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Background: In today's dynamic business environment, organizations face high pressure for change and adaptation. It is generally perceived that change is inevitable and many believe that change is an ongoing and never-ending process. The retail industry is a highly competitive sector, and thus it becomes paramount for organizations to successfully manage change. The subject of change management has been present for a long period, however, a remarkably low amount of research has been focused on change management for retail store managers. Therefore, this study aims to examine retail store managers' communication during change processes. Purpose: This study’s purpose is to create a comprehensive understanding of retail store managers’ communication during change processes. Moreover, to identify which elements should be prioritized by retail store managers communicating during change. Method: To achieve the purpose of this thesis, a qualitative interview study was conducted, and it consisted of seven semi-structured interviews with retail store managers. The thesis was guided by an inductive approach, and a thematic analysis of the empirical findings was utilized. Conclusion: This study found that retail store managers' communicational structure was similar as it was based on the same elements, adaptability, selectivity, multiple channels, and prioritization. The structure enabled retail store managers to ensure that the communication was clear and open, thus minimizing employee stress and uncertainty. Continuing, the results indicated that retail store managers should prioritize certain communicational elements, for instance, clarity, openness, and long-run perspective.

<p><strong>Master’s thesis in International Logistics and Supply Chain Management</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Title:  Logistics Management in Retail Industry: a case study 7-Eleven in</strong><strong> Thailand</strong></p><p><strong>Author:  Latika Supasansanee and Patthaveekarn Kasiphongphaisan</strong></p><p><strong>Tutor:     Susanne Hertz</strong><strong> and Benedikte Borgström</strong></p><p><strong>Date:      June 1, 2009</strong></p><p><strong>Keywords: 7-Eleven Thailand, Logistics, Retail     Convenience, Distribution Center and Warehouse, IT-Apply in retail store, and Competitive advantage</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In today’s challenging competition in the consumer goods, the manufacturers strive for their products to reach final customers before they turn their heads to the rival’s ones. This research attempts to understand and investigate how 7-Eleven company manages its logistics activities, distribution and applying information technology to achieve competitive advantages.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The purpose of thesis is, in retailing industry and retailing convenience store’s perspective, to identify and describe the way 7-Eleven manages and operates its retail convenience business focusing on several aspects; strategic fits, distribution and IT, which support 7-Eleven’s activities and how they contribute to competitive advantages for the firm.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Frame of reference: </strong>Based on various sources of literature concerning competitive advantage and strategic fits, distribution related to marketing and retail, distribution centers and warehousing, and information system apply in retail store.<strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The study is considered as qualitative single-case study. Data is collected from the interviews with several parties involve with retail convenience industry in Thailand. Secondary data is retrieved from the information system, research and reports, publication sources as well as internet sources.  Lastly, data analysis is followed by the literature chapter.<strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>By applying the synchronized strategies between supply chain members to adjust and modify the capabilities of firms, leads to supply chain benefits and competitive advantage for retail firm. The applications of IT and Distribution Centers enhance supply chain capabilities, reliability, and dependability which result in better service and market performance. They are also the keys that facilitate the operations of supply chain and retail store.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>

À la lumière de nombreux travaux récents, la conception, dans le champ des sciences sociales, de la mondialisation économique et culturelle comme une force d’uniformisation semble perdre de sa prégnance. L’objectif de cette thèse de doctorat est donc de se saisir de l’exemple de l’industrie de la grande distribution, en tant qu’éminente représentante de ce phénomène, pour vérifier, à travers le prisme particulier des pratiques et des représentations alimentaires, si l’on peutencore se contenter de comprendre le processus de mondialisation uniquement comme un vecteur d’éradication des différences culturelles. Procédant selon une méthodologie inductive et une approche comparative, nous avons voulu décrire cette industrie et ses implications sur les modalités du choix alimentaire, en prolongeant au Maroc nos analyses basées sur l’étude des cas français et américain. Suivant les préceptes méthodologiques de la socio-anthropologie et la stratégie de la mosaïque d’études de cas, nous avons, selon le modèle itératif prôné notamment par la grounded theory, sans cesse cherché à mettre nos hypothèses à l’épreuve du terrain à travers une constante extension des cas et une variation des objets étudiés. Cela nous a autorisé à viser une plus grande généralisation de nos théories et ainsi arguer en faveur d’une conception moins simplificatrice des processus de mondialisation en ancrant empiriquement notre plaidoyer pour une perspective complexe des phénomènes culturels et sociaux qui en sont issus. / In the light of the most recent work in social sciences, the understanding of globalization as a force of uniformization seems to be less and less acurate. The goal of this PhD dissertation is, therefore, to use the example of retail store industry, as a media of this globalization process, to verify, through the particular case of food practices and representations, if it is still possible to describe globalization as a destructive phenomenon in terms of cultural differences. Following an inductivist methodology, we studied this industry, its development modalities and their consequences within the various environment which have seen its appearance, its growth and spread to new cultural spaces in order to developp a more general theory of globalization. Adopting the principles of socio-anthropological research and the « case studies mosaic » strategy, and as it is encouraged by the iterative model of the grounded theory, we have constantly sought to submit our theoretical analysis at the test of our empirical field through a continious extension of cases and variation of objects. Thus, gaining in generalization, we have argued for a less simplist understanding of the globalization process, therefore founding our plead for a complex perspective of social and cultural phenomena.

This thesis introduces a financial simulation model covering two related financial domains: Mobile Payments and Retail Stores systems.   The problem we address in these domains is different types of fraud. We limit ourselves to isolated cases of relatively straightforward fraud. However, in this thesis the ultimate aim is to introduce our approach towards the use of computer simulation for fraud detection and its applications in financial domains. Fraud is an important problem that impact the whole economy. Currently, there is a lack of public research into the detection of fraud. One important reason is the lack of transaction data which is often sensitive. To address this problem we present a mobile money Payment Simulator (PaySim) and Retail Store Simulator (RetSim), which allow us to generate synthetic transactional data that contains both: normal customer behaviour and fraudulent behaviour.    These simulations are Multi Agent-Based Simulations (MABS) and were calibrated using real data from financial transactions. We developed agents that represent the clients and merchants in PaySim and customers and salesmen in RetSim. The normal behaviour was based on behaviour observed in data from the field, and is codified in the agents as rules of transactions and interaction between clients and merchants, or customers and salesmen. Some of these agents were intentionally designed to act fraudulently, based on observed patterns of real fraud. We introduced known signatures of fraud in our model and simulations to test and evaluate our fraud detection methods. The resulting behaviour of the agents generate a synthetic log of all transactions as a result of the simulation. This synthetic data can be used to further advance fraud detection research, without leaking sensitive information about the underlying data or breaking any non-disclose agreements.   Using statistics and social network analysis (SNA) on real data we calibrated the relations between our agents and generate realistic synthetic data sets that were verified against the domain and validated statistically against the original source.   We then used the simulation tools to model common fraud scenarios to ascertain exactly how effective are fraud techniques such as the simplest form of statistical threshold detection, which is perhaps the most common in use. The preliminary results show that threshold detection is effective enough at keeping fraud losses at a set level. This means that there seems to be little economic room for improved fraud detection techniques.   We also implemented other applications for the simulator tools such as the set up of a triage model and the measure of cost of fraud. This showed to be an important help for managers that aim to prioritise the fraud detection and want to know how much they should invest in fraud to keep the loses below a desired limit according to different experimented and expected scenarios of fraud.

O setor varejista vem passando por profundas mudanças com o intuito de se adequar a uma realidade cada vez mais competitiva, e os serviços vêm ocupando lugares de destaque por sua contribuição no processo de agregar valores aos consumidores. A satisfação dos consumidores em relação a esses serviços também é fundamental para que os varejistas alcancem suas realizações. Assim, torna-se essencial entender como certos conceitos como a qualidade do serviço e a imagem da loja influenciam na formação da satisfação desses consumidores. Embora existam muitas pesquisas relacionadas a esses conceitos, pouco se tem estudado sobre a relação entre eles. Esses estudos se tornam ainda mais raros quando inseridos no contexto dos serviços automotivos ainda que este represente um setor em desenvolvimento. A importância do setor automotivo e dos relacionamentos entre os conceitos acima mencionados foram estímulos para o objetivo deste trabalho que foi analisar o papel da qualidade do serviço e da imagem da loja na satisfação dos consumidores de serviços automotivos. Para que esse objetivo pudesse ser alcançado, foram realizadas revisões da literatura sobre a qualidade dos serviços, a imagem da loja, a satisfação dos consumidores, o setor automobilístico no Brasil e a relação entre a satisfação dos consumidores, a qualidade dos serviços e a imagem da loja. A pesquisa de campo foi realizada em duas etapas: num primeiro momento, foram coletados dados através da aplicação de questionários enviados por correio eletrônico e também aplicados a estudantes de graduação. Para a confirmação desses dados, realizou-se um grupo focado com consumidores de serviços automotivos. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que, além dos aspectos da qualidade do serviço, os aspectos relacionados à imagem da loja também desempenham um importante papel na formação da satisfação dos consumidores de serviços automotivos. / The retail store has been going through deep changes in order to fit into a reality which is becoming more and more competitive, and the services have been more important to add value to consumers. Consumer satisfaction related to these services is also fundamental for retailers to reach their goals. Therefore, it is essential to understand how certain concepts such as service quality and retail store image influence consumer satisfaction building. Even though there are many researches related to these concepts, there are few studies about their relationship. These studies are even more rare when it comes to the automotive service context, yet it is a developing sector. The importance of the automotive sector and the relationship between the concepts mentioned before led to the objective of this dissertation which is to analyze the service quality role and the retail store image role in the process of consumers satisfaction building related to automotive services. In order to achieve this goal, a literature review about service quality, store retail image, consumer satisfaction, the automotive sector in Brazil, and the relationship among consumer satisfaction, service quality, and retail store image was made. The research was divided in two steps: questionnaires were both sent by E-mail and also answered by undergraduate students. To confirm these data, a focused group of automotive service consumers was formed. The results showed that not only the service quality aspect but also the retail store image aspects have an important role in the process of building consumers satisfaction related to automotive services.

På grund av de senaste årens ökade konkurrens inom detaljhandeln har det blivit allt mer nödvändigt att på olika sätt differentiera sig från sina konkurrenter. Ett viktigt verktyg för företagen kommer bli hanteringen av informationsteknologiska strategier. Frågan företagen bör ställa sig är hur de ska lyckas med dessa strategier. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka om informationsteknologiska lösningar kan integreras i en fysisk butik på ett sådant sätt att det skapar mervärde för kunder.Teorin utgår ifrån nyckelorden konsumentbeteende och upplevt värde. Det upplevda värdet har operationaliserats och ligger vidare till grund för studiens sju hypoteser. För att finna svar på studiens syfte har en kvantitativ undersökning gjorts, vilket mer specifikt utgjorde observation och enkät i en fysisk butik. Enkätens genomförande innebar att respondenterna först fick i uppdrag att scanna en QR-kod och ta del av informationen i den, därefter fick de svara på ett antal frågor.Resultaten från enkätstudien visar att respondenterna är positivt inställda till QR-koder i fysiska butiker, dock krävs det att de på något sätt blir introducerade till QR-koden. Genom att erbjuda information som respondenterna normalt inte har tillgång till vid ett butiksbesök visar resultatet att QR-koden ökar den upplevda effektiviteten och bekvämligheten. Emellertid uppskattar respondenterna inte effektivitet i form av att betala en vara med QR-koden för att slippa stå i kassakö, däremot kan QR-koden minska behovet av personlig service. Slutsatsen av resultaten är att QR-koder ökar det upplevda konsumentvärdet i fysiska butiker.Denna studie är baserad på ett icke-sannolikhetsurval, på grund av detta är det av intresse att i framtiden genomföra en större studie med ett representativt urval. Viktigt att ta i beaktning gällande resultaten är att dessa kan vara påverkade av undersökningens kontext som innebär ett påhittat scenario. Slutligen presenterar denna uppsats ett antal förslag på hur företag inom detaljhandel ska förhålla sig till informationsteknologiska lösningar för att öka det upplevda kundvärdet. / Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

Master’s thesis in International Logistics and Supply Chain Management Title:  Logistics Management in Retail Industry: a case study 7-Eleven in Thailand Author:  Latika Supasansanee and Patthaveekarn Kasiphongphaisan Tutor:     Susanne Hertz and Benedikte Borgström Date:      June 1, 2009 Keywords: 7-Eleven Thailand, Logistics, Retail     Convenience, Distribution Center and Warehouse, IT-Apply in retail store, and Competitive advantage Introduction: In today’s challenging competition in the consumer goods, the manufacturers strive for their products to reach final customers before they turn their heads to the rival’s ones. This research attempts to understand and investigate how 7-Eleven company manages its logistics activities, distribution and applying information technology to achieve competitive advantages. Purpose: The purpose of thesis is, in retailing industry and retailing convenience store’s perspective, to identify and describe the way 7-Eleven manages and operates its retail convenience business focusing on several aspects; strategic fits, distribution and IT, which support 7-Eleven’s activities and how they contribute to competitive advantages for the firm. Frame of reference: Based on various sources of literature concerning competitive advantage and strategic fits, distribution related to marketing and retail, distribution centers and warehousing, and information system apply in retail store.   Method: The study is considered as qualitative single-case study. Data is collected from the interviews with several parties involve with retail convenience industry in Thailand. Secondary data is retrieved from the information system, research and reports, publication sources as well as internet sources.  Lastly, data analysis is followed by the literature chapter.   Conclusion: By applying the synchronized strategies between supply chain members to adjust and modify the capabilities of firms, leads to supply chain benefits and competitive advantage for retail firm. The applications of IT and Distribution Centers enhance supply chain capabilities, reliability, and dependability which result in better service and market performance. They are also the keys that facilitate the operations of supply chain and retail store.

O setor varejista vem passando por profundas mudanças com o intuito de se adequar a uma realidade cada vez mais competitiva, e os serviços vêm ocupando lugares de destaque por sua contribuição no processo de agregar valores aos consumidores. A satisfação dos consumidores em relação a esses serviços também é fundamental para que os varejistas alcancem suas realizações. Assim, torna-se essencial entender como certos conceitos como a qualidade do serviço e a imagem da loja influenciam na formação da satisfação desses consumidores. Embora existam muitas pesquisas relacionadas a esses conceitos, pouco se tem estudado sobre a relação entre eles. Esses estudos se tornam ainda mais raros quando inseridos no contexto dos serviços automotivos ainda que este represente um setor em desenvolvimento. A importância do setor automotivo e dos relacionamentos entre os conceitos acima mencionados foram estímulos para o objetivo deste trabalho que foi analisar o papel da qualidade do serviço e da imagem da loja na satisfação dos consumidores de serviços automotivos. Para que esse objetivo pudesse ser alcançado, foram realizadas revisões da literatura sobre a qualidade dos serviços, a imagem da loja, a satisfação dos consumidores, o setor automobilístico no Brasil e a relação entre a satisfação dos consumidores, a qualidade dos serviços e a imagem da loja. A pesquisa de campo foi realizada em duas etapas: num primeiro momento, foram coletados dados através da aplicação de questionários enviados por correio eletrônico e também aplicados a estudantes de graduação. Para a confirmação desses dados, realizou-se um grupo focado com consumidores de serviços automotivos. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que, além dos aspectos da qualidade do serviço, os aspectos relacionados à imagem da loja também desempenham um importante papel na formação da satisfação dos consumidores de serviços automotivos. / The retail store has been going through deep changes in order to fit into a reality which is becoming more and more competitive, and the services have been more important to add value to consumers. Consumer satisfaction related to these services is also fundamental for retailers to reach their goals. Therefore, it is essential to understand how certain concepts such as service quality and retail store image influence consumer satisfaction building. Even though there are many researches related to these concepts, there are few studies about their relationship. These studies are even more rare when it comes to the automotive service context, yet it is a developing sector. The importance of the automotive sector and the relationship between the concepts mentioned before led to the objective of this dissertation which is to analyze the service quality role and the retail store image role in the process of consumers satisfaction building related to automotive services. In order to achieve this goal, a literature review about service quality, store retail image, consumer satisfaction, the automotive sector in Brazil, and the relationship among consumer satisfaction, service quality, and retail store image was made. The research was divided in two steps: questionnaires were both sent by E-mail and also answered by undergraduate students. To confirm these data, a focused group of automotive service consumers was formed. The results showed that not only the service quality aspect but also the retail store image aspects have an important role in the process of building consumers satisfaction related to automotive services.

The objective of the thesis is on the basis of theoretical knowledge and fieldwork to conduct a marketing survey, which will evaluate customer satisfaction in the retail store. The results of the survey and analyses will provide necessary documents to develop proposals and recommendations leading to increased customer satisfaction and the objective of the thesis.