Retailing - (4th Edition)

Author: Patrick M. Dunne, Robert F. Lusch, David A. Griffith
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: This book comprehensively and organically integrates retail strategic planning, retail environment analysis, market selection and location analysis, retail financial management, merchandise procurement, merchandise pricing, advertising and promotion, customer service and incidental sales, store layout and design, as well as retail human resource management. It even includes career guidance, making it a small encyclopedia of retail studies. As an introductory textbook, it provides detailed explanations for key terms rather than listing complex theoretical jargon. It is supplemented with numerous illustrative and inspirational cases, featuring columns such as "Plan Your Own Retail Business," "Retail Projects," and "Management Issues." The cases cover various types of retail businesses, including department stores, specialty stores, direct retail, hardware stores, grocery stores, clothing stores, discount stores, and convenience stores. Through these cases, readers can understand retail from a realistic perspective, helping them quickly align with the practical operations of retail businesses. The primary audience for this book is graduate students in business schools, but it can also be used as a teaching material for undergraduate students in marketing and business management. Additionally, it provides excellent theoretical and practical guidance for professionals working in the retail field. Retailing is a highly engaging textbook. The book is divided into five parts, with a total of 14 chapters, making it suitable for a semester-long course. Part I is an introduction to retailing, reviewing the content involved in retail planning. Part II examines the environmental factors that influence contemporary retailing, including customer behavior, competitors, retail channels, and legal and ethical behavior. Part III analyzes the role of location in the success of retailers. Part IV explores the operations of retail stores. Chapter 8 introduces the financial management of retailers, and the following chapters focus on the following aspects: merchandise procurement and handling, pricing, promotion and advertising, personal selling, store layout and design. Part V covers human resource management. Furthermore, the chapter on "Merchandise Procurement and Handling" includes a contribution by Dr. MaryAnn Eastli of the University of Arizona, discussing the role of fashion in merchandise promotion.