Week 5 - Angela Nguyen

In reading the article, The Internationalisation of Danish furniture. A Value Chan Perspective by Lars Hedemann and Mogens Rostgaard Nissen, it is interesting to note that the Danish furniture industry has been able to become successful through a process of internationalisation. Two important steps of internationalisation include an increasing amount of sales on the firm’s end and a successive establishment of operations in other new countries. I believe that this point is necessary in making a company successful because you need to maintain revenue while consider expansion to generate more revenue. This tactic helped the Denmark to boost its economy with an international furniture industry and allowed it to attain a nice image/reputation for its country in this regard. Additionally, in focusing on a major component that allowed the furniture industry to be as successful in Denmark as it was was due to the lack of competitive trade restrictions that were in place during the time of the development of the furniture manufacturers. As noted in the article, comparable industries like that of the Danish textile industry faced import restrictions which impeded its ability for utilitarianism. Taking into account conditions set by the government and other institutions is important when thinking about receiving maximum utility in any sort of business (30, Hedemann et. al). From this, we can see that timing matters and plays a key component helping a country to achieve maximum national aesthetics. Upon studying Denmark’s furniture industry, it reminded me of a well known international furniture company called IKEA that is based in Sweden. An interesting point from the article that I found pertaining to IKEA’s popularity amongst people from all over the world is how developed the brand is. When brands are strong internationally, the industry is more likely to be strong as well. This is an important aspect that my group will make a priority because it will help us to best promote our product domestically and internationally. 

One question that I have is if you were to internationalise an industry in a number of countries, do you have to look at each country's interests and develop a brand catering specifically toward those interests individually or it is okay to have one universal branding technique amongst all?

Work Cited:

Lars Hedemann and Mogens Rostgaard Nissen. “The internationalization of Danish furniture: A Value Chain Perspective.”

Picture: https://www.google.com/searchq=ikea&espv=2&biw=1495&bih=648&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3-L7S0vbRAhVE22MKHVuBDwcQ_AUICSgE#imgrc=c_yjqXJPfTneIM