The Testament of a Furniture Dealer
A Little ΙΚΕΑ®
Dictionary
By Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA founder
PuBlIshED By InTEr IKEA sysTEms B.V.
2007
A Little ΙΚΕΑ®
Dictionary
Words 24humbleness 25Will-power 26simplicity 27The many people 28making do 29Experience
30Doing it a different way 31never say never 32Fear of making mistakes 33status三枝九叶草
< the IKEA Way 35Bureaucracy 36honesty 37Common n 38Cost-consciousness
39Accepting and delegating responsibility 40Facing up to reality
41Togetherness and enthusiasm
42
Contents
The Testament of a Furniture Dealer
To create a better everyday life for the many people 61. The product range – our identity
82. The IKEA spirit – a strong and living reality 103. Profit gives us resources
124. reaching good results with small means 135. simplicity is a virtue 156. Doing it a different way
167. Concentration – important to our success 178. Taking responsibility – a privilege
189. most things still remain to be done. A glorious future!
20
a Furniture Dealer
To create a better everyday life for the many people
by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.
We have decided once and for all to side with the many. What is good for our customers is also, in the long run, good for us. This is an objective that carries obligations.
All nations and societies in both the East and West spend a disproportionate amount of their resources on satisfying a minority of the population. In our line of business, for example, far too many of the fine designs and new ideas are rerved for a small circle of the affluent. That situation has influenced the formulation of our objectives.
After only a couple of decades, we have achieved good results. A well-known Swedish industrialist-politician has said that IKEA has meant more for the process of democratisation than many political measures put together. We believe, too, that our actions have inspired many of our colleagues to work along the same lines.
Sweden, our “domestic market”, has become a world pioneer in that many of the new concepts have been devid right from the outt for the benefit of the many – all tho people with limited resources. We are in the forefront of that development.
But we have great ambitions. We know that we can be a beneficial influence on practically all markets. We know that in the future we will be able to make a valuable contribution to the process of democratisation outside our own homeland too. We know that larger production runs give us new advantages on our home ground, as well as more markets to spread our risks over. That is why it is our duty to expand.咄打一成语
The means we u for achieving our goals are characterid by our unprejudiced approach, by “doing it a different way” if you will, and by our aim to be simple and straightforward in ourlves and in our relations with others.
Lifestyle is a strong word, but I do not hesitate to u it. Part of creating a better everyday life for the many people also consists of breaking free from status and convention – becoming freer as human beings. We aim to make our name synonymous with that concept too – for our own benefit and for the inspiration of others. We must, however, always bear in mind that freedom implies responsibility, meaning that we must demand much of ourlves.
No method is more effective than the good example.
I claimed earlier that we contribute to the process of democratisation. Let me add, to avoid any misunderstanding, that this does not mean that we take a position on questions of equality – such as salary issues. Though you may say that here again, we approach the problems from a different perspective.
Our product range and price philosophy, which are the esnce of our work, are described in the following chapters. They also describe the rules and methods that we have worked out over the years as cornerstones of the framework of ideas that have made and will continue to make IKEA a unique company.
Ingvar Kamprad, 20 December 1976
1家事皂
The product range – our identity
We shall offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.
考研一共多少分
Range
The objective must be to encompass the total home environment, i.e. to offer furnishings and fittings for every part of the home whether indoors or outdoors. The range may also include tools, utensils and ornaments for the home as well as more or less advanced components for do-it-yourlf furnishing and interior decoration. It may also contain a smaller number of articles for public buildings. The range must always be limited to avoid any adver effect on the overall price picture. The main effort must always be concentrated on the esntial products in each product area.
Profile
The main emphasis must always be on our basic range – on the part that is “typically IKEA”. Our basic range must have its own profile. It must reflect our way of thinking by being as simple and straightforward as we are ourlves. It must be hard-wearing and easy to live with. It must reflect an easier, more natural and unconstrained way of life. It must express form, and be colourful and cheerful, with a youthful accent that appeals to the young at heart of all ages.
In Scandinavia, people should perceive our basic range as typically IKEA. Elwhere, they should perceive it as typically Swedish. Alongside the basic product range, we may have a smaller range in a more traditional style which appeals to most people and which may be combined with our basic range. This part of the range must be strictly limited outside Scandinavia.Function and technical quality
“Throw-away” products are not IKEA. Whatever the consumer purchas shall give long-term enjoyment. That is why our products must be functional and well-made. But quality must never be an end in itlf: it must be adjusted to the consumer’s needs. A tabletop, for example, needs a harder-wearing surface than a shelf in a bookca. In the first example,
a more expensive finish offers the consumer long-lasting utility, whereas in the latter it just hurts the
customer by adding to the price. Quality must always be adapted to the consumer’s interests in the long-term. Our benchmarks should be the basic Swedish Möbelfakta requirements or other nsible norms.
万物一马
Low price with a meaning
蝉教案>初吻有七次
The many people usually have limited financial resources. It is the many people whom we aim to rve. The first rule is to maintain an extremely low level of prices. But they must be low prices with a meaning. We must not compromi either functionality or technical quality.
No effort must be spared to ensure our prices are perceived to be low. There shall always be a substantial price difference compared to our competitors, and we shall always have the best value-for-money offers for every function. Every product area must include “breath-taking offers”, and our range must never grow so large as to jeopardi our price picture. The concept of a low price with a meaning makes enormous demands on all our co-workers. That includes product developers, designers, buyers, office and warehou staff, sales people and all other cost bearers who are in a position to influence our purcha prices and all our other costs – in short, every single one of us! Without low costs, we can never accomplish our purpo.
Changes in our range policy幻听怎么办
Our basic policy of rving the many people can never be changed. Changes in the guidelines given here concerning the composition of our product range can be made only by joint decision of the Boards of Ingka Holding B.V. and Inter IKEA Systems B.V.