views of what the organization is all about in the international, complex; company? Within a cultural perspective, organizational identity can be tmderstood as organizational members' shared views and definitions of the organization. As people make sense of actions, events, decisions, etc., shared meanings develop which provide organizational members with a sense of organization. Through an ethnographic study in the corporate setting of lKEA I have tried to create an understanding of the processes tluough which organizational identities become constructed across borders. In the study it is shown how organizational members through the processes of sense-making construct collective self-views. By drawing borders against the outside world, mirroring themselves and talking to the self, organizational members come to create definitions of what the organization is all about. In the international, complex organization, these processes take place in different national contexts and in various local spheres of meaning. In order to offset divergent views and differentiation of meanings, managers try to create a global supra-identity through the fabrication of culture. At the same time, however, there is a heterogenization of meanings as predefined meanings from the top are constantly interpreted, rejected, recreated or adopted in the local spheres. Thus, in the complex organization, there are many collective selfviews and multiple identities. The organization, then, is to be Wlderstood as an arbitrary boundary around a set of spheres of meaning that overlap and interact.Index

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Det här examensarbetet handlar om olika flätningar av olika naturfibrer, och att komma fram till en bra och hållbar kombination som går att använda till en sittmöbel. Jag har valt att studera vegetabiliska naturfibrer som man tillverkar snöre, rep eller dylikt av, alltså abacka/manila hampa, bambu, bananfiber, hampa, kokosfiber, pappersfiber, rotting, sisal och sjögräs. Till detta har jag valt att jämföra olika typer av glesa flätningar, dels på grund av att många sittmöbler idag är tätt flätade, och att jag vill hitta ett annat uttryck än det. Dels för att glesa flätningar innebär en mindre materialåtgång och ger möbeln en lätt och luftig karaktär. Instuderingsetappen avslutas med en analys som jag sedan tar med mig till ett praktiskt projekt, ett gestaltningsarbete, där jag i samarbete med IKEA tar fram ett förslag till en fåtölj i flätad naturfiber. Till detta projekt har jag valt att gå vidare med hampa, sjögräs och pappersfiber, och tre varianter av glesa flätningar som ger tre olika formuttryck: ett mjukt och böljande, ett modernt och ett traditionellt linjärt. Till sist har jag kommit fram till att många fibrer kan passa för tillverkningen av en sittmöbel, och så även många olika flätningar. Det som är avgörande är mest vilken karaktär/vilket formuttryck som eftersträvas i gestaltningen av möbeln. Olika kombinationer av naturfibrer, flätningar och färger passar olika bra till olika formspråk. / This bachelor’s essay examine various types of weaving and different kinds of natural fibers, to find a combination that is durable and fit for an armchair. I wanted to study vegetable fibers that is made into ropes, strings and twines, and thus I chose abacka/manila hemp, bamboo, banana fiber, hemp, coir, paper fiber, rattan, sisal and sea grass. I have also chosen to compare different kinds of loose weaving, partly because the major part of today’s market for furniture  in weaving materials are compact weaving, and I wanted a different character in the new armchair. And partly because loose weaving means less material and also gives the furniture a light and airy expression. An analysis of the facts completes this first part of the essay. The second part contains a design project in collaboration with IKEA, where I am supposed to design an armchair. The material is a steel construction with a weaving of natural fibers. For this project I decided to use hemp, sea grass and paper cord, and three different types of weaving: one that has an organic character, one that is modern and one with traditionally linear pattern. I have come to the conclusion that several of the natural fibers can fit for an armchair, and so can many of the weavings. The crucial thing is which character or design that is preferred in the furniture. Different combinations of natural fibers, weavings and colors matches different designs in different ways.

This thesis discusses how IKEA perceive and use concept of Sustainable Development and relates it with consumption. For that purpose, an online-survey was undertaken with the aim to see how IKEA´s customers perceive IKEA´s philanthropic activities in developing countries and how these activities influence on their consumption patterns and ideas of inter-generational justice. Besides that, a critical discourse analysis is performed with the intention to gain insight into IKEA´s communication of sustainable discourse focusing on the text and external communication from IKEA. The results from critical discourse analysis and online-survey showed that IKEA is shifting its position toward sustainability discourse and changing its business model, while at same time IKEA is penetrating into new markets and reaching new consumption under cover of corporate philanthropy. The online survey showed that IKEA´s customers stated a strong expression of necessary presence of inter-generational justice in developing countries. Intergenerational justice represents the moral obligations toward present, but also toward future generations. IKEA´s philanthropic activities in developing countries, on the other hand, were appraised as weak by survey respondents. One of the conclusions this thesis is that IKEA´s incorporation of Sustainable Development is associated with challenges. IKEA´s communication of corporate sustainable development effects on customers’ consumption pattern motivating them to buy and consume more IKEA´s products. IKEA´s philanthropic activities in developing countries are not sufficient enough. Survey respondents evaluated that donation efforts are not sufficient. Ideally, it is assumed that IKEA as a part of corporate sustainable development should promote less consumption and invest more in sustainable use and protection of natural resources with the aim to reach inter-generational justice as well as to incorporate Sustainable Development into its discourse and practice.

På IKEA går produktionsflödet för en produktbild i dagsläget från konstruktionsritning till fotografering via tillverkning och montering. En produkt som är färdig för tillverkning definieras av sin mekaniska konstruktion och sina ytegenskaper. Ledtiden och kostnaden för bildproduktionen skulle kunna minskas betydligt om produkten kunde avbildas redan i detta stadium, utan att finnas tillverkad. För detta ändamål såg IKEA en möjlighet i att introducera ett nytt produktionsflöde där avancerad datorgrafik, grafisk teknik och bildbehandling omvandlar konstruktionsritningen till produktbild. Ambitionen är att från ritningen ta ut en 3D-modell, placera den i en omgivning, ljussätta och belägga den med material och av detta skapa en tryckbar produktbild som uppfyller företagets höga kvalitetskrav. Syftet med examensarbetet var att ta fram förslag på ett konkret sådant flöde genom att undersöka olika programvaror som skulle kunna användas samt att identifiera problemområden och komma med lösningsförslag på dessa. Flödet delades upp i de fem problemområdena konvertering, modellering, ljussättning, material och rendering som bearbetades parallellt. Fokus har under hela projektet legat på färghantering och upplevd bildkvalitet genom att korrekt färg- och detaljåtergivning i bilderna varit pekpinne och ledsagare. Konstruktionsritningarna som görs i SolidWorks har konverterats till 3D-modeller med programvaran PolyTrans. I 3ds max har produktmodellerna satts in i en miljö som liknar den verkliga fotostudion, belysts och belagts med material. Efter en studie av olika programvaror för rendering beslutades det att mental ray skulle användas varpå alla bilder skapats med denna. mental ray är en komplex renderare som beräknar ljussättning fysikaliskt riktigt vilket bidrar till fotorealistiska bilder. Examensarbetet handlade till mångt och mycket om att köra olika produkter genom flödet och testa med olika inställningar i de olika stegen. Flödet utvärderades kontinuerligt genom att bilderna som kom ut bedömdes visuellt. Dessutom genomfördes några tester för att undersöka inblandade programvarors eventuella brister vad gäller färghantering och upplevd bildkvalitet. Det slutliga resultatet av examensarbetet blev ett flöde som i stor utsträckning liknar arbetsflödet vid nuvarande bildproduktion. Med minimal insats från retuschavdelningen uppfyller bilderna de krav som ställs för att de skall kunna tryckas i IKEA katalogen.

In the modern world businesses are seen more often not only as carriers of technological development, innovations, capital investments and profit makers. The present-day situation with growing ecological problems has put a high demand on organizational environmental responsibility of small, medium, large and transnational enterprises all over the world. IKEA is a well known furniture and textile retailer operating worldwide. The company has received a great amount of publicity concerning its leadership in adopting more environmentally friendly measures in manufacturing process and operations. The company issues its global sustainability report yearly and is very popular with the media; however, the actual environmental impact of IKEA’s production and operation may be more damaging than it is usually perceived. The following research work aims to provide the answer whether IKEA is really eco-efficient and looks with more detail to its operation in Russia. A sound theoretical background is provided concerning the definition and means of measuring eco-efficiency, as well as its place in the concept of sustainable development. A great emphasis is placed on comparing IKEA initiatives worldwide and in Russia, as well as discussing their actual environmental impact. Finally, barriers and challenges IKEA faces when implementing its environmental policy in Russia are defined and conclusions are drawn.

Thesis:The aim of our study is to identify how IKEA's externalestablishment at Norra Backa can affect Kupolen and the centre. This in order to provide suggestions on how these trade areas can be connected and create a whole to thereby gain the purchasing power.Method:In our study we used triangulation. That means we have used both a quantitative and a qualitative approach. The quantitative method based on a survey with 100 respondents. The qualitative method is based on interviews with the centre conductors of Borlänge, Laila G Prosén and Anna Timander.Theory:The theories we have used is STP, substitution effects and effects of overspill, important factors for an attractive market town, Town Centre Management, Urban Retail Product.Conclusion: We found how IKEA's establishment at Norra Backa may affect Kupolen and the center of Borlänge then we gave suggestions on how these trade areas can be connected.

<p>Denna uppsats grundar sig på vetskapen om att stora internationella företag har uttryckta strategier för att flytta medarbetare internationellt. Uppsatsen grundar sig också på ett uppdrag av IKEA. Syftet är att utveckla en prototyp för ett gemensamt centralt datoriserat informationssystem som kan stödja internationella medarbetarmobilitetsprocesser. Vidare är syftet att hitta förutsättningar för god praxis kring internationell medarbetarmobilitet.</p><p>Uppsatsen innehåller empiriska studier vid IKEA, Ericsson och Alteams Group. Tillsammans med våra teoristudier använder vi de empiriska resultaten för att diskutera kring hur företag kan använda gemensamma informationssystem för att stödja medarbetarmobilitetsprocesser. En prototyp för lagrings- och presentationsskikt av ett gemensamt informationssystem</p><p>utvecklas åt IKEA.</p> / <p>This paper based on the knowledge of that big international companies have strategies for mobilizing co-workers, crossing nation borders. It is also based on an assignment from IKEA. The purpose is to develop a prototype for a central computerized information system, which can support the process of mobilizing co-workers internationally. Furthermore the purpose is to find ways to create conditions for good praxis in international mobility of co-workers.</p><p>Our empirical work includes studies at IKEA, Ericsson and Alteams Group. We use the results from the empirical study together with our theoretical studies to discuss how companies</p><p>can use central computerized information systems to support the process of mobilizing co-workers. We also develop a prototype of a central computerized information system for</p><p>IKEA.</p>

Today’s market environment is increasingly growing due to the economical globalization; with international trade, financial transfers and foreign direct investments the economy is becoming highly interconnected. The advances in communication and transportation technology combined with free-market ideology, have given products and services remarkable mobility. Nowadays, international companies are focusing on opening the world markets to their goods especially in emerging markets in order to take advantage of these markets opportunities and be part of its developing and growing infrastructure. In order for international companies to enter foreign markets, there are a variety of factors to consider while planning a strategic approach to reach new customers and differentiate their products and services from national and international competitors within the chosen market. This thesis will focus on featuring the significant factors that could affect companies entering new markets; the study is a qualitative single case study of IKEA, it will specifically investigate IKEA’s franchising in the Moroccan market and forms of internal and external factors that could affect IKEA’s entry into the market as well as it will highlight the main concepts that managers should consider when planning to enter the Moroccan market. The study was based on theoretical framework combined with empirical findings that were collected from secondary data such as annually reports and trade documents as well as through conducting in-depth interviews with IKEA’s managers to increase the study reliability and validity. According to the study findings and analytical results, the conclusion is that IKEA will not face major internal and external obstacles that would affect their operations significantly. There are few factors that could arise while entering the Moroccan market but from a holistic view this minor interferences can be overcame through IKEA’s full awareness of the market and their application of a vigorous, flexible and convenient strategic approach.

Due to the globalization, companies have to review their strategy permanently. In the same way, they need to choose the right management control system which will be in line with their strategy. Recent research has been made and it was highlighted that new strategies have been created to face up to the globalization and stay competitive. One of the new strategies is called “hybrid strategy”. It consists of combining the low-cost competitive advantage with the differentiation competitive advantage. By doing that, a company differentiates itself from its competitors with a special feature and, by the same time, has the lowest cost in its market. This new strategy came after the three generic strategies from Porter, which explains that a company needs to choose a competitive advantage if it wants to be profitable. The competitive advantages are either low-cost or differentiation. Most of the research made about the hybrid strategy was about the efficiency of this strategy. A very few research was made about the management of companies using the hybrid strategy. This is why in this paper, we would like to understand what kind of management control companies using this strategy have, more particularly do they use more a tight or a loose control. We also are looking at what kind of objectives companies using hybrid strategies have. If it is more a short-term or a long- term perspective and if it is more focused on monetary goals or non-monetary goals. For that, we compared the management control implemented in a hybrid company with the management controlled implemented in a low-cost company in Sweden. Four interviews were made at IKEA and MIO, which are two Swedish furniture companies in Sweden. To be able to draw a conclusion, we choose one hybrid company and one pure company to compare them. IKEA is the company using the hybrid strategy. These interviews gave us a lot of information to better understand the type of management control both companies have implemented. Then, the data were analyzed and discussed in order to highlight a potential conclusion. The gathered data suggest that hybrid companies and companies using a low-cost strategy have approximately the same management control system which is more tight control. About the objectives, both companies have the same. Indeed, IKEA and MIO have monetary goals and are more short-term goals oriented, at least for the lower level management. However, there are some differences that we can noticed. The first thing is that MIO uses more the informal control than IKEA. The second thing is that IKEA is more concerned by its employees. To conclude, even if IKEA and MIO are using two different strategies, they are very similar when looking to their management control.