Posted: July 27th, 2015

The slow death of high street retailers – how should major high street retailers position themselves to withstand the incessant pressure from e-business?

• How has retail changed over the past few years? You could consider
o The value of high street in comparison to online sales
o Comparison of UK to other countries
o The extent to which different sectors have been affected, for example, health, beauty, entertainment, fashion
o What theories of e-business can be used to understand this phenomenon?

• What are the available strategic options for retailer repositioning?
o What theoretical models are applicable when considering repositioning?
o What general business, financial and marketing strategies are available when considering repositioning?
o What are the benefits and risks of each of these strategies?

• Select a high street retail company that has severely suffered as a result of online retailing, then consider:
o Which of the available strategies would you recommend? What theories can support your recommended strategy?
o How would your recommended strategy affect the organisational structure and marketing activities of the selected company?

• Future trends in online retail, for example
o Future developments in technology and its impact on the retail industry
o What research issues are raised as a result of this change in the retail industry? For example:
• Consumer behaviour issues
• Supply chain issues
• Change management
• The changing role of the IT department

You should choose 1 or 2 of the above points to focus on, and a few additional, related points to cover in your essay. The above points are not exhaustive but can be considered in constructing the report. You should consider other issues wherever necessary and relevant.

Week 21 – Friday 20 March 2014 – Two hard copies to the Student Records Office and One electronic submission through BREO turn-it-in.

You are expected to write a 5,000 words individual report on the business topic. In this report you need to critically analyse the issues presented in this business topic and support your arguments with various secondary data or information. It is very important that you include academic literature sources in support of your arguments.

Depending upon the topic selected, you may choose to write from the perspective of a business consultant, independent analyst, academic or researcher.

You will need to do some wider reading to address this article adequately. Various sources of information should be considered, such as academic journals, books, newspapers, and magazines. Digital libraries should also be considered as important source of information and data.

Your report should be logical, balanced, concise, focused and well structured with no more than a maximum of 5,000 words in length. It should be word-processed (12 points Arial, 1.5 line spacing) and the highest levels of presentation are expected. See unit handbook appendix 4 for the marking grid and criteria of the Advances Report.

One electronic copy of this report should be submitted through BREO turn-it-in assignment.

Dave Chaffey (2015) E-Business and E-Commerce Management: Strategy, Implementation and Practice (6th Edition), Pearson. ISBN-10: 0273786547 • ISBN-13: 9780273786542
http://www.fourthsource.com/ecommerce/how-retail-has-changed-online-vs-the-high-street-14859

http://www.theguardian.com/lettheconversationflow/story/0,,1665607,00.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2522356/Slow-death-high-street-Britons-online-shopping-nation-spending-1-175-each.html

http://internetretailing.net/2014/02/online-shopping-takes-just-5-in-sales-away-from-high-street-but-only-if-you-have-an-omni-channel-approach-suggests-ebay-deloitte-study/

http://internetretailing.net/2015/01/uk-retailers-mobile-app-sales-increase-by-40-over-2014-christmas-shopping-period/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9821702/The-future-of-shopping-from-high-street-to-iStreet.html

http://www.intersperience.com/article_more.asp?art_id=21