Soft System Case Study Ikea

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Question 1 (582 words)
After reading the Ikea case, and regarding all aspects learned from the course of studying both the hard system method and the soft system method, in my opinion it is best to select the soft systems approach for Ikea. Here I will be explaining my reasoning behind choosing the soft systems method and not the hard systems method, identifying the strengths and drawbacks of my selection.

Definitions
A Soft system method is an approach for undertaking real world problems and situations. Hard systems approaches undertake a scientific method, they accept that problems are connected with systems, and they have one solution.
Features of a hard system
The HSM has a number of strengths (Avison & Taylor, 1997), they are that:
• With …show more content…

(B) refers to being; this regards the awareness and ethics. How a practitioner (analyst) works depends on his background, experience and prejudices within his working context. (E) involves being engaged in the real world, this means defining the situation as being a difficulty or a mess in order to be able to deal with it in the correct manner. (C) stands for contextualizing; this is when the analyst learns through experience, and is able to manage the relationship between the approach followed and the real world, and to be able to adopt the right approach. As for (M), it involves managing the situation in regard to performance. It is the process by which a practitioner engages with the situation in the real world, as one should understand a situation in order to become part of it. There are various methodologies for Systems thinking, two of which are the Hard System Method (HSM), and the Soft System Method (SSM). When considering the soft system approach for Ikea, the process is considered to be longer and more complicated as there is no clear objective to reach for and no one solution, rather just further learning and experiencing in order to eventually come up with the right strategy to follow. There are seven different stages in the soft systems method, they are as …show more content…

Increases in customers’ inquiries, increases in communication between customers and employees, and therefore increases in sales. Sources of information that exist or can be provided to measure the goal. They are in this case ratings for the data and information f customers, number of calls, or number of views of the website. Be more creative and innovative, and continue to bring out new services to attract more customers and make processes easier for them and to be ahead of competition at all times.
Purpose
The immediate effect of the project. In this case it is to maintain old customers, offer new products, and attract new customers through quality products and services Measuring the rate of increase in sales. To find measurement for the new customers. Satisfying customers’ needs and providing them with new products with more functions at low prices, and ensure that they stay loyal to the company.
Outputs
The end results of the project. In this case it is the increase in sales, increase in customer satisfaction and increase in profits. Degree of efficiency in the internal system, and the number of customers gained. Measuring the amount of customers and amount of products sold over time. Offering new innovative services and custom product that suit the exact needs of

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