Abstract
The One Company was started by Thomas Lundgren and advanced through a vision that consists of two mutual concepts that balance each other, which are male and female concepts. The female concept is the main ideology that governs the character of the company and what it aims at achieving. All the core values in the company are defined within the female concept, which is constant and the soul to the organization. The male concept of the vision is the desired future for the organization regarding what should be developed to bring the ultimate achievement. It enables the staff to offer services from the heart and deliver the brand needed, as promised (Wilkins 153-165).
Introduction
Thomas Lundgren founded The One Company through an inspiration when he was instructed to save humankind from IKEA. That marked the start of a long process towards enlightenment. He took the dream seriously, interpreted it as a curse, and had to fulfill the wishes of the angel. Thomas had lived in the Middle East for a long period as an employee before dreaming in 1993 about an angel talking to him to save the world (Keane and McGeehan 81-115). He, therefore, spent the following two years after the dream planning for the business, which later came to be The One Organization. For the business to start, Thomas required $4 million and had to borrow the money from several banks. However, he only got regret letters even after explaining his dream and how big the Idea he had was. By luck, Thomas obtained $2.5 million in 1995 through two men he had not thought would help him in his business plans. With the help of the two men, the three became great partners later in the business (Coulter, DeCenzo, and Robbines 504).
Thomas used part of the money he had to incorporate some relatives and individuals who believed in the business to enable him to start the business. Unfortunately, people only increased expenses without profit while they worked as employees for seven months as they had to be paid salary and given allowances. However, his effort, money, and dedication bore fruits for the first time in the United Arab Emirates when he opened his first theatre. The first store for the company was located at Abdu Dhabi in 1996. For Thomas, opening the first store was a realization of his dream, but it turned out to be a nightmare for him because after spending a lot of capital in furnishing the store, the customers he most expected did not turn up because of poor location of the business.
Fortunately, his ambitions had resulted in overstaffing in the store, and when he relocated the store to Dubai, part of the employees continued with the work, thus helping the store survive. Even after relocation to Dubai, The One continued facing more problems such as floods, accidental fires, financial problems, difficulties in stocking the store as well as social, cultural problems. However, Thomas believed that if a situation lacks the power to kill somebody, then it has power to strengthen the person. By January 2005, The One Company was a testimony that growth occurs even in deserts (Keane and McGeehan 81-115). The Company had established 9 theatres and become a leading store for home fashion in the Middle East.
The Company had opened the tenth theatre in Dubai by the end of the year 2005. This was followed shortly by opening three other theatres in 2007 in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In 2008, the company had launched another outlet under the name Dubai’s outlet Mall. There are currently 15 theatres in 7 states in the Middle East, which employ at least 650 employees. The company has also started three stores, which are the Funkyard, the Junior and the Outdoor as well as the One Fusion. The planning and organizing approach will be mentioned later in this paper (Wilkins 153-165).
The Leading
According to the management at The One, the company is the best retailer in the world and satisfies the needs of the world. The company aims at offering both magical and meaningful services that are different from other services in the market thus inspiring all its customers. It aims at providing affordable services regarding home luxuries and bring difference to most homes in the world (Coulter, DeCenzo and Robbines 504).
The management also aims at determining its success through happiness of its employees, customers and the entire society and not on the profit margin. The management not only considers the company to be selling products alone but also feelings to its customers and the staff. The cultural belief for the company is that the most important sales are the good feelings by the customers after they buy goods and services. The company’s stores are perceived as theatres for the community to shop for seasonal goods and services, which are the latest in the market for their homes. Every store is tailor-made with fresh and creative designs by qualified staff to give it a unique look, emotion and ability to capture customer’s attention. The new designs give the stores magical look that makes customers desire to touch, look and have a taste of the company’s experience (Coulter, DeCenzo, and Robbines 504).
The meaningful services in the company are based on the belief that the best feeling and freedom is being oneself and in a group that has a greater dream than any individual does. The management in the company values meaning because it matters more than anything else does. The managers incorporate its entire people, all the suppliers and customers aiming at achieving higher goals that go beyond selling and buying of goods and services. They have a responsibility to improve the lifestyle of the youth for a better word (Keane and McGeehan 81-115).
The One organization practices ethical sourcing and goes beyond to create a difference by considering challenged people who are qualified for the jobs in organization. The company also encourages local people to volunteer to offer services through community programs such as The Onederworld to improve sustainability. One strategy the company employs is opening several braches in strategic places with optimism, which helps it lead other fashion theatres. The management believes that the world does not require another retailer as The One organization exists and is the best. In addition to selling goods and services, the focus of the organization is to make the world a better place for people to live. For The one organization, happiness is realized through the journey to success but not the destination the company is aiming at reaching (Wilkins 153-165).
Works Cited
Coulter, Mary, DeCenzo, David and Robbines, Stephen. Fundamentals of Management, Essential Concept and Application, 8th Ed, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.
Keane, David and McGeehan, Nicholas. “Enforcing Migrant Workers’ Rights in the United Arab Emirates.” International Journal on Minority and Group Right, 15 (2008): 81-115. Print.
Wilkins, Stephen. “International Briefing 9: Training and Development in the United Arab Emirates.” International Journal of Training and Development, 5.2 (2001): 153-165. Print.