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The purpose of this paper is to examine whether retailer brand equity levels vary between department store and specialty clothing store categories.

Retailer brand equity is conceptualized in this paper as a four‐dimensional construct comprising retailer awareness, retailer associations, retailer perceived quality and retailer loyalty. Categorization theory is used to explain the differences in retailer equity across the two different store categories. A doubly multivariate design is incorporated in a structured questionnaire used to collect data via mall‐intercepts in an Australian state capital city.

Results suggest that retailer brand equity varies significantly between department store and specialty store categories. Department store brands yielded significantly higher ratings for all the retailer brand equity dimensions than specialty store brands.

Researchers have argued that retailers possess brand equity. However, extant research does not provide any specific guidance in relation to the question of whether retailer brand equity levels vary from one store category to another. The present research fills an important gap by demonstrating that retailer brand equity levels vary significantly between department store and specialty clothing store categories.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges facing the Australian fashion industry (textile, clothing and footwear or TCF sector). Just at the point where Australian fashion has achieved international attention for its distinctive design practice, the industry is on the point of collapse. Since the 1980s, radical re-structuring aimed at reducing industry protection to encourage greater international competitiveness and innovation. Key policies have included tariff reduction, new forms of industry assistance, new manufacturing techniques, changing retail forms, and reform of employment and workplace conditions.

Overview of recent trends in the Australian fashion industry due to industry policies and the effects of globalisation.

Severe decline in industry viability.

Important multifaceted analysis of the state of the industry and tracking of effects of government policies.

The purpose of this chapter is to describe an accounting ethics course whose purpose, in part, is to short circuit the process that leads to foolish ethical decisions by professional accountants. In addressing how to make ethical decisions, the course deliberately includes processes intended to develop wisdom and to impede reflexive decisions that reflect the five fallacies of thinking. The approach described represents an active, engaging approach to increasing dialogical and dialectical reasoning in students’ pursuit of wisdom through individual selection of outside reading, engaging speakers, and the use of ethics accountability groups. The course is adaptable to large and small class settings where the professor desires extensive interaction among students, and it creates an environment designed to help students develop self-chosen principles to guide their professional lives. Students take responsibility for developing self-determined principles to guide their professional lives. Clearly identifying these principles provides students a basis for resisting ethical compromises in their careers. The course focuses students on developing wisdom and recognizing the weaknesses in a purely calculation-based moral reasoning.

All the indications are that the recession, having savaged industry mercilessly over the last couple of years, has turned its baleful attention on the consumer. Since March 1981 real incomes have been falling, and the forecast (by Capel‐Cure Myers) is that this erosion of real incomes will continue this year. Unemployment — the most tragic affliction of society — is, as is well known, around the 3 million mark; the significant point here is that regional variations are not only substantial but that they create a marked discrepancy between employment levels in the north and north‐west as opposed to the south and south‐east. The national unemployment average stands at 11.7% — but it is 14.8% in the north and only 8.7% in the south east. Even an area such as the Midlands, traditionally prosperous, is now having to receive assistance. This gap will continue to widen. The DoE forecasts that only 1% of new jobs will be created in the north‐west to 1986, 2% in the north and 3% in Wales — as against 34% in the south‐east. There is also clear evidence that investment increasingly favours the south and south east at the expense of the north and west; rental growth south of the Humber/Severn line is now several points higher than in the north. How is the retail sector responding to this economic polarisation? At a conference on Merchandising organised by the Retail Management Development Programme in March, it was evident that it is going to be a factor at the forefront of retail management awareness when planning capital investment programmes. As David Malpas of Tesco commented: “it is as interesting to speculate about Asda's enthusiasm for obtaining planning consents in the south, as it is to note that much of Sainsbury's strength has turned on concentrating their business in the south and east.” And the type of premises developed may well begin to show marked differences in line with this economic polarisation. Three years ago Tesco forecast that retailers in the more depressed areas would trade increasingly out of stripped‐down, limited range discount stores. The effects of the polarisation will inevitably spread to the types of merchandise; Tesco have already announced they are extending their test market for generics further south, to Yorkshire and the north‐east following their initial test in Scotland. But while the larger supermarket groups continue to major on fresh foods, there seems — inexplicably — no market yet for downmarket fresh food. Yet, with women being thrown out of work at a faster rate than men, and with real incomes declining, it would seem logical that more time and less money should prompt more careful shopping and cooking. When the question was put to David Malpas at the conference, he confessed himself baffled. “It's a paradox,” he said, “I see women piling up their trolleys with expensive convenience foods when they should buy better ingredients at cheaper cost.” With economic reality becoming harsher, will the price of such capriciousness soon affect spending patterns? Looking at the country as a whole, what will people be spending their money on in the immediate future? John Richards of Capel‐Cure forecast a rosy future for home entertainment, especially video, audio and photography; and for sports equipment and clothing. And DIY still looks good. But he was doubtful about clothing, women's cosmetics and jewellery. And the beer market looks cloudy. In this report on the merchandising conference we concentrate our attention on two papers only — the economic background provided by Tony MacNeary and John Richards of Capel‐Cure Myers, and the implications of this for the retailer by Tesco's David Malpas. These papers, we feel, are deeply significant for everybody in the retail and distribution sector.

Despite some outward signs of strength, all may not be as well with Australian retailing as appears on the surface. Our contributor, Steve Worthington, has just returned from a six month stay in Australia. He suggests that the dominance of the sector by Coles Myer, an over reliance on price as a competitive weapon, and the lack of segmentation of the Australian consumer all mean that Australian retailing has somewhat atrophied.

The Neenan Company is a construction firm based in Fort Collins, Colorado, known for their efforts in pioneering the advancement of the design/build approach to construction. With a history of industry leadership, innovative contracting methods, and ethical business practices, the company now faces management, customer relations, and financial challenges. Serious structural problems were discovered in a number of public schools and other buildings built by the company. Thrown into a whirlwind of shock, Randy Myers, President of the company, must consider how to respond to the crisis, and how to prevent these issues in the future. Written from his perspective, this case provides a platform for considering the challenges that can result from industry innovation, ethical decision-making, and crisis management.

For the development of this case, the authors interviewed the top management at the Neenan Company: Founder David Neenan, President Randy Myers, and Donna Smith, Vice President of Business Development. The authors also interviewed current employees, previous employees of Neenan, representatives of school buildings built by Neenan, stakeholders, other experts in the construction field and existing customers of the company. The company made internal documents available to the authors, including financial statements and quality control and assessment tools, which were provided by Ryan Dellos, Chief Financial Officer. The authors surveyed financial documents and business documents to analyze pertinent information and data relevant to the case. All the interviews were recorded, coded, and analyzed to include multiple perspectives. Extensive online research was conducted on the construction industry and The Neenan Company which included several news articles and interviews on David and Randy. Additionally, the authors carefully studied the news reports by The Denver Post and other related press materials. Experts from the construction field and financial field provided assistance with data analysis and interpretation. The authors used a variety of academic resources to draw connections between the issues faced by Neenan and concepts discussed in business courses.

This case has applications in entrepreneurship, small business management, business ethics, leadership, organizational structure/design, and new venture management courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It also contains critical areas of decision-making relevant to an advanced strategic management course. The case can be introduced at any stage of the term, and is specifically relevant to discussions focussing on innovation and growth, corporate social responsibility, ethical decision-making, stakeholder theory, entrepreneurial crisis management, and long-term venture success.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the historical contributions of complex innovations (both creative and tactical components) in a formative period in a major Australian department store, David Jones Ltd.

The study uses a context-specific lens to examine complex retail innovation. The study adopts a longitudinal design with the focus on a single firm, which met the inclusion criteria. Data collection was predominately from company archival materials and publicly available documents, including newspapers.

An in-depth analysis of two complex innovations demonstrates the retailer’s successful management of both marketing exploration (innovation) and marketing exploitation of that innovation. Effective marketing requires operational, tactical marketing exploitation to dovetail marketing exploration.

The study is limited to one successful department store. Notwithstanding, there are expectations that the lessons extend to many other retailing organizations.

The practical relevance is clear, with the emphasis on retail innovation (and especially complex innovation) as a basis for both surviving and thriving in an ever-changing marketing environment.

The use of a complex innovation approach is a novel way of examining marketing history. The study concludes that both marketing exploration and marketing exploitation are essential for retail longevity.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the Arches heritage inventory and management system for the benefit of practitioners working with heritage inventories. Arches is a modern software platform purpose-built for the creation and management of inventories to support effective heritage place management. The system was developed as open source software jointly by the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and World Monuments Fund (WMF).

The paper discusses the needs and challenges addressed by the GCI and WMF in developing Arches, explains the system’s design and functionality, reports on software releases and ongoing enhancements, describes current software implementations, and concludes by discussing the role and growth of the open source community and the Arches project’s aspirations.

The needs and challenges in the heritage field that the GCI and WMF originally identified have been confirmed through interactions between the Arches project and a range of practitioners. The suitability of Arches to address these needs is demonstrated through steady growth of the open source community and an increasing number of implementations of the Arches platform.

Arches provides a purpose-built system that is freely available and ready for use. It offers a system that requires a marginal investment by organizations compared to building digital inventories from scratch. The Arches project has created an international community of information technology and heritage practitioners to share experience, knowledge, and skills to address their common challenges in dealing with digital inventories.

The paper offers heritage practitioners details on a new tool for overcoming their challenges in building and managing digital heritage inventories.

The purpose of this paper is to identify key elements of what makes an inventory program effective for cultural heritage conservation and management. It is hoped that it will spur discussion among heritage professionals about increasing the effectiveness of inventory programs.

This paper reflects on more than a decade of experience with the establishment of heritage surveys and inventories at national and citywide scales in the Middle East and North America, and through site-based heritage management projects. In addition, it reflects on engagement with international professionals involved with heritage inventories.

Heritage inventories are permanent, ongoing records that require long-term institutional resource commitments. To be effective for heritage management, inventory programs should be established with links to heritage legislation, built upon data standards, and maintain dedicated personnel, programs of activity, and systems on an ongoing basis. Inventories are fundamentally different than heritage surveys, or other data collection activities, which collect information within a specific timeframe.

The findings are based on engagement with real-world, practical applications. It is hoped that the recommendations included will be useful to professionals working in heritage institutions that are establishing inventory programs, or seeking to modernize, invigorate, or increase the effectiveness of their inventory programs.

This paper presents insights gained through engagement with a large number and variety of heritage inventory and survey programs and projects from across the world, reflecting on broad trends and patterns.