Abstract After the financial tsunami in 2008, the global economy slowly revives. Taiwan's department store retail industry is flourishing. There is one common feature from observing the location of these new department stores. They have all chosen to locate inside or next to the train station, high-speed railway stations, subway stations and other passenger transportation stations. Department stores in Taiwan formally entered another era. The research shows to discuss the development and definition of terminal department stores from the history of Japan¡¦s department stores. By using quality research, the managers of SKM and GMALL reply to understand what the 7 competitions indexes of terminal department stores. 1.Based on this perspective, the study examines the seven competitions indexes of terminal department stores: 1. Site conditions and the business district: the crowd from transportation is the advantage for terminal department stores, moreover, the booming of the business district will benefit terminal department stores. 2. Commercial space and transfer stations: terminal department stores collocate the commercial space and transfer stations. 3. Product constitution and recruit firm: the major selling points of terminal department stores are famous restaurant, take-out food and instant food of convenient stores that will congregate the consumers to increase their time for shopping in other floor. 4. Service: terminal department stores add more service for customer e.g. passenger luggage storage, wireless Internet for business travelers, foreign currency exchange and delivery of goods. 5. Marketing planning ability: marketing can use not only advertisement and promotion in station, but the DM of members and online community website. 6. Finance: terminal department stores establish one or two years that are lack of overall revenue performance. 7. Overall environment and strategy: combination complementary measures and marketing abroad will add up stores¡¦ image and promotion.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 329-340).

Thesis (doctoral)--Stockholms universitet, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 202-213).

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references ([leaf 132-133]).

The problem with which this paper is concerned is to observe and appraise the retail advertising and promotional procedure of five of the Dallas department stores. After observing their advertising methods, an attempt will be made to conclude whether their efficiency might be increased through use of different advertising and promotional policies.

The department store retailing concept grew out of the nineteenth century dry goods retail trade. Dry goods stores were usually housed in a group of nineteenth century commercial buildings. As the United States became more prosperous during the late nineteenth century, dry goods establishments outgrew their buildings and developed a new department store building type. The "second generation" store design was generally tripartite: large ground floor display windows, intermediate stories with regular banks of windows, and decorative upper one or two stories capped with an elaborate cornice. These flagship buildings were expanded and remodeled until the 1950s, when the focus of department store retailing shifted to the suburban branch stores. The branch stores anchored shopping centers in the 1950s and 1960s and enclosed shopping malls thereafter. / Department of Architecture

Eating and shopping are Singaporeans' favourite past-times. However, in recent years, the retail sector performed poorly. Department stores, the dinosaurs of Singapore's retail scene because of their large size and long establishment, faced difficulty in adapting promptly to the environmental changes. Unless these retailers know how to capitalise on their large size with the right merchandise and service staff, being big can be a barrier. The focus of this thesis is twofold: Firstly, it assesses the potential of excellent customer service as a viable strategy to help these department stores in a fiercely competitive retail market. Another area of interest is to track the current service level of department stores for areas of improvement. Secondly, it is an academic exercise to contribute to the understanding of retailing by examining the impact of customer service in improving sales in a non-western context - Singapore. The earlier chapters outline the forces of change in the retail climate that promote strategic planning in retailing. Literature survey shows that various retail strategies are used to address the different business trading conditions over the years. With the intensification of competition and a saturated market in the 1990s, the effectiveness of using customer service as a functional strategy in increasing sales is examined. Because the scope of study is on downtown department stores, a study on the characteristics and peculiarities of these stores is conducted to better understand the working mechanism of this retail concept. Concepts on customer service are examined to assess how department stores can use this service tool. The later chapters deal with the selection and modification of an appropriate service measurement tool to track the current service level and to propose areas for improvement. Adopting the Servqual model of service quality, an external survey is conducted to examine the shoppers' views on the importance of customer service in their shopping decision and to track the current service performance of downtown department stores in Singapore. Internal audits comprising of a managements' and a front-line staffs' surveys are conducted to seek areas for service improvement. The findings are analysed using the SPSS software and recommendations are proposed. The external survey reveals that 12% of the respondents rated service as their top consideration in affecting their decision on where to shop. Besides, a department store may stand to lose as much as 39% of its customers in the event of poor services rendered. The external survey indicates a service gap for the Singapore's department stores industry. Shoppers rank responsiveness as the most important attribute. However, responsiveness receives the poorest ratings for its performance. Tangibles is ranked as the least important but it receives satisfactory performance rating. CK Tang emerges as the best department store based on its good service performance. Further investigations on the service gap show that managements need to improve on their efforts to solicit feedback from their shoppers in order to respond to their changing lifestyles and preferences. Front-line staffs' survey reveals that a fairer compensation package, more role congruence, more empowerment and a better reward system can minimise Gap 3. Limitations for the surveys are also highlighted and areas for future research work are proposed. Service has become a key factor in this fiercely competitive environment cluttered with many similar retail offerings. These surveys confirm that there is much room for improvement in this service element. This sentiment towards offering excellent service is also shared by Mr. Kazuhide Kimoto, Managing Director of Takashimaya Singapore Limited who feels that good location, varied and quality merchandise and excellent service will ensure a good future for department stores (SRA The Retailer, 1996,7). With the sophistication of today's shoppers who are widely travelled and the easy accessibility of goods through technological advancement, the service element win become increasingly important as they learn more about the western world of retailing. The author feels that giving excellent external customer service is only possible when there is excellent internal customer service. Internal customer service refers to the well-being and positive group dynamics of staff who can work together to help the shoppers. Service stems from service providers. If staff are truly happy, they will be motivated and committed to share the same joy with their external shoppers. Therefore, treating internal staff well promotes external customer service excellence. Given that one happy customer would share his/her experience with five more people whereas one unhappy customer would share with nine others in a TARP study, it pays to solve an external service problem before it surfaces. Therefore, a proactive approach to giving service may mean delighting one's employees first. A service culture which promotes excellent service delivery with a system of service awards and a constant service tracking system are critical for any retailers who want to give good service. Currently, most department stores professed to provide customer service. In reality, the customer service concept in Singapore is not clearly understood and hence, its potential undermined. Most department stores perceive customer service as a list of services to be offered to their shoppers Finally, this thesis contributes to the academic understanding of retailing in Singapore by documenting the retail scene in Singapore from the 1960s to 1990s with emphasis on the downtown department stores and testing the applicability of Servqual model as a tool to track service level in a non-westem region i.e. Singapore. The findings from the 3 surveys conducted on downtown department stores revealed the local shoppers' behavioural preferences, sentiments and the most important service dimension in retail using the Servqual Model, a first report in retail customer service.

by Cheng Yin Ling, Carrol, Hung Bing Bing. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf [25] (2nd gp.)). / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.ii / ABSTRACT --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.v / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.7 / Chapter 1.1 --- Structure of the Project --- p.7 / Chapter 1.2 --- The Evolution of Department Stores in Hong Kong --- p.8 / Chapter 1.3 --- The Birth of CRC Department Store --- p.11 / Chapter 1.4 --- Research Objectives --- p.13 / Chapter 1.5 --- Scope of Study --- p.13 / Chapter 1.6 --- Research Methodology --- p.14 / Chapter 1.6.1 --- Exploratory Research --- p.14 / Chapter 1.6.2 --- Descriptive Research --- p.15 / Chapter 1.7 --- Summary of the Chapter --- p.15 / Chapter CHAPTER II --- COMPANY BACKGROUND --- p.17 / Chapter 2.1 --- history of CRC department store --- p.17 / Chapter 2.2 --- Store Operation --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3 --- Target Customers --- p.18 / Chapter 2.4 --- Merchandise Mix and Scope of Service --- p.18 / Chapter 2.5 --- Perceived Competitors --- p.19 / Chapter 2.6 --- Merchandising System --- p.20 / Chapter 2.7 --- Summary of the Chapter --- p.20 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- THE MARKET REPOSITIONING PROGRAM --- p.22 / Chapter 3.1 --- The Market Repositioning Program of CRC --- p.22 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Signs and Logo --- p.23 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Merchandise Selection --- p.23 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Merchandise Buying --- p.24 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Store Layout --- p.24 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- Sales Personnel --- p.25 / Chapter 3.1.6 --- Promotional Tactics --- p.26 / Chapter 3.2 --- Evaluation Criteria for the Market Repositioning Program --- p.27 / Chapter 3.3 --- Factors Affecting the Effectiveness of the Market Repositioning Program --- p.28 / Chapter 3.4 --- Summary of the Chapter --- p.29 / Chapter CHAPTER IV --- CUSTOMER SURVEY OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY --- p.31 / Chapter 4.1 --- Customer Survey Objectives --- p.31 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Definitions of Specific Terms --- p.32 / Chapter 4.2 --- Customer Survey Methodology --- p.32 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Questionnaire Design --- p.33 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Field Work --- p.34 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Sampling Design --- p.35 / Chapter 4.3 --- Limitations --- p.36 / Chapter 4.4 --- Summary of the Chapter --- p.38 / Chapter CHAPTER V --- CUSTOMER SURVEY FINDINGS --- p.39 / Chapter 5.1 --- findings from survey on existing customers --- p.39 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Demographic Profile of Respondents --- p.39 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Identify Customer Status --- p.40 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- Impression Difference on CPC/CME and CRC among Old Customers --- p.40 / Chapter 5.1.4 --- Reasons for Buying from CRC from New Customers --- p.41 / Chapter 5.2 --- findings from survey on potential customers --- p.42 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Current Awareness Towards CRC --- p.43 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Intention to Buy from CRC --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3 --- Summary of the Chapter --- p.45 / Chapter CHAPTER VI --- ISSUES & DISCUSSIONS --- p.46 / Chapter 6.1 --- Merchandise --- p.46 / Chapter 6.1.1 --- Price and Quality --- p.46 / Chapter 6.1.2 --- Assortment and Fashion --- p.47 / Chapter 6.2 --- Store Layout and Atmosphere --- p.48 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- Layout and Floor Plan of Store --- p.48 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- External and Internal Decor of Store --- p.49 / Chapter 6.2.3 --- Merchandise Display --- p.50 / Chapter 6.3 --- Sales Personnel --- p.51 / Chapter 6.4 --- Summary of the Chapter --- p.51 / Chapter CHAPTER VII --- RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS --- p.52 / Chapter 7.1 --- Recommendations --- p.52 / Chapter 7.1.1 --- Merchandise --- p.52 / Chapter 7.1.2 --- Store Layout and Atmosphere --- p.54 / Chapter 7.1.3 --- Sales Personnel --- p.56 / Chapter 7.1.4 --- Ways of Communication --- p.58 / Chapter 7.2 --- Conclusions --- p.60 / Chapter 7.3 --- Summary of the Chapter --- p.61 / APPENDIX / BIBLIOGRAPHY

Following the Second World War department stores transitioned from the downtown establishments of the first half of the century to the enclosed shopping malls of the second; however, for a period of about six years, from 1945 to 1951, the standalone department store fulfilled the needs of suburbanites. During this struggle to define the new suburban shopping experience, Welton Becket and Walter Wurdeman designed Bullock's Pasadena--the first embodiment of their research-based "total design" philosophy. Today, Becket is best known for his iconic Capitol Records building and the assembly line efficiency of Welton Becket and Associates, but he devoted much of the late 1940s and 1950s to designing department stores and shopping centers. As store managers and fellow architects strained to build department stores for automobile, Becket emerged with a research-based solution that he later termed "total-design." Similar to the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, Becket's "total-design" was a philosophy that required attention to nuance and detail--in the case of department stores this included furniture, fixtures, carpet, and even price tags and restaurant menus. But he also sought to support his designs with research and study.1 Before Becket designed Bullock's Pasadena, his first department store, he dedicated a year to analyzing the customers, employees, and efficiency of Bullock's. This investigation resulted in an open-plan store with flexible furnishings and a sympathetic approach to the automobile, including parking lots that integrated with the store's layout. Becket was not alone in his exploration of suburban department stores. Architects from around the country, including Raymond Loewy, Victor Gruen, John Graham, and Morris Ketchum, created their own prototypes for this new building typology. But many found it difficult to compete with Becket's extensive research and empirical method. Several stores, such as B. Altman's Miracle Mile branch on Long Island (1947) and Bamberger's branch in Morristown, New Jersey (1949), had to be renovated or relocated within ten years of opening, unable to keep pace with growing storage and parking demands. Becket, by contrast, studied population densities and demographics, freeway connections and traffic congestion to establish the number of parking spaces and their location on site. Instead of utilizing parking space ratios, favored by his peers, he relied on a wider scope of analysis to inform his designs. Bullock's Pasadena provides the basis for this study and demonstrates the evolution of Becket's design process that would come to define one of the world's largest architecture firms. / text