Week |
Subject |
Related Preparation |
1) |
• Define retailing and explain it through different perspectives
• Explain the concept of strategic planning and its application
• Explain why the retailing concept is the foundation of a successful business, with an emphasis on the total retail experience, customer service, and relationship retailing
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2) |
• Explain what “value” really means and its pivotal role in retailers’ building and sustaining relationships
• Describe how both customer relationships and channel relationships may be nurtured in today’s highly competitive marketplace
• Examine the differences in relationship building between goods and services retailers
• Explain the impact of technology on relationships in retailing
• Explain the interplay between retailers’ ethical performance and relationships in retailing
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Homework: to be posted by email |
3) |
Identify the value of strategic planning for all types of retailers
• Discuss the steps in strategic planning for retailers: situation analysis, objectives, identification of consumers, overall strategy, specific activities, control, and feedback
• Explain the individual elements of a retail strategy (both controllable and uncontrollable), and discuss strategic planning as a series of integrated steps
• Explain how a strategic plan can be prepared |
Homework: to be posted by email |
4) |
• Explain the ways in which retail institutions can be classified
• Identify retailers on the basis of ownership type and discuss the characteristics of each
• Discuss the methods used by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers to exert influence in the distribution channel
• Explain the wheel of retailing and the retail life cycle and discuss how they can help explain the performance of retail strategy mixes
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Homework: to be posted by email |
5) |
• Define single-channel and multi-channel retailing
• Discuss the characteristics of the three major retail institutions involved with nonstore-based strategy mixes: direct marketing, direct selling, and vending machines – with an emphasis on direct marketing
• Explain the emergence of electronic retailing through the World Wide Web
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Homework: to be posted by email |
6) |
midterm exam |
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7) |
Explain the importance of determining customer needs in retailing
• Describe a number of consumer demographics, lifestyle factors, needs and desires and explain how these concepts can be applied to retailing
• Explain consumer attitudes toward shopping and consumer shopping behavior, including the consumer decision process and its stages
• Discuss retailer actions based on target market planning and explain
the environmental factors that affect consumer shopping
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8) |
• Discuss the importance of store location for a retailer and identify the process of choosing a store location
• Discuss the concept of a trading-area and its related components
• Explain how trading-areas may be delineated for existing and new stores
• Describe three major factors: population characteristics, economic base characteristics, and competition/level of saturation
• Explain the types of locations available to a retailer: isolated stores, unplanned business districts, and planned shopping centers
• Discuss the decisions necessary in choosing a general retail location
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Homework: to be posted by email |
9) |
• Explain the steps in establishing a retail business
• Defining the role of human resources management in retailing
• Retail organization and human resources management |
Homework: to be posted by email |
10) |
• Define operations management and discuss profit planning
• Describe asset management, including the strategic profit model, other key business ratios, and financial trends in retailing
• Explain retail budgeting and resource allocation
• Describe the operational scope of operations management
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11) |
• Describe various buying organization formats and the processes they use
• Explain merchandise plans: forecasts, innovativeness, assortment, brands, timing, and allocation
• Discuss category management and merchandising software
• Describe the steps in the implementation of merchandise plans: gathering information, selecting and interacting with merchandise sources, evaluation, negotiation, concluding purchases, receiving and stocking merchandise, reordering, and re-evaluation
• Explain the roles of logistics and inventory management in the implementation of merchandise plans
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Homework: to be posted by email |
12) |
• Explain the major aspects of financial merchandise planning and management
• Identify the cost and retail methods of accounting
• Describe the merchandise forecasting and budgeting process
• Explain the alternative methods of inventory unit control
• Discuss the role of pricing in a retail strategy
• Discuss the impact that consumers, government, manufacturers, wholesalers, current/potential competitors have on pricing decisions
• Identify a framework for developing a retail price strategy: objectives, broad policy, basic strategy, implementation, and adjustments
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Homework: to be posted by email |
13) |
• Explain the importance of communicating with customers and discuss the concept of retail image
• Describe how a retail store image is related to the atmosphere it creates via its exterior, general interior, layout, and displays
• Discuss ways of encouraging customers to spend more time shopping
• Explain the elements of retail promotion: advertising, public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion
• Discuss the strategic aspects of retail promotion: objectives, budgeting, implementing the mix, reviewing and revising the plan
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Homework: to be posted by email |
14) |
• Discuss the importance of integrating a retail strategy
• Explain key factors in the development of an integrated retail strategy: planning procedures and opportunity analysis, defining productivity, performance measures, and scenario analysis
• Discuss how industry and company data can be used in strategy planning and analysis (benchmarking and gap analysis)
• Discuss the value of a retail audit
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Homework: to be posted by email |
15) |
final exam |
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