Ikea Edmonton Research Project

Research Project

Table of Contents

Abstract        2

Introduction        3

Research Methodology        6

Data Presentation        17

Interpretation and discussion of results        28

Conclusion and Recommendation        30

Bibliography        32

Appendix        33

Abstract

This research project focuses on the study related to identification and determining the importance, from both educational and business perspectives, of requisite competencies and skills required to satisfy the customers. This research project has an objective to find out the problems associated with customer service in Ikea Edmonton which is engaged in business of selling housewares and ready-to-assemble furniture. This is a primary research and the data is collected by the primary method of data collection in through survey method in which questionnaire was filled. Stratified sampling is done and the data collected from the respondent samples was analysed to present the outcome of research.

Introduction

Aim- The major aim of this research is to find out all the important information which is required to solve the current business problem of Ikea Edmonton.

Objectives:

• Finding out the problems associated with customer service?
• Conducting a survey to know the perception of the customers regarding the products and services provided by Ikea Edmonton.
• Finding the appropriate solution to solve the customer related problems and introducing new product, services and policies for the customers.

About the study

The current research proposal focuses on the study related to identification and determining the importance, from both educational and business perspectives, of requisite competencies and skills required to satisfy the customers. The identification of gaps in the customer service provided by the Ikea Edmonton is an important factor to study in the current research. The present research will also explore the need for designing a new refund policy for the unsatisfied customers. This will attract the customers and will also help to satisfy the customers. It is considered that that the answers to the research questions will provide a complete understanding to the learners within business or educational arena with qualitative data regarding the various issues encountered while dealing with the customers (Machado and Diggines, 2012).    

Research Project Logbook

Literature Review

With the aim of attaining objectives and the aim of the research, it is very essential to carry out a comprehensive literature review for the purpose of deriving an idea about the causes of customer dissatisfaction in Ikea stores. It has been hypothesized that dissatisfied customers can create an adverse effect on the business (Sherwyn, Eigen and Klausner, 2000). In Ikea stores, there has been a decrease in satisfaction provided by the customers. For this reason, a wide research will be conducted in this area. The literature review will help to cover the ways for providing better customer services.

The absence of improper customer service is bound to create an impact on the business. If there is a decrease in the demand of the services provided by the customers, then it will harm the profitability of the organization. The business organization will lose their market value and position. They will not be able to able to gain competitive advantages in the market. The problem is required to be solved immediately and increase the level of the customer satisfaction. Training the staffs, offering discounts and introducing refund policy can work as a benefit. All these measures will help the management to solve their problems.

Methodology

The problems of Ikea Edmonton stores are associated with the customers. So, it is important to find out the root cause for this dissatisfaction. This can be done by gathering primary and secondary data. The data which is gathered for the first time is called primary data. In this research project, a survey will be conducted in order to gather the primary data. The survey will be done by preparing a questionnaire and the customers will be face-to-faced interviewed. This will help to the management of Ikea Edmonton stores know about the grievances of the customers. Along with primary data, secondary data will also be gathered which help to make the primary data more precise and accurate (Samuels, Biddle and Emmett, 2009). The secondary data will be gathered from internet, websites and books. However, in this project, primary research is a major way of data collection.

Rationale

Ikea is a quite famous store at Edmonton. A large number of customers visit this store every year. The Ikea store staff caters both families and business people alike. They provide welcoming and comfortable environment for the customers. However, recently the management of the Ikea store has found out that the sales of this stores are decreasing and the customers are becoming unsatisfied. This is creating a negative impact on the profit of the organization. It is essential for the management of Ikea Edmonton to find out the root cause for unsatisfied customers. To understand this problem, it is important to conduct a research and acquire all the data which are essential for reaching an effective conclusion so that the management is able to solve the problems associated with the customer dissatisfaction (Brinkman and Kirschner, 2006).

Critical Review

Dissatisfaction among the customers has turned out be major issues for Ikea Edmonton. Several steps have been undertaken in order to prevent this problems. Increasing number of customer dissatisfaction has created an adverse effect on the business of this organization. There are several ways in which the problems of customer dissatisfaction can be solved. In Ikea stores the incidence of customer dissatisfaction is increasing day by day. As a result, there has been a decline in the demand of the services and products provided by this store. Several customers were also dissatisfied with the lack of transport facilities, as they need transportation facilities for the furniture which they have purchased from the store.