Investigating_Businesses_-_Richards_Paints_and_Ikea

Activity 1 Task 1 – Controlled assignment- Investigating Business Reasons I chose Richards Paints I chose Richards Paints because it is a small, local business that manufactures and sells industrial paint and delivers paint direct to customers. Richards Paints is also a business to business and has a website that you can browse and visit the place and interview people in the organisation. It is also a small independent company operating from purpose built premises close to the Midlands motorway network. Affording excellent access to companies around the world. Another reason why I have chosen to investigate Richards Paints is because I wanted to compare the differences of a small, local business to a large worldwide business which has lots of stores across the world. Research and Planning I planned to carry out my research by having a face to face interview with someone from the business, visiting the place, looking at leaflets and brochures, looking up Richards Paints website to find any information or to see if they had any TV adverts. But at the end I carried out my research by having a face to face interview with Martyn Round who was from Richards Paints as he answered most of my questions, tries finding some leaflets or brochures but could not find any, but I managed to find information about the business on the internet on Richards Paints official website providing information. I chose these methods of research because they are straight forward and easy. |Methods Of Research |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Face to face interview |They can answer any of your questions |They can be biased and not tell the truth| | |that you want to ask, and you can speak |so that there company will look good. | | |to them directly. |They might not answer your questions. | |Visiting the place |More reliable |How to get there | | |Face to face |Time taking | | |Ask any questions | | |Leaflets and Brochures |You don’t just have your opinions you get|Won’t be reliable because it is likely | | |to know other peoples opinions. |for the leaflets or brochures to have | | | |evidence to prove that Ikea do this or | | | |Richards Paints specialise in this. | |TV Adverts |Everyone can see it on the television and|It might be too quick so you might miss | | |it is short and snappy. |it and it might only come on once in a | | | |while. | |Website |It’s good to give background information |It might take too long to load up the web| | | |page. | |Internet |The internet gives more information and |The internet could give you the wrong | | |resources to find out information that |answer and could be opinions rather than | | |you need. |a fact. | | | | | Background/History of Richards Paints Richards Paints have been manufacturing specialist coatings for over 160 years, and specialise in the manufacture of bespoke products tailored to suit their customer’s specific working environment and can produce paints suitable for a full range of spray systems as well as dipping, brushing and roller applications. Their product range covers paint for the protection and decoration of steel objects and fabrics, they manufacture and specialise paints for all aspects of the UK industrial market, and they manufacture high volume batches of standard products of colours, but can easily switch to produce smaller batches of specialized paint. Richards Paints is a small manufacturer of paints and coatings operating from purpose built premises close to Junction 1 of the M5. It was established in 1839, Richards Paints manufactures a broad range of coatings for the general industrial market. Richards Paints is located at H S Richards Ltd, Industrial Estate, Smethwick, West Midlands B66 2JW. Aims and Objectives of Richards Paints Aims are the long term goals the business wants to achieve. And objectives are specific steps taken to achieve these goals. The aims of Richards Paints are to continue to expand the customer base outside the midlands due to spare capacity, survive tough external influences example the price rises of raw materials, make a profit and pay off a loan. The objectives of Richards Paints are to have the equipment to produce a lot more paint and provide employment for local people. (YOU WILL FIND THIS INFORMATION IN MY RICHARDS PAINTS RESEARCH FILE PAGES 1 TO 5) Purpose of Richards Paints The reason that Richards Paints exists is because they sell paint to the customers needs and requirements, they have friendly efficient staff that will do all they can to recommend the best product at the competitive prices, produce a range of finishes varying from matt to full gloss and are available in a whole wide range of colours, they sell to other business to businesses, they are a secondary sector, they also have expanding ranges of paints and environment friendly coating which include low VOC and waterborne paints have greatly assisted many of our customers to reduce their emissions in line with the requirements being imposed by local authorities. (YOU WILL FIND THIS INFORMATION IN MY RICHARDS PAINTS RESEARCH FILE) Activities of Richards Paints The activities of Richards Paints are manufacture and sell industrial paint, sell small amount of paint abroad, sell to other business to businesses, secondary sector, and bespoke paint to the customer’s requirement , can produce a range of finishes varying from matt to full gloss and are available in a multitude of colours, manufacture paints using only top quality pigments and resins but still offer competitive prices for the products, provide discount against the standard price list for bulk deliveries and repetitive work and help the customers to manage and reduce the emissions and provide all the relevant figures for solvent and solids content to assist with the solvent reduction plan. The main activities for Richards Paints are to sell specialised and bespoken paints to the customer’s preferences including: quick drying paint is a paint which can dry within half the time taken for normal paints, primers are a special type of paint used for metals, woods and plastics, stoving enamels is a paint which dries to a hard and glossy finish, air drying is a normal paint which dries normally, water based paints is paints that come in two types of finishes: Matt and silk. Miscellaneous paints can be used on different surfaces wood and metal. Thinners are a pint which is thin based oil based paint; their paints are specially designed for mezzanine floors, stillages, scaffolding products, containers, skips and other steel fabrications. Richards Paints provide their own fleet of delivery vehicles to deliver the products and are supported by fast, reliable national logistics companies, so many of these products can be received across the UK within 24 hours, manufacture their own paints using only top quality pigments and resins but still offer highly competitive prices for the products they sell, but they can also provide discounts against their standard price list for bulk deliveries and repetitive work. Richards Paints pride them selves on service to customers and their friendly efficient staff will do all they can to recommend the best product at the competitive prices. Richards Paints specialise in selling bespoken paint to match the customer’s individual needs and requirements. Manufacture and sell industrial paint and deliver the paint direct to customers, secondary sector; employ 8 employees sell a small amount abroad Pakistan and Estonia and sell to other business to business companies. (YOU WILL FIND THIS INFORMATION IN MY RICHARDS PAINTS RESEARCH FILE) Competitors of Richards Paints The local competitors of Richards Paints are Black Country Paints is in Wolverhampton, Astleys is in Coventry, Thomas Hayes is in Oldbury, and Carr’s product is in West Heath. Richards Paints competes on service availability. The other competitors of Richards Paints are Wickes, B&Q, Homebase, and many more which are bigger businesses and are popular. Richards Paints competes on service of availability, aims to get paint specific to customer requirements out and fast as soon as possible, there is a specific need for industry but on most big projects painting tends to get forgotten as its one of the last things that need to be done, delivery is included, bespoke and speed. Reasons I chose Ikea I have also chosen Ikea because it is a large business and fits into national and international criteria. It is also a retail business and it sells business to business and business to consumer. Ikea produces different products compared to Richards Paints. You can search the website and they can provide you with a lot of information. You can visit and interview the people in the organisation. Sells different kinds of products from wardrobes to kitchen utensils, it is a little bit far away and it is a big company, it is a business to business and business to consumer, it has a website and you can visit and interview people from Ikea. Research and Planning |Methods Of Research |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Face to face interview |They can answer any of your questions |They can be biased and not tell the truth| | |that you want to ask, and you can speak |so that there company will look good. | | |to them directly. |They might not answer your questions. | |Visiting the place | | | |Leaflets and Brochures |You don’t just have your opinions you get|Won’t be reliable because it is likely | | |to know other peoples opinions. |for the leaflets or brouchers to have | | | |evidence to prove that Ikea do this or | | | |Richards Paints specialise in this. | |TV Adverts |Everyone can see it on the television and|It might be too quick so you might miss | | |it is short and snappy. |it and it might only come on once in a | | | |while. | |Website |It’s good to give background information |It might take too long to load up the web| | | |page. | |Internet |The internet gives more information and |The internet could give you the wrong | | |resources to find out information that |answer and could be opinions rather than | | |you need. |a fact. | | | | | I planned to carry out the research for activity 1 by interviewing the owner for the business, get research of the internet, lots of newspaper advertisements, catalogues and magazines have been issued of Ikea and I chose these reasons because it is really easy going on the internet and researching about Ikea and on the Ikea website a lot of information has been put up for people. I actually carried out my research by researching information of the Internet about Ikea, looking for newspaper and TV advertisements, catalogues and magazines of each department of Ikea and look at the Ikea website. Background/History of Ikea About 6 decades ago Ikea went from the woods of Southern Sweden to being a major retail experience in 40 countries/ territories around the world. The Ikea story begins in 1926 when founder Ingvar Kamprad is born in Smaland in Southern Sweden. He is raised on ‘Elmtaryd’, a farm near the small village of Agunnaryd. Even as a young boy Ingvar knows he wants to develop a business. In the 1920’s at the age of 5 he started selling matches to his nearby neighbours and by the time he is 7, he starts selling further a field, using his bicycle. He finds that he can but matches in bulk cheaply in Stockholm and re-sell them individually at a very low price but still make a good profit. From matches he expands to selling flower seeds, greeting cards, Christmas tree decorations and later pencils and ball point pens. In the 1940’s - 1950’s he is entrepreneurial in developing Ikea into a furniture retailer. This period sees the exploration of furniture design, self assembly, advertising, the use of a catalogue and a showroom to reach the many people. In the 1960’s – 1970’s new Ikea stores open and hero products are developed such as Klippan and Billy bookcase. It is a time when a concept takes shape and is documented in Ingvar Kamprad’s The Testament of a Furniture Dealer. In the 1980’s Ikea expand dramatically into new markets such as USA, France and the UK. More Ikea classics arrive, such as Lack and Moment. Ikea begins to take the form of today’s modern Ikea. In the 1990’s Ikea grows even more. Children’s Ikea is introduces and the focus is on home furnishing solutions to meet the needs of families with children. The Ikea group is formed and responsibility for people and the environment is seen as a requirement for doing good business. In the 2000’s Ikea expands into even more markets such as Japan and Russia. Everything for the bedroom and kitchen is explored and presented in co-ordinated furnishing solutions. This period also sees the successes of several partnerships regarding social and environmental projects. The Ikea group opened 21 new stores during the year. In August 2008 there were 253 Ikea stores, which welcomed a total of 565 million visitors during the year, a further 32 stores are owned and are run by franchises outside the Ikea group, Kea compromises 9,500 products that are largely the same in all Ikea stores, the Ikea catalogue was printed in 27 languages and 52 editions, a total of 198 million catalogues were publishes. Ikea food services reported sales if 957 million euros, Ikea website attracted 450 million visits, Ikea group sales totalled 21.2 billion euros, the Ikea group had in August 2008 – 253 stores in 24 countries, 41 trading service offices in 30 countries, and 27 distribution centres in 16 countries, Ikea suppliers numbered 1,380 in 54 countries, Ikea has 21 million members in 18 countries and Ikea group co- workers have been totalled to 127,800 in just 39 countries. Ikea is located Ikea Wednesbury‎- Park Lane, West Midlands WS10 9SF. (YOU WILL FIND THIS INFORMATION ON MY IKEA RESEARCH FILE ON PAGES 27 TO 29) Aims and Objectives of Ikea Aims are a list of things that a business wants to achieve. The aims of Ikea are to keep making profit, maximise the use of raw materials to fulfil people’s needs, by offering a wide range of well designed furniture, to keep low prices in the business idea, to create a better everyday life, to prevent labour and to prevent climate change. Objectives are steps then taken to achieve these goals. The objectives of Ikea are to make low prices, meet customer’s needs, to be cost effective, improve overall energy efficiency, and products must be manufactured under acceptable working conditions by suppliers who take responsibility for the environment. (YOU WILL FIND THIS INFORMATION IN MY IKEA RESEARCH FILE ON PAGES 5 TO 21) Activities of Ikea The activities that Ikea do are that they make and sell home furnishings, they sell to business to business and business to consumer, they sell thousands of different products from kitchens to children’s toys, have a restaurant in store, they operate in secondary and tertiary sectors, sell products flat to decrease the cost, 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, the home furnishings are modern but not trendy, functional yet attractive, human centred and child friendly and represent the fresh, healthy Swedish lifestyle through their carefully chosen colours and materials. Some other activities that Ikea are doing are Taking responsibility for people and the environment, the Ikea group has 127.800 co workers spread across functions such as purchasing, distribution, wholesale, range, retail, support functions and the Swedwood group, Ikeas range consists at home furnishing articles, designed to be functional and good looking but at a low price. Each item is developed by Ikea of Sweden, which is also responsible for giving each product its unique name. Ikea sell items such as Kitchen cabinets, appliances, built in kitchens, Knobs and handles, cabinets and shelves, bedside tables, children’s textiles, children’s decoration, children’s lighting, lighting and many there are many more items that are available in the different departments of Ikea. (YOU WILL FIND THIS INFORMATION IN MY IKEA RESEARCH FILE ON PAGES 5 TO 14 AND PAGES 17 TO 25) The purpose of Ikea The purpose of Ikea is to maximise the raw materials and production, adaptation to meet peoples needs and preferences has meant that their costs are low that’s why Ikea exists and not just for that but all the environment friendly staff that help their customers to get what they need, the amount of use full products that they sell, the cheap products they sell so low prices that nearly everyone could get them self something from the different Ikea stores a round the world. (YOU WILL FIND THIS INFORMATION IN MY IKEA RESEARCH FILE ON PAGES 8, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20 AND 21) Competitors of Ikea The main competitors of Ikea are: Future Village – Gallagher Retail Park, Axletree Way, Wednesbury, WS10 9QY PC World – Axletree Way, Wednesbury, West Midlands Ws10 9QY Maggie’s traditional General Store- 137-139 Franchise St, Wednesbury, WS10 9RH Sienna Rose Leather Goods & Accessories – 5 Brunswick Gardens, Wednesbury, WS10 and Argos. There are huge amounts of competitors due to a large variety of products they sell, Argos is main threat competition in local area has followed due to success of Ikea, Ikea competes on price, quality and availability and they focus on price and out of the three. Price – affordable furniture, negotiate with suppliers to bring down prices which cut costs and pass on savings to customers. Quality – there should be decent quality, durable products, but Ikea furniture is not designed to last a lifetime, affordable and fashionable so people can renew it more often. The availability is not so good but they do have a stock check phone line, therefore you can ring and check before you travel and also same facility is available online, but it is not in real time There is a delay so not as accurate as it could be as Ikea mainly competes on price. (YOU WILL FIND THIS INFORMATION IN MY IKEA RESEARCH FILE ON PAGES 51 TO 53) Comparing the overall aims, objectives, purpose, activity and main competitors | |Richards Paints |Ikea | |Aims |Pay off loan |Improve the life and opportunities of many children | | |Make a profit |Prevent climate change by improving overall energy | | | |efficiency | | | |Looking for smart solutions to meet customers needs | |Objectives |Provide employment for local people |Develop methods that are both cost effective | | |Continue to expand the base outside the midlands |Transporting goods where possible | | |Have equipment to produce more paint |Using fuel saving techniques | | |Price rises for raw material |Working actively to reduce the impact on climate change | |Purpose |Make products to meet customers satisfaction |Maximise the raw materials and produce adaptation to meet| | | |peoples needs and preferences has meant that our costs | | | |are low | |Activities |Manufacture and sell industrial paint |Make and sell home furnishings business to business | | |Sell small amount abroad |Sell 1000s of different products from kitchens to | | |Sell to other business to businesses |children’s toys | | |Secondary sector |There is a restaurant in store | | |Make a paint to meet customer requirements |Operate in secondary and tertiary sectors | | | |Sell items flat to decrease costs | |Competitors |Black county paint – Wolverhampton |Future Village | | |Astleys- Coventry |PC World | | |Thomas Hayes – Oldbury |Argos | | |B&Q | | | |Wickes | | To what extent are the aims and objectives of Ikea being met' Ikea has met its objectives by transporting goods where possible by rail and sea, and utilising fuel saving techniques which allows Ikea to be cost effective and environmentally friendly, and the other objective that Ikea has met is to reduce the impact on climate change by them working actively and making sure Ikea’s products must be produced under acceptable working conditions by suppliers that take responsibility for the environment. Ikea has met its aims by offering a wide range of well designed products at a low price, determined to play a part in preventing the climate change which they have prevented the climate change. Ethical Trading for Ikea Both businesses Richards Paints and Ikea operate in a ethical manner but Ikea is the most ethical because it takes a lot actions to meet its aims and objectives and to keep the customers satisfied, Ikea operates in the ethical matters by meeting the standards and values held by Ikea and by behaving in the right way with customers and other businesses. Ikea is being ethical by putting almost all of their items at a low price so that everyone could at least have an Ikea product in their homes. They are caring about the customer’s health and safety to by making all Ikea products safe, by thinking about the children to that they should have un harmful toys to play with, they are using eco friendly material, using the best type of materials, the company is supporting sustainable cotton production, Ikea is tackling with climate issues with WWF, using renewable resources, coming up with new ways to save energy and money, Ikea is supporting many groups or charities to help the unfortunate by providing school and games for china, stopping children from being abandoned in Romania, make less fortunate people get vaccinations and for the children they could get to go to school instead of working for long hours. Ikea is trying to fight against child labour, first Ikea worked with save the children to help formulate a child labour code of conduct which states that the Ikea way on preventing child labour which clearly states that all actions taken shall be in the best interests of the child. (ALL THESE ETHICAL MANNERS ARE FOUND IN MY IKEA RESEARCH FILE ON PAGES 9, 15 AND 35 TO 50) Evaluation Both businesses Richards Paints and Ikea are in a way little bit similar but mainly different because if you look at Ikea, Ikea does not just care about its products and that how they should do stuff for there company but they are also thinking about the less fortunate that do not have enough money, they make good products at a low price and they also are trying to prevent child labour and other problems which are stated above but Richards Paints does not do any of that, Richards Paints is mainly just concentrating on its business and Richards Paints just sells paints that’s it but Ikea sell different ranges of products from kitchen products to children’s toys and is aimed at the whole family not just at painters or people looking for paint to paint their houses such as Richards Paints. Ikea makes profits nearly every day because of how the company is advertised, it then attracts the customers and they come and purchase something from the store there is not just 1 store but there are lots in the European countries but Richards Paints is only 1 and their biggest aim is to make a huge a profit and pay off all the loans they have borrowed to run the business Richard Paints. The information I found when carrying out my research was every useful as I managed to complete all my work, yes I did mange to find all the information to complete all the activity, I got my information from the website, teacher, catalogues, magazines and newspaper articles. All the information on the Ikea website was valid and up to date from the last time I visited the webpage but when I visited the webpage of Richards Paints it was still the same. I did do group work with my peers as we had the task to find out the aims, objectives, purpose and activities of both businesses, we all worked as a team as everyone contributed in the work. Yes I did manage my time well for example to complete all the activity as I managed to finish my work 1 day before my deadline for the work as I knew it was my responsibility to complete it . Bibliography • Ikea Website - http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/ • Richards Paints website - http://www.richards-paints.co.uk/ • Teacher – providing information • Ikea Brochure – people and the environment brochure - http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/pdf/IKEA_SER_08_GB.pdf • Martyn Round – owner of Richards Paints • Ikea adverts [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] OOOOOfuhgdsgb f[pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]