IKEA in new country; challenges, hopes and current situation
Amman- April 1 , 2015
On 1st April 2015, representatives from IKEA Jordan delivered a lecture with the title: IKEA in a new country; challenges, hopes and current situation at the German Jordanian University (GJU).
The lecture comes as part of the activities of the BSt Club (Business Students Club) at the German Jordanian University, and in coordination with Dr. Aziz Madi – The Marketing Lecturer in the Management Sciences Department and BSt Club Advisor, the lecture took place in the premises of GJU in Madaba.
Mr. Emile Shaar – The Country Manager of IKEA Jordan has delivered the lecture, discussing latest practices of marketing by the company, and elaborating on the importance of branding and brand building strategies. He explained the values of the IKEA brand, showing how a strong brand – such as IKEA – is the main reason for the success of a company. The lecture also explained how IKEA selected the Jordanian market within its expansion strategy, and how they have achieved success in Jordan, as the lecturer mentioned some statistics proving that.
Mr. Emile inspired the students to believe in themselves, he said ”we draw limitations in our minds and we work only within these limitations, we should believe more in ourselves and our abilities, in IKEA Jordan, we only benefit from Jordanian human resources in all levels of management”.
The lecture which was attended by a lot of lecturers and students from GJU was followed by an extended round of questions and discussions, which were answered by Mr. Emile and Mr. Hani Hussain – Showroom Assistant Manager, IKEA Jordan.
GJU is built on a German education model that bridges the gap between theory and practice, on that matter Dr. Aziz Madi, who administered the lecture, stressed the “importance of incorporating practical experience with theoretical one, because it will give the students a more comprehensive picture of the theory, and also show them one or more way to apply it in real life”. Mr. Emile as well welcomed such activities saying that “it bridges the gap between educational institutions and market needs; students can have better understanding of what is waiting them when they graduate, and therefore will have time to build and sharpen the needed skills during their studies”.
Students from the BSt Club who are organizing more activities in the future has expressed their gratitude of the successful lecture, Yasmine Qadery expressed “the need to have more lectures like this in the future”, Zaina Hamed described the lecture as “inspirational and beneficial”, and Jood Jarrar said “I liked how motivational it was (the lecture), and it showed us ways to implement what we study”.
