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The first purpose of this study is to explore logistics performance management practices and lessons learned in some supplier/retailer dyads across retail industries. A second purpose is to suggest a continued research agenda for logistics performance management across retail industries.

Case studies are conducted in four supplier/retailer dyads in different retailing industries in Sweden. The analysis is of a cross-case character and uses a pattern matching approach.

Large differences in practices within and between dyads are found. Some problems were indicated: lack of trust; difficulties in developing a collaborative culture; difficulties in relating metrics to customer value and lacking IT support. A previously unknown obstacle, the internal collaboration with category management, was identified. A good example was found in an industry standard. State-of-the-art descriptions, international comparisons, exploring the interface with the stores and combating identified problems were found to be relevant topics for continued research.

The limitations are mainly related to the small number of cases, but since the purpose of this study is exploratory, this should be acceptable. The theoretical contribution is a first step in the expansion of knowledge on logistics performance management from manufacturing to retailing companies.

The practical contribution includes insights in the shape of descriptions and lessons learned in different retail industries.

No identified study has explored logistics performance management as a whole across retail industries with a dyadic approach.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the gender composition of retail management and various issues in the careers of women managers during the last 25 years, a time period that has been transformational in many ways for UK retailing.

The paper is based on empirical research from the last 25 years.

Findings indicate that progress of women in retail management positions has been slow and they are still under‐represented at senior levels of UK companies. Barriers to women's ascension to senior management positions persist, and can be broadly related to the traditional division of labour, and organisational cultural norms and values which uphold deep‐rooted stereotypes and promote intransigent modes of working.

The gendered assumption of the male model and male leader as the ideal retail manager needs to be challenged further, and embedded cultural norms and outdated attitudes towards women in retail organisations require to be further challenged. Informal and implicit organisational practices and patterns of behaviour need to change so as to be inclusive of all workers not just men.

The paper highlights issues that continue to be problematic for women in the retail management hierarchy.

Remarks that, since the late 1980s, the UK government has invested significant levels of funding in the development of national competence‐based qualifications in an attempt to improve skill levels and, therefore, international competitiveness. Provides an overview of the progress which has been made by the UK retailing industry and presents the implementation experiences of five major retail companies. Concludes with an analysis of the strategic implications.

The paper's aim is to assess performance of firms in the UK retail sector.

Economic efficiencies of 41 retail companies working in the UK between 2000 and 2005 are examined in this study using three related methodologies: data envelopment analysis (DEA), Malmquist productivity index (MPI), a bootstrapped Tobit regression model. DEA is used to calculate technical and scale efficiencies of companies. Two outputs (turnover, profit before taxation) and three inputs (total assets, shareholders funds, and number of employees) are employed for the efficiency measurement. MPI is used to analyze the patterns of efficiency change over the six year period 2000‐2005. DEA efficiencies are then used to test important hypotheses on the impact of environmental variables, namely head office location, type of ownership, years of incorporation, legal form and retail characteristic, on the functioning of the UK retail sector using bootstrapped Tobit regression.

DEA analysis has shown that only ten retail companies are considered as efficient under CRS assumption, and 16 firms under VRS assumption in 2005. MPI results have indicated that about 50 percent of retail companies have registered progress in terms of MPI during 2000 and 2005. Twenty out of 41 retail companies have adopted advanced and efficient retailing technologies during this period. Three environmental variables, namely the type of ownership, legal form and retail characteristic, have been found to play significant roles influencing retail efficiency using bootstrapped Tobit regression.

Data availability has limited the level of analysis in some parts of this study, especially in the bootstrapped Tobit regression.

This study seems to be the first in applying productivity analysis using DEA for the UK retail sector.

In the last decade, the Italian natural gas market has undergone profound changes. The slow ongoing process of liberalization that began in 2000 has produced many changes in the industry as companies have had to react to the new regulatory framework. Many companies have sought agreements, alliances and mergers to consolidate their position in the market, other companies have sought to diversify their product range by becoming multi-utility companies, others, unable to react to the new competitive pressures, have gone bankrupt. The aim of the work is to analyse the performance of natural gas retail companies after the liberalization of the sector.

The authors carry out a financial statement analysis for indexes in order to evaluate business management in terms of the financial, profitability and liquidity aspects. The authors analysed a sample of 111 companies operating in Italy for a six-year period (2004-2009) following the full liberalization of the sector (January 1, 2003).

Results show that many of the firms in the sample are suffering from a reduction in profits and present serious financial weaknesses. In particular, the companies that perform the worst are the small, new entrants and those in the south of Italy. In regard to the new entrants it should be noted that although more than ten years have passed since the beginning of the liberalization process, entry barriers are still present. As regards the business diversification, the best financial and operating results are achieved by large firms, listed companies and those which grew mainly through M&As.

Even though there are numerous theoretical and empirical studies on the effects of diversification strategies and M&As, very few researchers have analyzed these effects in the context of a liberalization process of an energy sector. Starting from this gap in the literature, the work aims to analyse the strategies implemented by the Italian companies in the natural gas retail segment.

The empirical findings will help the policy makers of Italy in understanding that more than ten years since the beginning of the natural gas market liberalization, entry barriers are still present. Although all consumers have been free to choose their supplier since 2003, the incumbent firms have maintained a dominant position in the market, thanks to a “weak” unbundling (often the incumbent retail operator belongs to the same group as the distribution network operator) and to the advantage in the supply phase by means of a long-term contract with a “take or pay” clause.

Italy has always been characterized by the centrality of natural gas in its energy basket and it is the third European country for annual consumption. Despite the importance of this energy source, no substantial work has been done in this regard with reference to Italy.

Argues that convergent trends in environmental evolution have led to convergent swings towards structural changes in the European retailing market. However, substantial differences continue to survive, each country preserving its specificities, the fruits of its history and culture. The single European market is not therefore uniform and, compared with the manufacturing industry, remains localized.

The paper sets out to explain how vertically integrated organisational marketing systems can integrate the marketing decision‐making process of suppliers, manufacturers, and marketing channel members and also to make clear why it is necessary for marketers to use marketing intelligence and why they need to pay attention to security issues.

The work is based on a literature review and is an extension of earlier work relating to the cultural similarities and differences of Japanese and Korean people. A number of marketing frameworks are made explicit and this represents a critical appreciation and extension of the body of knowledge.

Vertically integrated organisational marketing systems facilitate the relationship marketing approach and ensure that a customer service policy is implemented. Practising managers can adopt a customer service approach that embraces the concept of organisational learning. By viewing mutuality as the main objective, business relationships can be developed that are based on trust and are sustainable. Should a number of marketing skill gaps be identified, action can be taken to rectify the situation.

Future research should establish how organisational learning can transform an organisation's marketing culture; how the internet can enhance network arrangements; and how marketers can devise a customer service policy and produce marketing contingency plans.

Marketers can establish how a customer relationship management‐monitoring system ensures that the marketing decision‐making process in partner organisations promotes the use of joint project teams and facilitating technology.

Marketers can devise a marketing governance mechanism that embraces the concepts of customer service and organisational learning.

Through the discussion of this case, students will have a better understanding of the managerial dilemma associated with the implementation of management control in an early-stage firm. Students will provide proposals to improving current management control. Finally, this case encourages students to think about the costs and benefits of implementing formal management control systems.

As the company grows, it becomes difficult to keep control of the organization. The organizational structure of Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Carrefour Jordan is too centralized, and the top management is confronted with information overload, which inhibits their ability to pursue strategic goals. The department managers are also confronted with communication problems, and they are evaluated based on the indicators that were out of their control. Processes and rules do not permit managers sufficient autonomy, and neither do these motivate employees towards organizational strategic goals. It is obvious that many control issues needed to be addressed in MAF Carrefour Jordan. However, given the limited budgets, MAF Carrefour Jordan managers need to decide which control systems to implement first.

This case can be used in an introductory cost accounting and management control course at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. The case should be introduced after students attained a baseline understanding of management control system fundamental concepts. However, this case is equally effective in introducing concepts to students who are new to management control systems.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 1: Accounting and Finance

This research examines recent changes in retail distribution and the implications of such changes on the logistical support to stores in Scotland. As increasing volumes of stock are channelled through warehouses controlled by retailers, stock is being centralised in large regional distribution centres (RDCs) serving wide geographical markets. Scotland is geographically marginal to the mainstream operations of most British retailers; the research therefore focused upon the current pattern of retail distribution facilities in Scotland and the future demand for sites by retailers and third party contractors acting on their behalf. Data were collected by personal interview and postal questionnaire from a total of 63 multiple retailers and 23 distribution companies. Most retail multiples supply their Scottish outlets from RDCs in England, either by a direct trunk haul or via intervening transhipment or demountable points. There has been a tendency for both manufacturers and retailers to withdraw stockholding from Scotland and serve the Scottish market from warehouses in England. Many of these companies, however, continue to require a break‐bulk operation north of the border. While the main phase of RDC development appears to be over, particularly in the grocery trade, it is likely that significant new investment in distribution facilities in Scotland will occur in the near future. Seventeen of the retailers in the survey expected to undertake some form of distribution development by 1995, eight of them anticipated setting up an RDC. In aggregate terms this translates into warehouse demand for around 80,000 square metres and approximately 20‐25 hectares of land. Although this and past investment has created thousands of jobs, job losses have also occurred through various displacement effects, most notably the rationalisation of retailers′ supply systems, the decimation of manufacturers′ depot networks and the closure of contractors′ common user depots.

This study aims to examine effects of the COVID-19-induced lockdown on turnover intentions (TI) for the hospitality retail sector.

This study reviews employee TI literature before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data for the present study were derived from a sample of 301 hospitality retail workers employed within the integrated resorts on The Cotai Strip, Macao. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling.

This study showed a significant positive relationship between job satisfaction (JS) and the two variables of workload and pay (WP) and company support (CS). Co-worker relationship did not influence JS. Furthermore, JS had a significant negative effect on employee TI. WP had the greatest influence on whether to leave the sector or not.

The suggested framework can assist hospitality retail management in developing an employee-retention strategy as the sector recovers from pandemic restrictions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to develop a TI framework for the hospitality retail sector during the pandemic.