Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University

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Abstract This research paper tracks the growth of e-commerce retail sales from 2000 through 2018 to see if the emergence of e-commerce has affected the retail real estate market in any way. With many stores now offering online shopping and many large retailers contemplating lowering their presence in brick and mortar stores, this question is relevant now more than ever. In order to test for the correlation between e-commerce retail sales growth and the retail real estate market, a collection of retail real estate factors are investigated. This paper tests retail real estate factors at the United States country level and a more in-depth city level that investigates 66 individual cities nationwide. In the OLS modeling, these retail variables represent my dependent variables. These dependent variables were then regressed on a yearly basis against total e-commerce retail sales and a vector of control variables. The results show that returns of the NCREIF property index, asking rent, and percent change in commercial real estate prices for the U.S. are negatively impacted by total e-commerce retail sales. These results indicate that the growth of e-commerce retail sales has negatively impacted the retail real estate market to some degree. This correlation can have long term impacts on the survival of many retail businesses and can eventually affect the economies of small towns and cities across the country. If physical retail locations begin to suffer, other local stores and restaurants will likely suffer as well, eventually impacting the economy on a larger scale.

This research attempts to confirm the reliability and construct validity of a personnel selection instrument called a Situational Judgment Test (SJT) through reliability analysis and factor analysis. The existing literature on SJTs is reviewed, including the advantages of using SJTs in personnel selection as well as the debate on whether SJTs measure a single construct or whether they can be multidimensional depending on the content. The specific SJT in this research was theoretically developed and received expert ratings to assess four general constructs: problem solving, planning, priority setting, and leadership. No support from alpha internal consistency reliability analysis was found for the assembly of these items into the four a priori subscales, thus assembly of these items into the theoretical subscales and scales was not supported.

September 2012 had become known as a synonym for the methanol scandal in the Czech Republic during which over a hundred of individuals were hospitalized and several dozens of the patients died. This all occurred due to the ingestion of the adulterated alcohol. Whereas partial and time-limited prohibition which restricted the sales of alcoholic beverages with the alcohol content of 20 per cent and higher, was enforced in the Czech Republic from 14th to 27th September 2012. Due to further emerging poisonings in recent years is the topic of the methanol poisonings still relevant. The aim of the diploma paper is to depict the harm reduction strategies targeted on reducing the risks of the methanol poisonings used by the vulnerable target group of the alcoholic beverages consumers. Further are being outlined the risk behavior patterns and strategies in the targeted group of participants. According to the above mentioned aims is relevant to investigate the process of compliance of the emergency measures focused on the end market with the alcohol. Data gathered in the interviews with the retailers will help to obtain the general overview of the situation and supply the information about the possible plunges of the prohibition implementation and the strategies of the demand reduction implementation. The...

Este trabalho realiza uma análise exploratória do comportamento das venda de varejo na economia brasileira. O estudo parte da identificação de variáveis econômicas relevantes na determinação das vendas de varejo. A identificação apoia-se em proposições de outros estudos e testes de causalidade. O resultado da identificação é validado por meio da construção de um modelo de previsão de vendas no varejo. A relevância da causalidade das variáveis é verificada pela comparação do desempenho do modelo multivariado em relação ao desempenho de modelos univariados. Em seguida, o trabalho aprofunda a análise da relevância das variáveis por meio da mensuração da causalidade das taxas de juros básica da economia e ao consumidor e da mensuração do tempo médio de causalidade sobre as vendas de varejo. Por fim, as vendas de varejo são decompostas em vendas setoriais e avaliadas as mensurações de causalidade e tempo de causalidade das taxas de juros sobre os segmentos de varejo. / This work conducts an exploratory analysis on the behavior of retail sales in the brazilian economy. The analysis starts by identifying relevant economic variables in determining retail sales. The identification leans on other researches and causality tests. The identification results are validated by the contruction of a forecasting model for retail sales. The relevance of causal variables is assessed by comparing the forecasting performance of univariate models against the multivariate model. The work deepens the analysis of the causal variables by measuring the causality of the basic interest rate and the consumer interest rate over retail sales and by measuring the average time of the causality. The same analysis is extended to industry sectors in the retail sales.

Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att klargöra skillnaden mellan olika sorters rabatterade erbjudanden som kampanj och rea i Ur&Penns butiker. Syftet är även att se hur konsumenter ser på rabatterade erbjudanden och hur deras lojalitet kan påverkas av detta. Metod: En kombination av kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder har använts med en abduktiv ansats. Insamling av data har skett via enkäter, intervju och observation. Uppsatsen riktar sig in på att undersöka Ur&Penns marknad. Teori: Teorier som använts i uppsatsen beskriver prisstrategier, rabatterade erbjudanden, lojalitet ur konsumentperspektiv samt tar upp utsnitt ur marknadsföringslagen. Empiri: Empirin består av tre delar: webbenkät, intervju och en observation. Webbenkäten är skapad ur ett konsumentperspektiv medan intervjun är ur ett företagsperspektiv. En direkt observation har utförts av författarna. Slutsats: Det finns både negativa och positiva aspekter för både konsumenter och företag när det gäller rabatterade erbjudanden. Skillnaden mellan kampanj och rea är uppenbart i fakta men inte lika tydlig när det kommer till att se skillnaden i butik. Rabattaktiviteter används i butiker för att locka kunder till att handla. En stor del av våra respondenter uppfattar nedsatta priser som någonting positivt.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Aleksan Shanoyan / In recent years across the United States, product sales have seen a downward trend when compared to the robust sales figures posted around the 2010 time period across the major players in the product manufacturing space. Due to depressed commodity prices, large product sales have caused a lot of the dealers to shift in its prioritization of sales from a predominant large product business model, to a more diverse large product and small product strategy portfolio to stay profitable amidst economic headwinds. This study will look into ways that the Company A dealer channel could pivot their internal processes around targeting customers who are engaged in the purchase funnel of purchasing small products and how Company A could change the way the company equips their trusted dealer channel to combat competition in this segment. This study will examine new strategies that may be executed through the Company A dealer network and their subsequent retail showrooms to increase sales by focusing on key product differentiating characteristics, unique technical selling points, dealer facility positioning in high potential Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and new retail digital marketing technologies that should be leveraged throughout the sales process to improve market share. Company B is considered to be the primary rival competitor in this small product market, as this firm is one of the fiercest competitors to Company A’s quest for total product sales superiority. This study conducted a mixed method survey to ascertain what areas of marketing and promotional assistance should be prioritized by Company A, to outfit the company’s existing dealer channel with the right tools to combat Company B and other competitors in the U.S. small product market. Additionally new retail showroom technologies and strategies were based upon existing market research studies, focused on which customer’s and product characteristics were the most impactful for positively impacting small product sales in the United States.

Este trabalho realiza uma análise exploratória do comportamento das venda de varejo na economia brasileira. O estudo parte da identificação de variáveis econômicas relevantes na determinação das vendas de varejo. A identificação apoia-se em proposições de outros estudos e testes de causalidade. O resultado da identificação é validado por meio da construção de um modelo de previsão de vendas no varejo. A relevância da causalidade das variáveis é verificada pela comparação do desempenho do modelo multivariado em relação ao desempenho de modelos univariados. Em seguida, o trabalho aprofunda a análise da relevância das variáveis por meio da mensuração da causalidade das taxas de juros básica da economia e ao consumidor e da mensuração do tempo médio de causalidade sobre as vendas de varejo. Por fim, as vendas de varejo são decompostas em vendas setoriais e avaliadas as mensurações de causalidade e tempo de causalidade das taxas de juros sobre os segmentos de varejo. / This work conducts an exploratory analysis on the behavior of retail sales in the brazilian economy. The analysis starts by identifying relevant economic variables in determining retail sales. The identification leans on other researches and causality tests. The identification results are validated by the contruction of a forecasting model for retail sales. The relevance of causal variables is assessed by comparing the forecasting performance of univariate models against the multivariate model. The work deepens the analysis of the causal variables by measuring the causality of the basic interest rate and the consumer interest rate over retail sales and by measuring the average time of the causality. The same analysis is extended to industry sectors in the retail sales.

The use of personality traits in the determination of an individual’s future job performance is considered to be a valid measure that offers organisations the ability to carry out career planning, pre-employment selection and promotional testing amongst other uses. The incorrect placement of an individual has negative implications on the business that manifest themselves in different forms but the most prevalent is that of the loss of productivity and increased costs. This study was carried out in the hope of producing an additional measure in the identification of the most suitable candidates for a sales management position.The study was conducted utilising a qualitative research design. A total of (n) = 218 respondents took part in this study and completed the research instrument. The statistical tests that were conducted are that of correlation and linear regression testing between the identified independent and dependent variables.The results produced from the study corroborate the use of personality traits as a predictor of an individual’s future job performance is flawed. It was determined that the dimensions of the big five personality traits were not correlated to, nor could not offer any predictive ability with the required level of significance that of the dependent variables. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted