Sample Syllabus Format and Schedules
19
19
Retailing Management
MKT3540-01
Babson College
Michael Levy
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS CLASS:
Retailers lie at the end of the supply chain. They interface with the ultimate consumer as well as with
OBJECTIVES:
Familiarize students with the decisions involved in developing a sustainable competitive advantage in
retailing and the concepts and principles for making those decisions.
NATURE OF CLASS MEETINGS:
This course utilizes cases, experiential exercises, and class discussion. Little class time will be devoted to
topics that the average student can readily comprehend on the basis of self-study.
METHOD OF EVALUATION:
There will be a two exams, a number of written exercises and cases, and several group presentations.
Materials covered by guest lecturers will be included on the examination. Students are expected to
Sample Syllabus Format and Schedules
PARTICIPATION
Class participation is worth 10% or 100 points.
If you never contribute in class or if you miss several classes, you will receive a low grade (C, D, or E)
for class participation. If you contribute occasionally but rarely add value your grade will be in the B-C
CASES
There are four Harvard cases in this course: IKEA, L.L. Bean, Zara, Mitchells/Richards. We will also do
the Santa Bears case. One or two groups will be assigned to develop answers to the discussion questions.
PRESENTATIONS
There will be several ten minute group presentations. For some assignments, one to four groups will be
DISABILITIES
Any student who is entitled to an academic accommodation based on the impact of a documented
TEXT AND CASE MATERIALS:
Retailing Management, 10th edition, by Levy,Weitz, and Grewal, McGraw-Hill Education, 2019.
Students are encouraged to explore the tutorials on the McGraw-Hill Connect siteto help prepare for
Sample Syllabus Format and Schedules
21
21
ASSIGNMENTS:
Internet Shopping 4 groups
Assignment
camera. What features on the sites did you find helpful? What features made
shopping more difficult? What camera would you? Why? From which site
would you buy it? Why?
digital camera (Cannon
Powershot SD1000). Report on your experiences with these sites and the
could they be improved? Would you use them? Why or why not?
What input, if any, do retailers have to this site? Evaluate the site. What
navigation, special features, etc. How would you use this site?
Sample Syllabus Format and Schedules
22
22
What are features of the sites do you like and d
of the site, navigation, special features you found useful or did not like, etc?
What are the specific services offered by these sites that you would use.
IKEA Case Discussion Questions 2 groups
(first group will take questions 1 and 2. Second group will take questions 3, 4, and 5.)
1. Why is IKEA successful globally when other retailers stumble?
2. How is IKEA positioned relative to other furniture retailers?
Defining a Retail Strategy
The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to get out and examine retailing strategy
from an objective, professional, and non-consumer point of view. The assignment is to compare two
in Chapter 5 of Retailing Management.
Taylor and Talbotts. Another alternative would be to choose two departments within different stores as
Financial Strategy
gories,
but to a very different target market. If yours is a high margin/low turnover store, compare it with a low
margin/high turnover store.
Sample Syllabus Format and Schedules
23
23
Explain, from a marketing perspective, why you would expect gross margin percentage, expenses-to-sales
ratio, net profit margin, inventory turnover, asset turnover, and return on assets to be different for the two
stores. Assess which chain has better overall financial performance. Your grade will be primarily based
on your analysis of why these ratios are different.
Santa Bears Case Discussion Questions–One Group
1. What was the unit gross margin and total gross margin for the Santa Bears?
Location Analysis Presentation All Groups
Define and analyze their trade area. Specifically, what are the primary, secondary, and tertiary trade
areas? What are their boundaries? Why? Do you believe that the population living in the trade area
Merchandise Budget Plan Case All Groups
(Case 22 in text)
L.L. Bean Case 2 Groups
Discussion Question: L.L. Bean is experimenting with bricks and mortar stores. Evaluate what they are
Zara Case One Group
Discussion Questions:
On what bases has Zara developed a sustainable competitive advantage?
Are these efficiencies sustainable for expansion in the U.S.?
Retail Game All Groups
We are fortunate to be able to be the first North American users of the Retail Game developed by John
Sample Syllabus Format and Schedules
You need to submit two documents
When you have completed all your decisions you will be able to print out your results page. The results
page will list all of your decisions and a blank store layout. You will be asked to defend each of your
decisions.
2. Accompanying PowerPoint report
The PowerPoint report that you hand in should include a print out of your results pages and the store
layout plan. (Please submit only your final set of print outs, not every attempt you may have made). The
PowerPoint report gives you the opportunity to provide more details on the justification for your choices,
highlighting both strengths and potential weaknesses of your decisions. The report should, in particular,
cover the key areas of overall strategy, stock selection, space allocation, staffing, and shrinkage
prevention. You should note any best practice you may have seen in retail outlets with which you are
familiar and used to make your decisions.
In making your decisions, consider the following:
1 Have a clear marketing strategy in terms of which customers you are targeting, and making sure
your assortment plan reflects that target market.
Mitchells/Richards Case Two Groups
How do the Mitchells work toward keeping the four service gaps closed?
Which elements of the retail mix will provide a sustainable competitive advantage?
Sample Syllabus Format and Schedules
25
25
Store Layout and Design
(All groups will present)
Explain your answers to the following questions:
1. In general, is the store layout, design and visual merchandising techniques used consistent
with the exterior of the store and location?
2.
expectations?
7.
8. Has the retailer used any theatrical effects to help sell merchandise?
9. Does the store layout help draw people through the store?
10.
15. Ask the store manager how space is assigned to merchandise. Critically evaluate the answer.
16. Ask the store manager if plan-o-grams are used. If so, try to determine what factors are
considered when putting together a plan-o-gram.
17. Has the retailer employed any techniques for achieving greater space productivity such as
-sizing gondolas and racks, and minimizing non-selling space?
Sample Syllabus Format and Schedules
26
26
SCHEDULE
Date Class Activity Reading
Assignment
Assignments
Due/Points
1 Class Introduction Chapters 1,2
2 Internet Shopping Presentations (4 groups) Chapter 3 50
3 IKEA (2 groups/split questions)
Trang Connolly (TJX Corp)
Chapters 4,5 50
9 Location Analysis Presentations (all groups) 50
10 Exam 100
11 Merchandise Budget Planning Chapters 12,
13
12 Ethical and Legal Issues in Buying Merchandise Chapter 12
13 Merchandise Budget Plan Case (all groups)
Open-to-Buy
50
Talbotts DC tour
19 Zara (one group)
Merchandise Problems Due
Ch 11 50 (case)
20 (problems)
20 Pricing Ch 14
21 Pricing (Max Margin Markdown Game)
Pricing Problems Due
Ethical and Legal Issues in Pricing
25 extra credit
points to the
winning team
20 (pricing
Presentations (all groups)
Presentations continued
Retail Game preparation
Retail Game presentations (all groups)
70