Assessment of cultural gaps in IKEA’s IT operation in Shanghai, China : MBA-thesis in marketing

Sammanfattning: Research related to culture, and analysis of the collected information needs frameworks to understand and solve the complex questions about cross culture behaviour and their integration, particularly when a company with strong native cultural influence starts its operation in another country which has similarly strong local culture. Using Hofstede and Trompenaars, Hampden’s dimensions of cultural understanding, this study aims to understand and assess the challenges related to integration of cultures, when Swedish MNC IKEA started its IT Operation in Shanghai, drawing conclusions about how and if the cultural behaviours did fit the existing frameworks and underlining the cultural gaps still existing in the organisation.