Paul Whysall

Application of the Delphi technique: A reply to Green, Hunter and Moore

Abstract In this rejoinder the authors reply to Green, Hunter and Moores article ‘Assessing the environmental impact of tourism: use of the Delphi technique’. In their opinion criticism of the article is valid at two levels, namely the Delphi technique itself and secondly, the actual implementation of it in this particular study.

Retailing and the Internet: a review of ethical issues

The Internet has important ethical connotations for retailing. This paper briefly provides examples of retailers’ difficulties in this respect, before considering use of the Internet for ethical scrutiny of retailers by a spectrum of activists and agencies. Positive use of the Internet to publicise retailers’ social responsibility contrasts with questionable exploitation of the Web’s anonymity. The Net not only offers freedom of speech, but also widens opportunities for irresponsible activity, with low barriers to entry. Thus tensions exist between rights and freedoms, on the one hand, and abuses of freedoms, provoking calls for regulation, on the other. Ethical issues relating to e‐commerce are identified, and privacy is highlighted both as central to the ethics of e‐retailing and as a critical factor in its development. While retail interest in the Internet thus far has focused around e‐commerce, impacts on retailer image – both positive and negative – should also be recognised.

30 years of retail change:where (and how) do you shop?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent of retail change in the UK grocery sector over the last 30 years. Design/methodology/approach – In 1980, a press article by Richard Milner and Patience Wheatcroft attempted to anticipate retail change by 1984. Taking that as a template, the paper examines how retail did, in fact, change over a much longer timescale: with some unanticipated innovations in place even by 1984. Reference is made to academic research on grocery retailing in progress at the time and which has recently been revisited. Findings – Although Milner and Wheatcroft tackled the modest task of looking ahead just four years, the content of their article is intriguingly reflective of the retail structure and systems of the UK at the time. Whilst some innovations were not anticipated, the broad themes of superstore power and market regulation still command attention 30 years on. Originality/value – Through reconsidering 30 years of retail change, the paper highlights that with time how do you shop has come to pose at least as interesting a question as where do you shop.

Regenerating inner city shopping centres: The British experience

Abstract This article traces approaches adopted in the UK in response to problems of declining retail facilities in inner city areas. Many of the approaches have been applied in relative isolation, and hence tend to address some but not all of the problems of such centres. One such approach has been the ‘regeneration thesis’, whereby a large new store is seen as a catalyst to wider shopping regeneration. A case study of an area of inner Nottingham is developed, where the introduction of a new superstore was portrayed thus, although empirical study suggests that this may not have proved to be so.

Ethical Relationships In Retailing: Some Cautionary Tales

Horror stories attached to some recent retailing events concerning Hoover, Ratners and others raise questions about a company’s ethical concern, whether it be part of its marketing strategy or ‘thrust upon it’. If ethics is to have a place in retail strategy that place is better focused around performance at an operational level rather than at the level of promotion or publicity. The author is Professor of Retailing at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4BU, U.K. e-mail: smm3whysapt@ntu.ac.uk

Employee loyalty: an exploration of staff commitment levels towards retailing, the retailer and the store

Securing the commitment of employees can generate a number of organisational benefits, such as reducing recruitment costs and improving interactions between customers and employees. For retailers, a loyal workforce can therefore represent a source of differentiation and competitive advantage. Despite this, few retail studies have explored employee loyalty and have instead focused upon the loyalty of customers. This quantitative and qualitative exploratory study of store employees in three UK retailers aims to explore how employee loyalty manifests itself in a retail context. It proposes that employee loyalty in this industry is multi-faceted and can be understood in relation to commitment to the retailing industry, the retailer and the store. The findings also suggest that, due to their domestic circumstances, female general assistants are more likely to be loyal to their store than men.

Maximising women's potential in the UK's retail sector

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to show that a defining characteristic of the UK retail sector is the high number of women it employs but there remains an enduring under‐representation of women in its management positions. The majority of women in the industry work part‐time and this paper aims to explore the factors that impact upon the career progression.Design/methodology/approach – In the paper, 1,000 questionnaires were completed by store staff in three leading retailers, supported by interviews with store staff and SME retailers in the UKs East Midlands region.Findings – The paper finds continuing barriers to career progression for women working part‐time in retailing. Despite family friendly employment policies becoming an increasingly important feature of modern work organisations, career progression was informed by a traditional concept of a career based on full‐time working.Research limitations/implications – The paper was limited to one sector. There is a need for further studies into wo...

What Can We Learn From Retailers' News Releases? A ‘Stakeholder Engagement’ Perspective

This paper explores press releases, a neglected area of retail and marketing research, from leading British supermarket retailers over a two-year period to December 2002. Major themes for press releases are found to be products and services, corporate social responsibility, and corporate affairs and performance, although individual retailers show different emphases. A stakeholder engagement approach demonstrates how the releases seek to build networks of common interest, which is particularly demonstrable in relation to support for British farming and charitable activities. However it is noted that both these could be considered “easy targets”, grateful for any support they can obtain.

Performance, reputation, and social responsibility in the UK's financial services: a post-‘credit crunch’ interpretation

This papers origins lie in a perceived paradox whereby companies in Britains financial services sector were externally promoted as ‘world class’ yet on a major peer survey of company reputations performed relatively weakly. The nature of this is explored across several components of reputation and reasons for the gap suggested. Recent events are seen as somewhat resolving the paradox; low reputation has apparently been justified by crises in the sectors; however, if that were the case, it raises questions about how any gap between reputation and reality came about and who was responsible for creating a false impression.

Job dissatisfaction among retail employees: a study of three leading UK retailers

Despite the general awareness that working in retailing is unattractive to many workers, relatively little is known about which aspects of retailing are actually disliked, or how that varies across groups within the workforce, employers, or types of store. Initial analyses from an extensive survey of UK retail employees show that statistically significant variations exist in terms of dislike of retail employment and particular aspects of that employment. Exploratory factor analysis shows that while a general dimension of discontent is identifiable, there are also specific concerns, such as among more senior staff who are particularly concerned about long hours, and younger employees frustrated at a perceived lack of career progression. However, there is also a dimension of relative contentment with work circumstances among large numbers of female part-time workers and older staff.