Assembling ideas for Ikeas in China
"There are so many opportunities, and you can see the opportunities out there. The biggest challenge is to prioritize the opportunities. One thing we find is the more we do, the more we see," said Drakeford. "You should not be satisfied with what we have today. You should be always moving and you are on the way if you are."
The dynamic market conditions in China do impose great pressure on her. However, the positive sales growth rate in the country and foreseeable huge market potential make her life not altogether demanding and a little bit exciting.
"I think it is a much more positive environment here than some environments my colleagues are faced with overseas. They are working with negative growth from economic slowdowns or other reasons. I do not have that problem because this market is about growth," said Drakeford.
Drakeford started to work with Ikea, the Sweden-based international home products company, in Hong Kong at the end of 1998. She is living with her family in Shanghai now. Drakeford said she began to understand Chinese culture and Chinese lifestyle after living in Hong Kong for four years. Attracted by the fast-changing economic environment in China, she decided to cross the border to experience it first hand. Her first position at Ikea on the Chinese mainland was as a store manager in Beijing.
You cannot formalize the process of creating strategy – you can only formalize the implementation of strategy through budgets, programs, and so forth. Take the case of IKEA – the enormously successful Swedish furniture company. Their business model
