Retail Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

Approximately 2.5 hours of personal study per hour of class time is required to achieve a satisfactory level of performance

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For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements for this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Retailing is fundamental to the marketing mix. Retail stores are all around us, and provide marketers with a means to attract and retain customers, and build brand value. Retail Management examines the strategic issues relating to retailing management and the frontiers of retail innovation. Subjects covered include developing retail strategy in highly competitive environments, experiential retailing, multi-channel retailing (online and offline), managing customer and supplier relationships, merchandise and range management, retail branding and flagship stores, global retailing strategies, big data in retail, and responsible retailing. Theoretical discussions will be complemented with practical case studies and current examples in the world of retail.

This subject provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts and principles of retail management. For managers, this involves examining both strategic and tactical issues in retailing in order to build supplier and customer relationships and strong retail brands as a means of enhancing competitive advantage.

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Appreciate the importance of retailing and distribution for implementing marketing strategies and building customer based brand equity and shareholder value;
• Understand retail and distribution management principles, theories and models;
• Analyse retail and distribution based problems and be capable of applying relevant models/theories to generate appropriate strategic and tactical solutions;
• Apply concepts and principles of relationship management to enhance relationship effectiveness with retailers and distributors;
• Examine critical issues associated with creating exciting in-store environments that enhance customer experiences and reinforce brand position;
• Understand how retail managers can make informed strategic choices in relation to managing channel partners including channel conflict, retail form (online vs. bricks and mortar), global sourcing, and managing staff and customers across cultures to improve strategic outcomes;
• Manage the retail marketing mix including product and merchandise mix, pricing, location and store-design, and promotions (including sales staff) to improve customer satisfaction and financial growth.

• Class participation, throughout the semester (10%)
• In-class case study work, throughout the semester (10%)
• 5000 word group assignment, due after week 10 (30%)
• 2-hour end-of-semester examination (50%)

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of this subject, students should have improved the following generic skills:

• Interpretative and analytical skills, which will be fostered through the application of retailing and distribution theories/models to case studies and oral/written assignments;
• Oral and written communication skills, which will be improved through weekly class discussions and written assignments;
• Collaborative learning, teamwork and presentation skills, which will be developed through the use of groups in the anaysis of case studies, written assignments and group presentations.