This research project is based on observing and Analyzing the Role of a textile merchandiser in managing the supply chain of the Home Textiles In The Buying or retailing, in the Mill and with the Agents. The project also "highlights the comparative analysis of the practices by Followed merchandisers into the retailer side, mills and Those In The Agents', on the basis of the Functions Which Supports the supply chain. In the discussion, We Have highlighted Importance Of The Role Played by an agent and by the merchandisers of Buyer and Supplier in Different situation. By our research work we find out The Challenges face by merchandisers And Then we come up with sometime suggestions.This Research Project Has Been Developed by Contacting and Visiting Hemtex, Brink Textiles, by interviewing the merchandisers working in the Industries like Al-Abid Silk Mill . By Analyzing the data & the data through the visits and the interviews, this Research Project Has Been Combined to give in-depth knowledge about the Activities Which merchandisers performer in a mill and into buying a house. / Program: Magisterutbildning i Applied Textile Management

The thesis deals with data analysis importance for decision making process. The theoretical part focuses on characteristics and specific attributes of the business intelligence, its history and development, limitations and opportunities. The data processing as well as steps or techniques necessary for the analysis are further examined. The practical part deals with sell-out data analysis of a particular retailer from its supplier point of view. The sell-out data analysis is based on real business examples and results in recommendations for a business team.

Existing theories and literature seeking to explain small business reticence to engage in enterprise bargaining, at times adopt a generalised approach which precludes or at least limits their relevance and ability to explain small business choice at the industry and even organisational level. Such explanations cannot be detached from the external contextual framework in which an organisation operates and its own, often unique, strategic corporate response to the environmental influences which are challenging it. Labour flexibility vehicles including bargaining, if chosen to facilitate broader corporate strategies, can thereby, be regarded as functionally dependent upon and interactive with the corporate orientations and objectives of the organisation which in turn are environmentally influenced and shaped. The research principally provides a focused description and analysis of the experiences of Clothingco, a small, up market, vertically integrated clothing manufacturer and retailer, which has undergone various strategic readjustments at the corporate and industrial relations level throughout the 1990s, in response to externally driven pressures. The research presents firm evidence to suggest that Clothingco has selected its labour flexibility mechanisms so that they are consistent with and able to accomodate prevailing corporate strategies and orientations. Its strategic corporate readjustments throughout the 90s, which can be perceived as falling along the continuum of cost minimisation to productivity enhancement, have in particular registered differing choices with respect to labour flexibility vehicle and strategies. In the light of the findings, the research as a preferred labour flexibility vehicle at Clothingco. These are identified as: an increasing corporate focus towards cost minimisation throughout the 1990s, coupled with an inability by management to countenance union intervention in enterprise bargaining procedures. The interaction of both these factors, rendered enterprise bargaining from the point of view of management, both a strategically and industrially inferior labour flexibility vehicle to the use of contract labour. The research's strength lies in these areas which have been highlighted and which can be monitored and tested more comprehensively in future research. / Master of Commerce (Hons)

In the literature on product branding, significant attention has been paid to brand equity in the consumer context, but relatively little attention has been paid to the application of the concept of brand equity to the business-to-business context. Even less research has been conducted on the role of brand equity in the retailing context. Retailers are assumed to be irrelevant to the source of brand value for manufacturers, with the result that manufacturers do not target retailers to help them build strong brands. Therefore, there is potential for some channel conflict to occur between manufacturers and retailers. On the one hand, retailers may tend to focus on building their own, private brands to differentiate themselves from other retail competitors and to increase their power in relation to manufacturer brands. On the other hand, retailers also need to create a good image in the consumer marketplace by selling famous, manufacturer-branded products. In other words, retailers often have to sell famous brands even if they would prefer to sell other brands, or their own. Manufacturers therefore tend to focus on building strong brand associations in consumers’ minds, in order to control retailers’ power.There is an argument that traditional ways of thinking about brands, i.e. only from the consumer perspective, has produced ‘both an incomplete analysis of branding from an academic perspective and incomplete management of the brand from a company perspective’ (Webster 2000). The relationship between manufacturers and retailers should be viewed as a partnership instead of competition for consumer loyalty (Narus & Anderson 1986). Powerful consumer brands not only provide value to manufacturers and consumers, but they also offer many obvious benefits to retailers. These benefits include an established consumer demand; favourable consumer attitudes towards the branded product found in their store; a commitment from manufacturers to promote their products; and the credibility and image of the brand itself as an enhancement of the retailer’s own credibility and image(Webster 2000). Brand equity, therefore, needs to be investigated from the retailers’ perspective, in order to provide a more complete understanding of the role of branding in marketing strategies. This research attempts to bridge this gap by exploring the customer-based brand equity concept from the retailers’ perspective. It aims to explore how consumer-based brand equity theory translates to the retailer context, incorporating the key constructs of brand association, brand trust, brand loyalty, manufacturer support and the performance of the brand.The study was conducted in the context of the Vietnamese independent retail grocery sector. This context was chosen on the basis that there has been limited research conducted on branding in the Vietnamese context and due to the prominence of the independent grocery sector in the retail industry of Viet Nam. A survey questionnaire was developed based on the review of the relevant branding and retail literature and was administered to a sample of 400 independent grocery retailers in Ho Chi Minh City. This sample was drawn from a commercial mailing list of independent retailers. Selected retailers were contacted by phone and invited to participate in the research by completing the questionnaire during a face-to-face interview at their premises. They were asked to respond to the survey in relation to a major brand of soft drink sold within their product range. The soft drink product category was selected for this study due to it being one of the most common types of products sold by the independent retail sector in Viet Nam, which would ensure that all participants could easily share their opinions of the value of brands.Following a pilot study testing the survey instrument, the main data collection phase resulted in 355 completed and useable surveys being available for analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationships between the branding constructs of interest. The findings show that the theoretical model has fit with the data. Nine out of twelve hypotheses are supported to answers four research question.The finding indicates that brand equity plays an important role in the retailing context, and it is comprised of three dimensions - brand association, brand trust and brand loyalty. Brand association is reflected in the positive image of a brand in the retailer’s perception, related to their needs and wants. This leads to a positive feeling towards that brand, which is the trust a retailer holds in a manufacturer’s brand. As the result of a strong brand, retailers commit to a long-term business relationship with the brand’s manufacturer. Two of these three dimensions of retailer-based brand equity, (brand association and brand loyalty) are positively and significantly related to the brand’s performance at the retail outlet. Manufacturer support, including advertising, sales promotion and trade promotions has been confirmed by this study to be an antecedent of retailer-based brand equity. Moreover, this study indicated that there is a difference between the retailer-based brand equity model for local brands compared to international brands, in that brand association is the most important factor in retailer-based brand equity in the international brands model while brand loyalty is the most important factor in the local brands model.

Consumers’ purchase decisions typically involve two brands: the manufacturer brand (the “what brand to buy” decision) and the retailer brand (the “where to buy” decision). While extant research suggests that consumers’ product evaluation is affected by both, much less is known about how the two brands jointly affect consumers’ preferences. Building upon prospect theory and mental accounting principles, I hypothesize that the joint effect of the two brands on consumers’ evaluation of different products depends on the reference point evoked, and whether each of the two brands is perceived as a gain or loss relative to the reference point. Five lab experiments provide empirical support for the hypothesized effects. Study 1 reveals that the joint effect of manufacturer and retailer brands depends on the reference product in a manner consistent with prospect theory and mental accounting principles. The results of Study 2 and 3 show that the majority of participants use a reputable brand sold at a reputable retailer as their reference product. For this group, there is a positive interaction effect of the manufacturer and retailer brands on consumers’ willingness to pay. Study 4 extends the results of Study 3 by testing the theoretical framework using a non-price measure of consumers’ product evaluation (i.e., attitude toward the offer). The results provide converging support for H1 and H2 and demonstrate the mediating role of gain and loss feelings, thus providing preliminary evidence for the proposed cognitive process. Finally, Study 5 provides supporting evidence for the predictions through the use of a priming method. This research contributes to the literature on behavioral decision theory and branding by extending the study of mental accounting from quantitative information (e.g., money, time) to qualitative information such as that derived from brand reputation. The findings have prescriptive implications as they can help managers understand how their brands can be leveraged, how consumers react to reference products available in the marketplace, and how to best price products across different outlets depending on the reputation of their brands and the reputation of the outlets.

Purpose: The main research objective is to identify how an organization is using a CSRstrategy to gain a competitive advantage Method: The selected research method is a descriptive method followed by an inductive one.Secondary data has been collected from books at Halmstad University’s Library and academicjournals and other articles founded in the University’s Databases. Primary data has beenobtained through an interview carried out with the head manager of Coop Halmstad, JorgenWestman. Theoretical framework: We firstly define in details the concepts of Corporate SocialResponsibility and its three aspects which are Economic, Social and Environmental. Thedescription of the concept of competitive advantage and how to obtain a sustainablecompetitive advantage. Finally, food retailers are defined. Conclusion: A summary of the findings obtained from our study is posted. Another summaryto point out the bounds between corporate social responsibility and competitive advantage.The limitations of the study as well as some suggestions for further researches are added inthis section

Despite the vast research within the fields of buyer-supplier relationships and the fashion industry, a lack of comprehensive understanding concerning the connection between the two seems to be found. Research regarding long-term relations and key concepts in form of trust and commitment, are stated to be crucial in order to create a long-term relationship. However, the importance of these concepts application regarding small-sized fashion retailers was identified to be an unexplored area; thus, a research gap was detected. This highlights a need for further research of the characteristics of the buyer- supplier relationships within small-sized fashion retailers. The purpose of this study was consequently to investigate buyer-supplier relationships within small-sized fashion retailers. Furthermore, based on the literature review of the theoretical framework, three research questions were formulated. To gather empirical data, a multiple-case study was conducted and semi-structured interviews with four purchasing managers working in the fashion industry were performed.   This study discloses that the concepts of trust and commitment were identified as being of great importance, in order to maintain a long-term relationship between the parties. Further, several factors, e.g. communication, conflict resolution and identification were distinguished to have a significant impact on the character of a close relationship. Finally this study concluded that the relation between the buyer and supplier is highly valued; with especially trust as a key factor. Both affective and calculative commitment was identified to exist, often depending on the size and dependence of the supplier. However, the prosperity of the business was ultimately argued to be the main reason for maintaining a partnership. Hence, the retailers preferred a close relationship, but sometimes accepted a transactional one due to their own customer demand.

The study has shown that retailers in the mid-price segment differentiate their brand through developing a strong company identity around the brand. The personality involves store atmosphere, merchandise and advertising. Larger companies have chosen to lay the responsibility on management level, which facilitates on store level. By controlling the strategies on a central level the company can make sure that the stores are steered in the direction that the company wants them to be steered in, and also that they follow the positioning-concept. The company can also devote its efforts to working with its core value, which is service. Service, quality and durability have been the main strategies to differentiate them from low-price chains. / Undersökningen har visat på att återförsäljare i mellanprissegmentet differentierar sig mest genom att utveckla en stark identitet kring varumärket. Personligheten involverar butiksatmosfär, sortiment samt marknadskommunikation. I större kedjor har verksamheten valt att förlägga ansvaret för detta på ledningsnivå, vilket underlättar för butiker på lokal nivå. Genom att centralstyra dessa strategier kan verksamheten dels försäkra sig om att kedjan styrs i den riktning företaget vill och följer positioneringskonceptet. Dels kan butiksansvariga hänge sig åt att arbeta med verksamheternas kärnvärde, som är service. Service, kvalitet och hållbarhet har även varit de främsta strategierna för att differentiera dem från lågpriskedjor.

Nowadays, an increasing number of global retailers such as IKEA, Carrefour and Auchan, are expanding their business internationally: internationalization is seen as a way to face competitors as well as to enhance position on the market. In particular, emerging markets are becoming a fertile field for investing resources due to their fast economic development and growing disposable income of the local population. A number of market actors (or stakeholders) affect or are affected by the internationalization process, and therefore stakeholder management determines its success to a large extent. Thus, stakeholder management competences are becoming increasingly important in today’s business world. Our study addresses stakeholder management strategy applied by a Swedish global retailer (IKEA) when internationalizing to the Russian market. We also try to identify the main cultural differences between the focal organization and the Russian stakeholders, and the way in which the company faces and overcomes those diversities. Thus, we first give a brief overview of stakeholder management approach applied by IKEA on the corporate level, and then focus on particular practices adopted in Russia. Although the IKEA Group has internal and external stakeholder management framework, we find out that no explicit stakeholder management methodology is used in Russia. The strategy of managers is emergent and implicit, but within the company guidelines and code of conduct and in accordance with organizational culture and values. Although we outline IKEA Russia’s interaction with all main stakeholder groups on the Russian market, we examine more in detail the strategies applied towards the company’s three most critical stakeholders: government, suppliers and employees. Hence, IKEA Russia opts for long-term close collaboration with suppliers through knowledge and expertise exchange, close relationship-building, improvement of working standards, and even financial investments in some cases. Employees are granted good working conditions and respectful attitude, different compensation package, possibilities for personal and professional development. Government, identified by our respondents as the most challenging stakeholder, is approached through lobbying on different levels, development of personal relationships, exchange of experience and best practices. However, when interacting with authorities, IKEA also has to adapt, be “flexible within the limits”, and focus on the long-term. Having outlined real-life strategies applied by IKEA in Russia, we compare them with the results of theoretical modeling. In order to come up with theoretical propositions for stakeholder management of IKEA in Russia, we developed a stakeholder management model, which comprised all the most relevant theories. We, thus, discover that theoretical suggestions for stakeholder management are close to what is done by management in practice. However, the theoretical model overlooks “soft” aspects of dealing with stakeholders: local and organizational culture, turbulent business environment, fast pace of doing business. Moreover, it is difficult for a single stakeholder management framework to give a one-right stakeholder management approach: it is important to combine different theories and use them for complementing each other. This allows to get a more profound insight into managing stakeholders. We develop our research based on the information we could gather from IKEA’s representatives as well as secondary data sources, such as books, two doctoral theses, and a vast amount of journal articles. Our respondents were asked to answer questions throughout which their perceptions about the company’s stakeholders have been evaluated. This has helped the researchers to draw conclusions and answer the research questions.

In recent years, it is not hard to tell that in the retail market of flaming competition in Taiwan, and quality of service is worth of being paid attention. The study tries to investigate the relationships between buyer reactions to ethical behaviors of salespeople and customer-company identification. Several hypotheses are developed and tested to find out whether interactions with salespeople generates customers¡¦ ethical perceptions and impacts on customer-company identification. Moreover, the study intends to explore the consequences of customer-company identification (extra- or in- role behaviors). The study adopts structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the path estimates among constructs. The study adopts convenience sample and the valid return of survey is 296. Results indicate that the significant and positive effects of both moral equity and relativism on customer-company identification and repurchase intention and positive word-of-mouth followed up. At last, the managerial implications of this study may help retailers with professional ethics of salespeople and create loyal customers.