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THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER, APPAREL, AND RETAIL STUDIES
RCS 584: RETAIL STRATEGY
SPRING 2016 • ONLINE COURSE
______________________________________________________________________________
Faculty:
Dr. T. Kemerly (357 Stone, twkemerl@uncg.edu)
Office Hours: Mondays 9:30-10:30 AM, Tuesdays 11 AM-12:00 PM, or by appointment
Graduate Assistant: Ms. Janelle Brown (361 Stone, j_brown@uncg.edu)
Prerequisites: A grade of C (2.0) or better in RCS 464 or permission of the instructor.
Course Description
Investigation of retailing from a strategic perspective. Concepts are analyzed and integrated into applied
problem-solving scenarios focused on consumer needs.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of the course, both undergraduate and graduate students should be able to:
1. Discuss the significance of retailing and its impact on national and global economy.
2. Examine the major concepts of retail management from the global perspectives.
3. Identify innovative strategies in each of major areas of retail management with success examples.
4. Apply various retail strategies in analyzing successful cases.
5. Identify growth strategies in retail management with leading examples.
In addition to the above, graduate students should be able to:
1. Independently analyze problems in retail management integrating the knowledge learned in the
class.
2. Develop solutions for the identified problems in the industry/brand/company.
Teaching Methods And Assignments For Achieving Learning Outcomes
Reading academic/trade articles/book chapters, discussion and term projects. Each week consists of i)
understanding the major concepts of retail management, ii) discussion of reading articles, and iii)
presentation/discussion of leading retail examples.
Blackboard Collaborate Session
Blackboard Collaborate is a real-time virtual classroom software available through Canvas. Two
synchronous Collaborate sessions will be held: (1) Q & A on course introduction on Jan 17 (Sun) 8:309:30pm (2) presentation of the final project (Retail company analysis/ Problem-solving strategy paper) on
May 1 (Sun) 7-10pm
Please note: A headset is required for each session. A tutorial for Collaborate session will be given in
advance. It is absolutely important for you to understand how to participate in Collaborate sessions.
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ASSIGNMENTS FOR ACHIEVING LEARNING OUTCOMES
This class is designed to be a discussion class; Discussion is an essential part of learning so students are
strongly encouraged to actively participate in the discussion. For this, it is absolutely imperative that you
read the readings prior to online discussion. Each week consists of three discussion forums: two forums for
two reading articles provided by instructor (one forum for each article) + one forum for two leading retail
examples uploaded by student group. Each discussion forum will allow threaded discussions.
Below are components of this class throughout the semester.
1. Article summary and discussion questions (80pts = 40pts/article x 2; group project; 3-4 in a group
for both undergraduates and graduate students): Your group will be randomly assigned to two articles
for which you will be in charge of i) summarizing the major points of the article (no more than 15
slides) (20pts) and ii) developing three thought-provoking and stimulating discussion questions (DQs)
(20pts). These PPT file and three DQs need to be emailed instructor and GA by Mon 9:00am EST.
Please note that failing to email PPT and three DQs to instructor/GA by Monday 9:00am will result in a
5-point deduction.
Also note that the three questions should i) be related to the reading article topic, ii) be based on the
facts in the reading article, and iii) require some thinking. So questions that can be answered without
thorough understanding of a reading article such as sharing experiences or feelings are NOT thoughtprovoking or stimulating questions, which may result in losing points.
2. Leading retail examples (40 points = 20pts for one leading example x 2 examples; group project;
same group as with above discussion leadership): This assignment is to find two leading examples for
the given topic for a week (such as niche positioning, social media, PR, etc.) from trade journals. Trade
journals include Apparel Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, Stores, Chain Store Age,
Business Week, etc. Your group will be randomly assigned to a weekly topic. Your group is expected to
A) choose two trade articles in the apparel and/or retail industry that are very current (i.e., after 2000)
and closely related to a weekly topic (20pts, 10pts each), and B) email the instructor and GA the
articles with a very brief summary and implications for U.S. apparel and/or retail industry (20pts, 10pts
each) by Mon 9:00am for the given week. You can put the brief summary and implications in the email
as text, not a separate file in MS word. The trade article itself should be saved in MS word (not pdf)
without advertisement. This means that you will need to edit the trade article if you download it from a
website. Please be sure to include a web link of the article and the source of the article in APA style
and on top of first page in MS word file.
3. Discussion Participation:
1) Reading article discussion (144 points = 2pts/discussion question x 6 questions/week x 12 weeks
with reading articles): Article discussion for a week consists of six discussion questions (3
discussion questions x 2 reading articles). For each question, you must post one response to each
question (1pt x 6 responses= 6pts) plus one response/question to one posting of your class peers
(1pt x 6 responses/questions = 6pts). So each week, you will receive 12pts (2 postings for each
article x 6 discussion questions = 12pts) for participating in article discussion. Both quantity and
quality of participation will be graded. Just simple reply such as “I agree with you” “I like your idea”
and “Very good point” will not count. Reply should include your thinking paths (i.e., why you
agree/disagree, etc.). The instructor will monitor and interject as needed.
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2) Leading example discussion (48pts = 2pts/leading example x 2 examples/week x 12 weeks with
leading examples): You will have two leading example articles posted each week. You will need to
post one response as to why/how the posted trade article is related to the given topic for the week
and implication for U.S. apparel and/or retail industry (2pts for a posting x 2 trade articles = 4pts for
a week).
Note: Discussion for each week starts Mon 9:00am EST and ends Sun midnight EST (i.e., Sun 11:59pm).
For example, Week 1 starts Jan 11 (Mon) 9:00am and ends Jan 17 (Sun) midnight. Discussion questions
and leading example articles will be posted no later than Mon 12:00pm (noon). This means that you will
need to post questions and responses during this time frame each week.
To facilitate the discussion above, students will be assigned into a group of roughly nine to ten students
and the groups will be shuffled about four times in this semester to allow more interaction.
4. Retail company analysis (120 pts; undergraduate students only; Group project; 3-4 persons in a
group): There are numerous successful/failure cases in retail industry. Choose a company (brand) that
has not been discussed in the class and analyze reasons for the success/failure. There are three
components of the final project with due dates throughout the semester. Detailed instruction and
evaluation rubrics will be provided.
Component 1 (Due Feb 8, 9am): Company (brand) overview
(History, target market, positioning, financial performance, etc.)
Component 2 (Due Mar 14, 9am): Description of success/failure and SWOT analysis
Component 3 (Due Apr 18, 9am): Suggest growth directions.
All Components (final retail company analysis paper): Due May 1. Sun.12:00pm (Noon).
5. Problem-solving strategy paper (120 pts; graduate students only; individual project): This will be the
final product of this class. As such, this assignment will require an integrative analysis. There are three
components of the final project with due dates throughout the semester. Detailed instruction and
evaluation rubrics will be provided.
Component 1 (Due Feb 8, 9am): Identification of problem(s) encountered by the industry/ a
company/ or a brand.
Component 2 (Due Mar 14, 9am): Current approach and problems of current approach.
Component 3 (Due Apr 18, 9am): Potential solutions and plans to achieve the solutions.
All Components (final problem-solving strategy paper): Due May 1. Sun.12:00pm (Noon).
*Report Format (retail company analysis/problem-solving strategy): Your paper should be 15-20 pages
long including everything using 12 Times New Roman font and double spaced with 1 inch margin on all
sides. Your paper should begin with a cover page (title of the project, name) and a table of contents, a list
of tables and figures (each of the former items should have a separate page regardless of its length), and
should end with a reference list (APA style)*. Please carefully review and proofread prior to submission.
Papers will be expected to be error-free (spelling, grammar, punctuation, and content).
* You need to refer at least ten sources for each project and these sources need to be listed in the
reference list. Citing only web links will result in losing points. Please note that plagiarism will be
checked with the function of tunitin.com available on Canvas.
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6. Presentation (18 pts; group project for undergraduates and individual project for graduates): You (or
group) will be required to make a 12min presentation to the class via Collaborate sessions (May 1). The
specifics of the presentation will be discussed as the due date approaches. An oral presentation
evaluation rubric will be given prior to the presentation.
EVALUATION:
For Undergraduate Students
Article summary and discussion questions
Leading retail example
Reading article discussion participation
Leading example article discussion participation
Retail company analysis paper
Presentation
Total
80pts
40pts
144pts
48pts
120pts
18pts
450pts
For Graduate Students
Article summary and discussion questions
Leading retail example
Reading article discussion participation
Leading example article discussion participation
Problem-solving strategy paper
Presentation
Total
80pts
40pts
144pts
48pts
120pts
18pts
450pts
FINAL GRADES
For Graduate Students:
A = 419-450
B+ = 392-404
C+ = 347-359
F = 314 or below
For Undergraduate Students:
A+ = 437-450
B+ = 392-404
C+ = 347-359
D+ = 302-314
F = 269 or below
A- = 405-418
B = 374-391
C = 315- 384
B- = 360-373
A = 419-436
B = 374-391
C = 329-346
D = 284-301
A- = 405-418
B- = 360-373
C- = 315-328
D- = 270-283
SUGGESTED TEXTS/READING
Specific reading assignments for each week will be comprised of book chapters, academic/trade articles,
consulting reports and case studies. Most readings will be posted on the Canvas with the exception of
seven HBR (Harvard Business School) cases with copyright issues. These seven cases (highlighted in
yellow in the reading list) can be purchased at below link at discounted rate ($3.95/case). For the
purchase, you will need to create an account and the cases can be downloaded upon payment
https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/32709256
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ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
Each student is required to sign the Academic Integrity Policy on all major work submitted for the course.
Refer to the following URL: http://sa.uncg.edu/handbook/academic-integrity-policy/
POLICY ON LATE SUBMISSION
If your assignment is submitted late, 10% of the assigned grade for that particular assignment will be
deducted each day after the due date.
TOPICAL OUTLINE/CALENDAR
Week/Dates
Topic
Chapter1
Week 1: Jan 11-17
Class overview, Introduction to the world of retailing
Chap 1, 2, & 3
Week 2: Jan 19-242
Customer buying behavior
Chap 4
Week 3: Jan 25-31
Differentiation & Niche positioning
Week 4: Feb 1-7
Week 5:
Feb 8-14
Week 6:
Feb 15-21
Week 7:
Feb 22-28
Week 8:
Feb 29-Mar 6
Human Resource Management
Chap 9
Information systems and SCM
Problem-solving paper component #1 DUE (graduate)
Retail company analysis component #1 DUE (undergraduate)
Chap10
Merchandise development/ buying & assortment management
Chap13
Cont’d
Chap13
Retail communication & social media
Chap 15
Week 9: Mar 7-13
Week 10:
Mar 14-20
Week 11:
Mar 21-27
Week 12:
Mar 28-Apr 3
Week 13:
Apr 4-10
Week 14:
Apr 11-17
Week 15:
Apr 18-24
Spring Break (No Class)
Managing store, store layout, design and visual merchandising
Problem-solving paper component #2 DUE (graduate)
Retail company analysis component #2 DUE (undergraduate)
Chap 16 & 17
Customer service
Chap 18
Retail strategies: Growth opportunities
Chap 5
Retail strategies: Global opportunities
Chap 5
Success/Failure Cases in Global Markets
Problem-solving paper component #3 DUE (graduate)
Retail company analysis component #3 DUE (undergraduate)
Final problem-solving paper/ retail company analysis DUE
(May 1: Sun 12pm) & Presentation and discussion
Collaborate Session (May 1: Sun 7-10pm)
1 Textbook chapters are required to understand before class discussion. There will be no lecture for each chapter
while a summary of each chapter may be given.
2 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Holiday is observed, so Wk 2 starts Jan 19 (Tues), not Jan 18 (Mon).
Week 16:
Apr 25-May 1
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Tentative Reading List
Week 2 (Jan 19-Jan 24). Customer buying behavior _________________________________________
Dimofte, C. V., Johansson, J. K., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2010). Global brands in the United States:
How consumer ethnicity mediates the global brand effect. Journal of International
Marketing, 18(3), 81-106.
Atsmon, Y., Dixit, V., & Wu, C. (2011). Tapping China’s luxury-goods market. McKinsey
Quarterly.
Further reading
Anderson, T. (2011, October 23). Luxury retailers banking on China. The Wall Street Journal.
Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/wallstreetjournal/docview/900137214/132A3E3C73033800921/1?accou
ntid=14604
Rein, S. (2011, Mar 29).Who Buys Guccis and Omegas in China? Not Just the Billionaires.
Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/id/42315036
Week 3 (Jan 25-31). Differentiation & Niche positioning ______________________________________
Parrish, E. (2010). Retailers' use of niche marketing in product development. Journal of Fashion
Marketing and Management, 14 (4), 546 – 561.
Surchi, M. (2011). The temporary store: A new marketing tool for fashion brands. Journal of
Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(2), 257-270.
Week 4 (Feb 1-7). Human Resource Management____________________________________________
Bendapudi, B., & Bendapudi, V. (2005). Creating the living brand. Harvard Business Review,
83(5), 124-131.
Ton, Z. (2012). Why “good jobs” are good for retailers. Harvard Business Review,
90(1/2), 124-131.
Week 5 (Feb 8-14). Information System & SCM _____________________________________________
Fisher, M.L. (1997). What is the right supply chain for your product? Harvard Business Review,
75(2), 105-116.
Marks, M., Holloway, C., Lee, H., Hoyt, D., & Silverman, A. (2011). Crocs: Revolutionizing an
industry supply chain model for competitive advantage. GSB No. GS-57. Standford, CA: Stanford
Graduate School of Business Publishing (Can be purchased at HBR).
Week 6 (Feb 15-21). Merchandise Development/Buying & Assortment Management ______________
Fisher, M. L., & Vaidyanathan, R. (2012). Which products should you stock? Harvard Business
Review, 90(11), 108-118.
Yen, B., & Farhoomand, A., & Khan, S. (2006). Polo Ralph Lauren & Luen Thai: Using
collaborative supply chain integration in the apparel value chain. Asia Case Research Centre Case
#HKU596. (Can be purchased at HBR).
Week 7 (Feb 22-28). Merchandise Development/Buying & Assortment Management ______________
Abernathy, F. H., Dunlop, J. T., Hammond, J. H., & Weil, D. (2000). Control your inventory in a
world of lean retailing. Harvard Business Review, 78(6), 169-176.
Nunes, P. F., Narendra, M., Giorgio, B., Taggart, M. J., & Cummings, C. S. (2008). Can
knockoffs knock out your business? Harvard Business Review, 86(10), 41-50.
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Week 8 (Feb 29-Mar 6). Retail Communication Mix & Social Media_____________________________
Ofek, E., & Wagonfeld, A. B. (2011). Sephora direct: Investing in social media, video,
and mobile. HBS No. 9-511-137. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. (Can be
purchased at HBR).
Tripp, T. M., & Gregoire, Y. (2011). When unhappy customers strike back on the internet. MIT
Sloan Management Review, 52(3), 37-44.
Week 10 (Mar 14-20). Managing Store, Store Layout, Design and Visual Merchandising____________
Michon, R., Chebat, J-C., & Turley, L. W. (2005). Mall atmospherics: The interaction effects of
the mall environment on shopping behavior. Journal of Business Research, 58, 576-583.
Lohse, G. L. & Spiller, P. (1999). Internet retail store design: how the user interface influences
traffic and sales. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 5(2). Retrieved from
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol5/issue2/lohse.htm
Week 11 (Mar 21-27) Customer Service ____________________________________________________
King, T. (2004). Deshopping: Retail perspective on the mismanagement and prevention of
deshopping. European Retail Digest, 14, 61-64.
Frei, F. X., Ely, R. J., & Winig, L. (2011). Zappos.com 2009: Clothing, customer service,
and company culture. HBS No. 9-610-015. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. (Can
be purchased at HBR).
Week 12 (Mar 28-Apr 3). Retail Growth Opportunities ________________________________________
Fox, E. J., & Sethuraman, R. (2010). Retail competition. In Kraft, M., & Mantrala, M. K.
(Eds.), Retailing in the 21st Century (pp. 239-256), New York, NY: Springer.
Keinan, A., Avery, J., Wilson, F., Norton, M. I. (2012). Eileen Fisher: Repositioning the brand.
HBS No. 9-512-085. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Week 13 (Apr 4-10). Retail Strategies: Global Opportunities ______________________________________
Keller, C., Magnus, K-H., Nava, P. Hedrich, S., & Tochtermann, T. (2014). Succeeding in
tomorrow’s global fashion market. McKinsey & Company.
Gao, G. Y., Lu, J., & Fung, H-G. (2008). Ports: China’s walk on the global luxury fashion
boulevard. Asia Case Research Centre Case #HKU749. (Can be purchased at HBR).
Week 14 (Apr 11-Apr 17). Success/Failure Cases in Global Markets_______________________________
McFarlanm F. W., Chen, M. S-T., & Wong, K. C-H. (2012). Li & Fung 2012. HBS No. 312102PDF-ENG. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. (Can be purchased at HBR).
Burt, S., & Sparks, L. (2006). Wal-Mart’s world. In Brunn, S. D. (eds). Wal-Mart world: The
world’s biggest corporation in the global economy (pp.27-43). New York, NY:
Routledge.