Assignment final

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT
PRESENTATION TITLE: A TALE OF TWO BUSINESSES – A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
2 BUSINESSES OF SIMILAR INDUSTRY
IN DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS
GROUP MEMBERS:
ENGLISH II / ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605 / ENG 0205)
LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA
SUBMISSION & PRESENTATION DATE: 5 JUNE 2015
NAMES STUDENT ID PRESENTATION / RESEARCH REPORT ROLES.
PANG KAI YUN 0319802
-TEAM COORDINATOR
-APPENDICES
-BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCE LISTS
SAM WEI YIN 0320364
-OBSTACLE FACED
-RECOMMENDATIONS
YEO KAI WEN 0319844
-INTERVIEW
-DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESSES
-MINUTES
TRACE GEW YEE 0320269
-INTERVIEW
-DESCRIPTION OF THE HISTORY OF THE TRADE
-INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE
LIEW POH KA 0320424
-COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COMPETITIVE TRAITS
-COMPARATIVE SUMMARY OF TABLE
-CONCLUSION
LEE SHZE HWA 0320053
-VIDEOGRAPHER
-PHOTOGRAPHER
NG HUOY MIIN 0319097
-ARTISTIC COVER
-KEY SUMMARY
-PRESENTATION SLIDES
LEE KAILYN 0320273
-COMPETITORS
-STRATEGY APPLIED
-PHOTOGRAPHER

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FNBE JANUARY 2015 l RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT 2 l TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY
Content
No. Title Page
1. Key summary 2
2. Methodology 3
3. Description of the History of Trade in Malaysia 4
4. Brief Description of Heng Furnishing 6
5. Brief Description of The Curiousity Shop 9
6. Competitors of Heng Furnishing 12
7. Strategy employed by Heng Furnishing 13
8. Competitors of The Curiousity Shop 14
9. Strategy employed by The Curiousity Shop 15
10. Competitive Analysis Summary Table 16
11. Summary Table Of The Differences Between Both Business 17
12. Summary Table Of The Similarities Between Both Business 17
13. Conclusion 18
14. Obstacle Faced by New Business 19
15. Nature of Their Market 19
16. Recommendation 20
17. Bibliography 22
18. Appendices 23
18. Attachment 40
20. Reference 42

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Key summary
In this research assignment, we were required to write a report on a type of trade and
choose two businesses that which had been operating for more than 10 years. We did an
analysis about furniture shops which are in two of Malaysia’s highest population regions,
which are Penang Island and Kuala Lumpur. In a group of eight, we researched and
interviewed two furniture firms of which one of them being a home based business (Heng
Furnishing, Penang Island) and another being a commercial based business (The Curiousity
Shop, Kuala Lumpur). We researched, analysed, compared and contrasted both businesses in
terms of businesses’ descriptions, businesses’ history of the trade, comparative analysis of the
businesses’ competitive traits and recommendations for the businesses.

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Methodology
To start with, we discussed on the type of trade we wanted to research. With having a
trip to Penang Island, we decided to choose furniture shops as our main idea because Penang
and Kuala Lumpur, both of these cities have furniture shops that could be found easily. Later
on, we listed down some possible choices of furniture shops in Penang Island and Kuala
Lumpur which was more convenient for us to go. After that, we have tried to contact with the
owners to make confirmation of the time we plan to leave for the interview.
We had chosen Heng Furnishing in Penang Island and The Curiousity Shop in Kuala
Lumpur as our interviewees. After arriving in the shops, we had introduced ourselves and
started to interview. We had asked our interview questions and took some photo with our
interviewees before we left. At the end, after collecting the information from our interviewees,
we organized and combine it into the report.

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Description of the History of Trade in Malaysia
Furniture design has been a part of the human experience since the beginning of
history. Evidence of furniture survives from as far back as the Neolithic Period. Neolithic
people used stone to build cupboards, dressers, beds, shelves and seats. Ancient furniture
from the 8th-century BC includes tables and serving stands. The furniture of the Middle
Ages was usually heavy, oak, and ornamented. Furniture design expanded during the Italian
Renaissance of the fourteenth and fifteenth century. The seventeenth century, in both
Southern and Northern Europe, was characterized by opulent, often gilded Baroque designs.
The nineteenth century is usually defined by revival styles. The first three-quarters of the
twentieth century are often seen as the march towards Modernism. One unique outgrowth of
post-modern furniture design is a return to natural shapes and textures.
Over the years, the Malaysian Furniture industry has undergone dynamic
transformation from a traditional cottage operation to a technological driven industry. With
more than 2,400 furniture companies, the furniture industry is one of Malaysia’s biggest
revenue earners, exporting over RM 7 billion to more than 160 countries annually. This is
attributed to a strong manufacturing foundation that evolved from being a provider of raw

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materials, an abundance of high quality wood SUPPLIES, skilled workers, excellent design
capabilities and good manufacturing practices.
In addition to local wood furniture, Malaysia offers a rich variety of options,
including furniture from imported woods, plastic, metal, composite and a combination of
materials. To keep abreast with development, Malaysian furniture makers use innovative
mixes of materials such as wood, composite, polyethylene and metal, producing designs that
are both functional and aesthetic.
A common thread that runs through Malaysian furniture are quality designs that suit
the lifestyle and taste of different generations. From regular furniture to designer items, the
variety of creativity in Malaysian design delights even the veteran collector and the
experienced theme decorator. In the effort to go green, Malaysian manufacturers are adopting
green manufacturing methods and incorporate sustainable and chemical free fabrics fibres in
their upholsteries, apart using green wood.
Besides catering for homes, Malaysian furniture is penetrating high end applications
for today’s discerning market. Increasingly, five-star resorts and spas are leveraging on the
evergreen appeal of Malaysian made furniture to imbue their setting with a natural ambiance.
Hence, Malaysia supplier do not only cater for the end user, but also SUPPLY for contracts
and institutional users such as hotels, stadiums, conference centres, schools, hospitals and F1
lounges. Malaysian furniture companies have progressed from original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) to original brand manufacturer (OBM), with some penetrating the
premium original design manufacturer (ODM) segment for all types of furniture applications.
Having enhanced capacity and capabilities in producing furniture of quality,
innovative designs, coupled with aggressive marketing and brand development, Malaysia is
amongst the leading global producer of furniture with a wide variety of offerings for all
industries.

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Brief Description of Heng Furnishing
Heng Furnishing is currently located in 23-E Mk13, Jalan Ayer Itam, 1500, Penang. It
is a family based business. It had opened 42 years since 1973 by Yeoh Hun Beng. The name
of the Heng Furnishing is named after the owner, Yeoh Hun Beng. He started to do this
business because of the demand from the locals. As he grew older, he passed his business to
his son, Yeoh Tze Xiang. Heng Furnishing is a sole trader business which means that this
business have one branch. Previously, they had own another branch not too far away from the
current shop. Unfortunately, the shop closed 4 years ago due to rental issues. There are 4
employees which hired by the owner. All the employees are local and one of them is their
beloved uncle.
Heng Furnishing opens daily from 9am to 9pm. Heng Furnishing sells all kind of
furniture such as dining table, coffee table, bed room set and mattress. They also do interior
decoration and it is taking a new step into furniture buying experience. They are combining
both interior decoration and ready-made furniture under one roof to give you a new shopping
experience. Moreover, they also provide standard services just how normal furniture shops
will do such as delivery service.
This business has an annual revenue figure of roughly RM 800,000.00. Their sales are
depends on festive seasons. The business usually has a cycle in a year. If is in a good season,
they have average 30 customers in 1 day. If is in a bad day, there won’t be any customer
coming in. According to Mr. Yeoh, most of their customers are people who live nearby. They
usually are long-term customers.

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Furthermore, there would be new product release in every month. Mr Yeoh said that
they are searching for new product every day. If they discover some new furniture that is
sellable, they will take it and sell to the customer. Whenever the product release, he would
suggest to his customers when his customers come in.
Heng furnishing's future plan is to monopolize the mattress because his father is
interested in mattress. He plan to open a purely mattress base store somewhere in Penang in 2
or 3 years.

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Some of the furniture sold in Heng Furnishing.
Sofa Rectangle dining table
Round dining table Bed
Mattress Cupboard

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Brief Description of The Curiosity Shop
The curiosity shop is currently located in No.134, Jalan Sungai Besi, 57100, Kuala
Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur. It is a commercial business and it was founded
in 2005 by Danny Ho and his co-partner. According to Danny Ho, he said that at first they
started this business with their hobby. They name the shop as ''The Curiosity Shop'' because
they want the customer to be surprise when they walk in the shop. When there is a “surprise”,
they will be “curios”. Therefore, they decided to name ''The Curiosity Shop''. They have two
employees in the shop assisting them. They have a warehouse which is located at Sungai Besi
nearby HELP University.
The Curiosity Shop opens daily from 10am to 10pm. The furniture sell in the
Curiosity Shop is very rare and unique because they sell vintage furniture. Besides furniture,
they also sell decorative objects, lighting, collectable item, painting and fabric. Although it is
just a small shop, but they provide different services to their customer such as restoration,
recreate, redesign, interior design, mass production, rental and consignment.
The customers of the Curiosity Shop are in different types. First are the regular
customers that directly deal with them. Second are the designer, developers and restaurants
owner. These are the main customers of the shop. They need to pay visit to the café and
restaurant to deal with them.

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Actually, the Curiosity Shop is in break-even condition. Mr Danny told us that they
had face obstacles when they first started their business. They started their business in an old
house located in Changkat, Bukit Bintang. They do not have exposure to the customer
because the building is not visible. They had no sales in a month so their business is losing
money for 6 years. They decide to continue to run their business because they have project on
going. They do not want to disappoint their customer.
The Curiosity Shop's future plan is they hope to build a better and strong team.
Moreover, they want their business focus on the quality of their product such as supply.

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Some of the furniture sells in The Curiosity Shop:
Lighting Collectable item
Decorative objects Painting
Wooden rocker Sofa

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Competitors of Heng Furnishing
Kingkoil CorporationSdn Bhd
King Koil Malaysia was incorporated in 1983
and since its inception has been the
leading manufacturer and supplier of
high quality sleep related products in
Malaysia. King Koil's goal is to offer only
the highest quality, selection and service to
meet the demands of today's changing
markets. Today, King Koil Malaysia services
a network of over 2,000 furniture dealers,
interior decorators, hospitals, hostels and
hotel chains in addition to the export market.
NewtonFurnishing & Interior
Newton Furnishing & Interior located in
Jalan Air Itam, which is the same road as
Heng Furnishing. Newton & Furnishing
Interior produced office furniture. Business
services include furniture dealers and retail.
Dekea Furniture DesignCentre
Dekea Furniture Design Centre located in
Jalan Air Itam, which is also the same road
where Heng Furnishing is located. Dekea
Furniture Design Centre sell modern
furniture and provide interior design.

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Strategy employed by Heng Furnishing
Strategy Description
Pricing The prices are reasonable and affordable.
Service and product
different
Heng Furnishing provides standard service that every
furniture shop has such as delivery service. They also
provide interior design for customers.
Quality of Service Heng Furnishing provides very good quality service. The
owner of Heng Furnishing is very friendly. The worker at
there will communicate with customers and understand
their needs and provide advices for customer. They also
provide delivery and help customer to set up their furniture.
Advertising Heng furnishing promotes their business through facebook
page and their official website. They will put an overview
of the company and a description of their product or service
on their facebook page and their official website to promote
their business.

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Competitors of The Curiousity Shop
Stanzo Collection
Stanzo Collection is a retailer which offers
the variety of Scandinavian design and Zen
style furniture. They also sell contemporary
lighting. “Stanzo” is an Italian term, which
literally means “rooms”.
Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman, from Australia, provides a
wide range of Electrical, Computers,
Furniture and Bedding products. Harvey
Norman has a prominent international
presence with over 260 stores in Australia,
New Zealand, Ireland, Slovenia, Singapore
and Malaysia. Harvey Norman stresses on 4-
in-1 concept and carries a huge range of
products ranging from the latest home
entertainment systems to the most innovative
home appliances.
Stoolicious
Stoolocious is located at the lower ground
floor of 1 Mont Kiara. The shop sells all sort
of colourful stool, from adult stools to baby
stools. It also sells baby chair, coffee table,
trolley and corner rack.

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Strategy employed by The Curiousity Shop
Strategy Description
Pricing The prices are reasonable comparing to others furniture
shop that sell vintage furniture.
Service and product
different
The Curiousity Shop also provides a lot of service such as
as restoration recreate, redesign, interior design, mass
production, rental and consignment to customers. Besides
furniture, they also sell decorative objects, lighting,
collectable item, painting and fabric
Quality of Service The Curiousity Shop also provides excellent quality service.
The owner and his partner treat their customers with respect
while interacting with them in a friendly way. They will
listen and understand what their customers want and need.
Advertising The Curiousity Shop also promotes their business through
facebook page and their official website. Besides updating
their lastest product on facebook , The Curiousity Shop also
uses facebook to interact with their followers. They will
create special events and limited-time promotions and invite
their followers, and it helps them to grow their fan base.

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Competitive Analysis Summary Table
Competitive Traits Heng Furnishing The Curiosity Shop
1. Number of
Competitors
6 to 7 3 to 5
2. Barrier to Entry No barriers to entry. This is
because new firms can enter
and exit the market freely.
No barriers to entry. This is
because new firms can enter
and exit the market freely.
3. Differentiated or
Standardized Products
Standardized Products Standardized Products
4. Pricing Power Price taker. They have no
pricing power because the
products sold in the market
are standardized products,
they are all the same.
Therefore, the customers
treat all products as the
same and will buy only at
the lowest price.
Price taker. They have no
pricing power because the
products sold in the market
are standardized products,
they are all the same.
Therefore, the customers
treat all products as the same
and will buy only at the
lowest price.
5. Other Characteristics -Release new product within
1 month
-Provide interior decoration
-Update their website
frequently
-Provide a lot of service such
as restoration, recreate,
redesign, interior design,
mass production, rental and
consignment
6. Verdict Perfect competitive Perfect competitive

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Summary Table Of The Differences Between Both Businesses
Heng Furnishing Differences The Curiosity Shop
1973 When it was founded 2005
Yeoh Hun Beng Founder Danny Ho
1 Number of Founder 2
Demand of local What prompted to start
this business
Hobby
Heng Furnishing is located in
a double storey building at
Jalan Ayer Itam, Penang
Location The Curiousity Shop is
located in a commercial
building at Mont Kiara,
Kuala Lumpur
Eight hundred thousand
RM 800 000
Annual Revenue Figure Break even
0 Number of
warehouse
1, at Sungai Besi near HELP
University
4 Number of employees 2
Around 30 Number of customer -
People live nearby Who are the customers Designer, developers and
restaurants owner
6 Number of competitor 3
9am-9pm Business Hour 9am-7pm
Mattress Future Plan Build a strong team
Modern furniture Type of Product Vintage furniture, decorative
objects, lighting, collectable
item, painting and fabric
Services and quality Strategy Different product and
services
Home base Business Operation Commercial
Summary Table Of The Similarities Between Both Businesses
Heng Furnishing Similarities The Curiosity Shop
0 Number of branches 0
Furniture Main Product Sold Furniture
Lead by the owner Leader Lead by the owner
Depends on season Best Seller Depends on season

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Conclusion
Based on our analysis of both businesses, the business that is more commercially
successful is Heng Furnishing. This is because Heng Furnishing has been established earlier
than The Curiousity Shop. Even though Heng Furnishing does not have any branches, it has
many long-term customers who live nearby. There are not many people will choose modern
furniture to decorate their house instead of traditional furniture. Heng furnishing’s business
hour is longer compared to The Curiousity Shop and this shows a strong advantage in order
to attract more customers. The pricing of furniture for Heng Furnishing is not too costly
compare to The Curiousity Shop because The Curiousity Shop is selling those rare furniture
and decoration which are more expensive than Heng Furnishing that sell normal furniture
such as mattress, dining table, sofas and etc. Therefore, Heng Furnishing is more
commercially successful than The Curiosity Shop.

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Obstacle Faced by New Business
The obstacle faced by new business who wishes to enter the furniture market is lack
of publicity. They are not well-known from the start since it is a perfect competitive market.
They need to put a lot of effort in promoting their shop through social media. Besides, they
will not have many customers or even no customers visiting their shop in a day. Customers
always prefer to visit existing business rather than a newly formed business because the
customers are more confident with what they are familiar with. So they can’t make money in
the first few years they started their business. Moreover, the location of the shop also affects
the number of customer visiting the shop. They need to choose a location that is easy visible.
Nature of Their Markets
Both furniture shops are in a perfectly competitive market. There are a lot of furniture
shops at the same area selling the same product. The furniture shops have no barriers to entry.
This means that new firms can enter and exit the market freely. Besides, the furniture shops
have no pricing power. They have no pricing power because the products sold in the market
are standardized products, they are all the same. Therefore, the customers treat all products as
the same and will buy only at the lowest price.

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Recommendation
Heng Furnishing
1. Provide private parking for the customers
Heng Furnishing is located at the roadside. There is no parking at the roadside. There
are plenty of places to park in front of the shop but it is always full. When there is no parking,
people will just pass by. Although they noticed the shop and they have interest to stop by and
have a look, when there is no parking, they will just give up and walk away. Besides, it is
also very dangerous to stop at the roadside to wait for parking. It will also block the traffic of
the main road.
Heng Furnishing should prepare private parking for the customer in front of their shop.
When they prepare private parking for the customer, they will notice that this shop has good
service so they will have good impression of the shop. When they have good impression, they
tend to buy the furniture from this shop.
2. Expand their shop
When we walk inside Heng furnishing, the walkway is very narrow because the shop
is full of furniture. We need to be very careful when we are observing the shop because we
scare we will break the furniture. Moreover, the shops look very messy because there is too
many furniture inside and it is not organize. You can’t walk near to the furniture to have a
proper look. You can just observe the furniture from a far distant. Furthermore, the signboard
of the shop is quite small and hardly visible.
Heng Furnishing needs to expand their shop so that they can display their furniture
neat and tidy. This makes the customer to have a clearer look of all the furniture of the shop.
They can walk near to the furniture to have a proper look. They need to change to a bigger
and attractive signboard so that people can see their signboard from a far distant.

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The Curiousity shop
1. Do more advertising about the shop.
The Curiosity Shop is located at a corner inside of the highest floor of the shopping mall.
The exposure of the shop is very low because the shop is lack of advertisement and publicity.
We also notice that there are very few people in the shopping mall. Although they have their
official website and Facebook page, but the shop is still unnoticeable. The shop has already
open for 10 years but their business is still break even. Besides, the atmosphere of the shop is
very dark. When we are looking for the shop, we just pass by it.
The Curiosity Shop should put more effort on advertising their shop. Advertising and
publicity can be taken another further step through mass media such as newspaper and
television. This will make more people know about the shop.
2. Rearrange allproduct basedon categories.
The shop does not arrange their furniture properly. They just put their furniture on the
floor. It looks very messy and unorganized. There are a lot of things on the table because they
do not just sell furniture but also decorative objects, lighting, collectable item, painting and
fabric. It is hard for the customers that are searching for the specific category. Moreover, the
cabinet is cover by the decorative objects and collectable item so it is hard to see the cabinet.
The Curiosity Shop should arrange all the products based on categories. This will make
the shop look tidy and neat so that people will be interested to come in your shop.
Furthermore, it is easier for the customer to search the products they are looking for.

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Bibliography
Bony, A. (2004). Furniture & Interiors of the 1960s (English-language ed.). Paris:
Flammarion
Hanks, D. (2010). The century of modern design: Selections from the Liliane and David M.
Stewart Collection. Paris: Flammarion
Heathcote, E. (2002). Furniture architecture. London: Wiley-Academy.
Smith, E. (1979). Furniture: A concise history. London: Thames and Hudson.

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Appendices
Appendix 1 : Interview Question
1. When was the business started? How many years?
2. Why the name of the business is …?
3. Who is the founder of this business?
4. Are you the sole owner of this business or you have other partners working with you?
5. What is the motive of starting this business?
6. Can you tell us briefly about the background and history of your business?
7. What are the number of branches and employees?
8. What are the main products being sold here?
9. Which category is bestselling?
10. Who are your customers?
11. What is the estimation number of customers that visit your business daily/monthly?
12. Will there be more customers during festive seasons?
13. How much is the rough annual revenue figure?
14. Can you please tell us the brief history and recent development of your business? (i.e.
what has the business accomplished or what changes have occurred in the business over
the past 3 - 5 years).
15. Do you have many competitors?
16. Is the business constantly facing strong competition from other competitors? What
strategies have they used to compete with you?
17. How do you compete with your competitors? What strategies were/are employed ?
18. Generally, do you feel it is easy or hard to enter this market? Why?
19. How much capital is required to start this business? What, if any, specialized field of
knowledge do you need to run this business?
20. How often do you release a new product (this assumes the business sells differentiated
products)?
21. Are your pricing decisions strongly affected by your competitors?
22. What are the obstacles faced by new businesses who wish to enter the market today? Are
they hard to overcome?
23. What is your future plan for the business?

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Appendix 2 : Interview question with answer
Heng Furnishing
Date: 2nd May 2015
Time: 1.00p.m. – 1.30p.m.
Location: Jalan Ayer Itam, Georgetown, Penang.
Interviewed Person: Mr. Yeoh Tze Siang
Job position: Owner
Office Phone Number: +604 828 8268
E-mail Address: hengfurnishing@gmail.com
Q: When was the business started? How many years?
A: Heng furnishing is my father business. A family based business. It is been around 1973.
It is about 42 years.
Q: Who is the founder of this business?
A: My father named is Yeoh Hun Beng.
Q: What is the motive of starting this business?
A: Indicated to the local, cater to the local. Local demand furniture, simple as that.
Q: Do you have any branches?
A: I use to have, but I no longer have it anymore because of rental issue. It is not too far
away. It is just further down the road. But now is close for the past 3 or 4 years.
Q: Do you have any employees?
A: Of course, I have about 4 employees. All are locals. I have my uncle helping me out. My
own uncle.
Q: What are the main products being sold here?
A: Anything from your garden up to your bedroom, up to your kitchen, dining tables, dining
area, everything. Except for build in product, build in furniture like for example people
do the nice match kitchen cabinet. I didn’t do that. That is the only things that I didn’t
do. I just sell ready make product.

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Q: Which category is the best seller?
A: Usually 1 year there is a cycle. Like wedding month will be bed room set and mattress.
Before Chinese New Year is dining table, TV cabinet and coffee table. Than at certain
time like now, is very quiet.
Q: Do you have any competitors?
A: There are a lot of competitors in the market, big and small. I cannot give you an amount
because there is a lot. If you just go down here, down this road, there is about 6 furniture
shop. There are Pakistani, Design Crest, Pandamas and Kong Seng.
Q: How do you face your competitors?
A: Different product, services. Anyone can sell anything cheap. If I sell anything cheap
people would buy it definitely. But how long enough to stay in the market there is where
we step up. We go by service.
Q: Who are your customers?
A: People who live nearby here. Long term customer usually.
Q: What is the estimation number of customers that visit your business daily/monthly?
A: Usually about 1 day, average on good month, if you count per customer not per people
coming in, is about 30. If a bad day is zero.
Q: How much is the rough annual revenue figure?
A: Talking about turnover once is about RM 800,000.
Q: Do you feel very easy or hard to enter this market?
A: Enter this market is easy. It is really easy, it is not too hard. As long as you have money,
and your money is not needed to turnover a lot. Than u need at least a little bit of skill,
than you are fine already. It is just that how long u can keep going. Like we have been
going along for 40 years, so we have a service line, we have a portfolio, so pretty relax.

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Q: How much capital is required to start this business?
A: I don’t know that. Depending of what kind of market you want about. In KL, they are
entering a specific market, specifically for mattress, specifically for furniture. So it is
depend on what they are going in. For example, they are talking about mattress, most
probably your start up revenue plus rental, I don’t know the rental like in KL, but in
Penang, probably about RM 100,000 or RM300,000. It wouldn’t be a problem,
depending on how big you want to do. It is very subjective when you ask this question.
Q: How often u release a new product?
A: New product is dependent on whether my supply is as new product so far, but we will
keep searching for new product every single day. If something new and we see there is
sellable, we will take it. If it is not sellable, than we will say like want to give it a goal or
not. So usually within 1 month there is definitely something new.
Q: Are your pricing decisions strongly affected by your competitors?
A: I can say yes. Before that, we don’t really get affected because we are selling service and
product. Some people are just selling product. That’s the different.
Q: What are the obstacles faced by new businesses who wish to enter the market today? Are
they hard to overcome?
A: In my opinion, competitive, pricing and sales person. If I hire a sales person is down to
the sales person ability to sell. A particular that he has a product right, he buy a product
from us, sometimes there is problem, how fast can you solve it. Our solving time usually
is 3 days or 4 days. And there is a problem.
Q: What is your future plan?
A: In future plan this is some plan to monopolize the mattress. My father is interested in
mattress. So in the future, most probably now the market is a bit quite, so probably about
2 years 3 years from now, I was planning to open a purely mattress base store
somewhere in town.

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The Curiousity Shop
Date: 13th May 2015
Time: 1.30p.m. – 2.00p.m.
Location: 1 Mont Kiara, Jalan Kiara 1, Kuala Lumpur.
Interviewed Person: Mr. Danny Ho
Job position: Owner
Office Phone Number: +6017 853 6660
E-mail Address: dannyhce@gmail.com
Q: When was the business started?
A: 10 years ago. 2005.
Q: Why the name of the business is “the curiosity”?
A: Actually when we start, we don’t have a direction because the business of nature is old.
When it is old, we don’t have a guide line. What direction we want to go and the product
what you expect. Although you know what furniture is, but you don’t know what year
what period, what is the thing behind for you to. When you come in, it will surprise you.
A surprise mean a curiosity is the question mark. That’s why we create the name
curiosity.
Q: Who is the founder of the business?
A: Actually me and my co-founder, my co-founder will be my partner. Two of us run the
business.
Q: What is the motive of starting this business?
A: Actually I started up just because of hobby. During the time I have other business, so I
start up this one as a hobby. Then slowly throughout the year it becomes a business.
Now is already my main business.
Q: Do you have any branches?
A: So far we have warehouse around KL. I think near HELP University in Sungai Besi area.

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Q: How many employees you have?
A: For this particular shop I only have 2. Both are local.
Q: What is the main product sold here?
A: Very subjective because we are targeted as furniture, so basically furniture is our main
target. Throughout the year we do make new furniture to compromise to retail
commercial people.
Q: Which category is the best seller?
A: Actually, they all have their own need. If you have a house, you definitely need a dining
and definitely need a sofa. So we don’t have a guide line which one is the best seller.
Q: What is the estimation number of customers that visit your business?
A: For this particular mall, we don’t aspect high traffic. Because it is no matter what it is
still made good more. What we want is quality and quantity. When the customer they
come in, we value them because when they come in, they know what they want, what
they know about our business. For example my business moves to Sunway. Sunway we
have a very rich market there because of they need local and also people they are not
expose to our business. So it is difficult for them to understand our business nature. So
back to dollar we can’t do business.
Q: Do you have any regular customer?
A: Yes, we do. Our customer got a few types, one will be commercial, residential, directly
deal with them. They will come in buy 1 or 2 pieces and sometimes occasionally come
back. They are not heavy buyer because you can’t buy many furniture in your house
also. So our main repeat customer will be the designer, developer and also restaurant
owner. When they open branches, they definitely need us to supply them furniture. So
like today we go to café, restaurant, sometimes you think that why they have so much of
old piece, why they have something that can make the shop look old. So we are the
people that supply them. So that is how our business running to sustain.
Q: Will there be more customers during specific season?
A: Yes and No. During Chines New Year very slow, my Christmas time very good . It is

29
about the season. I can’t say when they have a holiday or festive season, we good sale.
We are very determine on the customer.
Q: Do you have any competitors?
A: Actually not really, for our things very knish and very rare. When we say rare meaning
because is old and you only found that piece that’s all, you can’t find it. Unless I produce
it or is very common old piece that people still can find in their home or hometown.
Q: How do you compete with your competitors?
A: Services, quality and principle.
Q: Do you feel easy or hard to enter this market?
A: Actually, we have been in this market a while already. Consider the old batch of people.
I think the hard part is to keep the business. Actually start is easy, who can also start the
business. To maintain it for 10 years is a task.
Q: Are your pricing decisions strongly affected by your competitors?
A: Not really.
Q: Does your business face any obstacle?
A: Yes. We can maybe 1 month no sales. During the back than when we rented our old
houses back in Changkat, Bukit Bintang. First they are not visibility. We are just in the
own building itself so we don’t have exposure to the customer. Only people that know us
or saw us from the blog, Facebook, they only will come. We have been so called take
care of this business for more than 6 to 7 years. Just to grow it and make it strong. So
technically 6 years is losing money.
Q: What is your future plan?
A: Well of course for everyone the plan is make more money. For us we don’t want to grow
big, we want to grow strong team, we are building team, but we don’t see ourselves open
out a branches or something because this business are quality and also the supply are
very important. When you have more you are out of control. That’s all in quality, no
more.

30
Q: What is the annual revenue figure?
A: I can say base on a year, is actually, based on retail itself not my project. I can say break
even. You might say why are we doing it, we have project. For the shop it just a show
and retail. It is a show room. So shop I can’t make money sometimes I lose money. The
advice is shopping mall you technically can’t make money.

31
Appendix 3 : Website
Heng Furnishing
Official website : http://www.the73.com/content/home/index/site:the73-link:1427
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/The73/timeline

32
The Curiousity Shop
Official website : http://thecuriousitygallery.blogspot.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/thecuriousity/timeline?ref=page_internal

33
Appendix 4 : Business card
Heng Furnishing
Yeoh Tze Siang
Yeoh Hun Beng, founder of Heng Furnishing
The Curiousity Shop
Danny Ho

34
Appendix 5 : Minutes of the meeting
Minutes 1
DATE: 23 April 2015 (Thursday)
TIME: 10AM-11AM
VENUE: E8.02
NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS TUTORIAL GROUP ROLE
Pang Kai Yun Thursday Leader
Yeo Kai Wen Wednesday Secretary
Trace Gew Yee Thursday Member
Liew Poh Ka Thursday Member
Lee Shze Hwa Thursday Member
Ng Huoy Miin Thursday Member
Lee Kailyn Thursday Member
Sam Wei Yin Thursday Member
NO. ACTIVITY ACTION TAKEN BY
1. Introduction
-The main purpose of the meeting is to decide the type of
business to research
Pang Kai Yun
2. Discussion
- Decision of business line for research purposes.
Guesthouse, wedding shop, batik shop, traditional biscuit
shop
All members
- Decision of choices regarding location of businesses. All members
- Listing of interview questions. All members
-Minutes of meeting will be recorded by Yeo Kai Wen All members
-Artistic cover will be designed by Ng Huoy Miin All members
3. Conclusion
-We decided to use guesthouse as our business All members
-The interview question has finalize All members
-Next meeting will be on 27 April 2015 (Monday) All members

35
Minutes 2
DATE: 27 April 2015 (Monday)
TIME: 11AM-12PM
VENUE: Outside Library
1. Introduction
-Role of group member during interview Pang Kai Yun
2. Discussion
-Business has change from guesthouse to furniture shop
because all guest houses are not over 10 years.
All members
-Distribution of roles between group members.
Trace Gew Yee: Interview
Yeo Kai Wen: Interview
Lee Shze Hwa: Videographer
Liew Poh Ka: Videographer
Lee Kailyn: Photograper
Ng Huoy Miin: Photograper
Sam Wei Yin: Record notes of interviewee
Pang Kai Yun: Record notes of interviewee
All members
-Finalization of business line and locations.
Penang: Heng Furnishing
Kuala Lumpur: The Curiousity Shop
All members
-Equipment needed during interview
Camera
All members
3. Conclusion
-Next meeting will to be confirmed All members

36
Minutes 3
DATE: 14 May 2015 (Thursday)
TIME: 10AM-11AM
VENUE: E8.02
1. Introduction
- Role of group member for report assignment Pang Kai Yun
2. Discussion
-Distribution of roles between group members.
Trace Gew Yee: History of trade
Yeo Kai Wen: Brief description
Lee Shze Hwa: Video
Liew Poh Ka: Comparative analysis, conclusion
Lee Kailyn: Competitors, strategy
Ng Huoy Miin: Cover page, content, key summary
Sam Wei Yin: Obstacle faced, recommendation
Pang Kai Yun: Appendices, bibliography, reference
All members
-Interview question and answer will complete on Friday Sam Wei Yin
3. Conclusion
-All work need to be done on 18 May 2015 All members
-Next meeting will be on 18 May 2015 All members

37
Minutes 4
DATE: 18 May 2015 (Monday)
TIME: 11AM-12PM
VENUE: Outside Library
1. Introduction
-Finalization of the compiled research report. Pang Kai Yun
2. Discussion
-History of trade
Done
Trace Gew Yee
-Brief description
Not complete, need to edit again
Yeo Kai Wen
-Video
Video is too long, need to edit again
Lee Shze Hwa
-Comparative analysis, conclusion
Done
Liew Poh Ka
-Competitors, strategy
Done
Lee Kailyn
-Artistic cover
Done, but the size is not in A4 size
Ng Huoy Miin
-Obstacle faced, recommendation
Done
Sam Wei Yin
-Appendices, bibliography, reference
Minutes of meeting haven done
Pang Kai Yun
-Preparation of presentation slides. All members
3. Conclusion
-Complete all the work and send it on 20 May 2015 Pang Kai Yun

38
Appendix 6 : Photos
Heng Furnishing
Sofa Dining table
Interviewing Recording video
Group photo Chatting with the owner’s employee

39
The Curiousity Shop
Decorative objects Wooden chair
Lighting sell in the shop Collectable item
Interviewing Group photo

40
Attachment
Attachment 1 : PresentationSlide

41
Attachment 2 : CD

42
References
1. N.Gregory, M, (2007), 14, In Principle Of Economics (4th ed.,pp. 289-309). Thomson
higher education.
2. Manser, J. (1994). 9. In Economics: A foundation course for the built environment
(pp. 84-86). London: E & FN Spon
3. MARADE. (n.d.). Furniture. Retrieved from http://www.matrade.gov.my/en/foriegn-
buyers-section/69-industry-write-up--products/621-furniture. Accessed on 14 May
2015.
4. Aronson, J. (1965). The encyclopedia of furniture (3rd ed.). New York: Crown.
5. Hiew, J., & Yap, J. (2008). INTERIOR SPACE. MY HOME INTERIOR AND
IDEAS.
6. Tang, T. (2011, May 1). Nature comes home (D. Tan, Ed.). Eco Chic, 58-87.
7. Morley, J. (1999). A history of furniture (1st ed.). Bulfinch Press.
8. The 73 by Heng Furnishing. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.the73.com/content/home/index/site:the73-link:1427. Accessed on 29
April 2015.
9. Furniture Design History. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2015, from
http://www.onlinedesignteacher.com/furniture_design/furniture_design%20history.ht
ml
10. The Curiosity Shop. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://thecuriousitygallery.blogspot.com/.
Accessed on 10 May 2015.
11. D.Ho (Personal communication, May 13, 2015)
12. TX.Yeoh (Personal communication, May 2, 2015)

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