Ikea Faced While Distributing Their Global Catalogs During...

INTRODUCTION This case study focuses on a controversy Ikea faced while distributing their global catalogs during the Fall of 2012. Every year, the company issues 60 different versions of the catalogs worldwide based on local cultures, tastes, trends, etc of each region. One version of the catalog intended for Saudi Arabia featured many pictures featured in other catalogs, but with the women erased from the photos. In each photo, Ikea either completely removed the woman from the picture, or replaced her with an object. Consequently, the catalog caused much controversy from customers claiming that Ikea was not following their company’s values by not featuring women in the catalog. The key issue that arose from the ordeal was how would they rebuild their reputation with customers, and how could they take steps to prevent a similar situation occurring in the future? In this case study, I will first establish and outline the problem featured, then introduce solutions to the problem and how to implement them, and end with a brief conclusion. PROBLEMS AND GOALS In result to the catalog, Ikea was faced with a major problem. How would they regain the trust of their customers who expect them to uphold their company’s integrity? To address this problem, Ikea should create a set of goals in order to amend their brand image and reputation. There are four main goals I suggest the company focus on to do this. They are: Reassure customers that this was a mistake and does not reflect theShow MoreRelatedExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesteachers. Combined with the illustrations and the short case examples at the end of each chapter (in both versions of the book) this increases the reader’s and tutor’s choice. For example, when deciding on material for Chapter 2, the case example, Global Forces and the European Brewing Industry, tests a reader’s understanding of the main issues inï ¬â€šuencing the competitive position of a number of organisations in the same industry with a relatively short case. For a case that permits a more comprehensive