AMB205 Retail Planning and Sales Management


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Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Unit code:AMB205
Credit points:12
Coordinator:Gary Mortimer | gary.mortimer@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

The Australian retail sector is worth more than $400bn annually, employing 1.3 million people, across 140,000 physical and online stores. In recent years, shifts in customer behaviour, the growth of new retail format, the emergence of eCommerce and the entry of online marketplaces, have resulted in structural challenges. To operate a retail business successfully and profitably in today's competitive marketplace, managers need to understand the challenging and changing retail landscape.

Retail Planning and Sales Management explores the history and evolution of retail. Students will learn basic decision-making frameworks to assist in planning, general retailing principles, strategies and tactics, enabling them to operate a retail business in continuously shifting marketplace. The unit also introduces students to the related disciplines of customer journey mapping, customer behaviour, selling and sales management, and market share growth strategies.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Explain and analyse the role of retail within an economy, including the evolution and emerging challenges.
  2. Identify and explain basic retailing principles, concepts, and practices, including retail strategies and tactics, across a range of retail formats.
  3. Apply basic retailing principles, strategies, tactics, including segmentation and targeting approaches for the development of a retail marketing action plan.
  4. Demonstrate knowledge of general retail planning, strategy and tactics to analyse and evaluate retail businesses.
  5. Explain the impact of customer behaviour and customer journey for effective retail planning and decision-making.
  6. Apply basic selling, sales management, and market share growth strategies to retail businesses.
  7. Use information literacy skills to effectively communicate retail planning and sales management knowledge in written form.

Content

Content includes basic planning and decision-making frameworks, retail marketing concepts, such as segmentation, targeting, and value propositioning. Retail marketing tactics, market research, customer journey mapping, customer behaviour, selling principles and sales management, are also covered.

Learning Approaches

Learning Approaches

Content is delivered in a weekly 3-hour workshop which will include: (1) introducing students to key retail planning, marketing and selling principles, strategies, and tactics, (2) critical discussions of ‘real world’ contemporary retailing issues (using retailer 'Annual Reports' and Industry Reports) (3) small group work, structured exercises and case studies.

The workshops will also guide students through their assessment.

Assessment 1 will require students to analyse an existing retail business, via a case study, which will require them to apply entrepreneurial thinking in an existing retail business and demonstrate an understanding of the integrated nature of retail planning decisions, strategies, and tactics.

Assessment 2 will require students to apply entrepreneurial thinking in an existing business and extend this knowledge, in conjunction customer journey, customer behaviour and sales management principles to develop a comprehensive Retail Marketing Action Plan on the retail business.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester which may include:

    Informal: worked examples, such as verbal feedback in class, personal consultation

    Formal: in writing, such as checklists (e.g., criteria sheets), written commentary

    Direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation

    Indirect: to the whole class

Assessment

Overview

Assessment includes both formative (Assessment 1) and summative (Assessment 2) components. The assessment in this unit aims to support the achievement of the learning objectives for both discipline knowledge and other graduate capabilities.

Students may be required to attend campus or an assessment centre for the purposes of assessment, regardless of the attendance mode for the unit.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Retail Case Study Analysis

Students will be provided with a case study of an existing retailer. Students will be required to undertake independent research to analyse emerging contemporary macro-environmental factors impacting the retailer, their current strategy and underpinning tactics, and their target market. Using a decision making framework, students will apply entrepreneurial thinking and objectively determine whether the retailer’s approach to market is appropriate or requires change.

Business Capabilities (AoL goals): KS (1.2), HO (2.1), (2.2), PC (3.1)

Weight: 40
Length: 2000 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 6
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 4, 7

Assessment: Retail Marketing Action Plan

A retail marketing action plan documents and articulates the decisions that mangers must make to operate a retail business successfully and profitably. In this assignment, students will construct a basic plan for a retail business of their choice. Building upon knowledge and feedback from Assessment 1, students will undertake independent research, apply entrepreneurial thinking and evidence-based decision making frameworks to develop a basic plan that applies industry knowledge, including customer segmentation and targeting approaches, appropriate marketing tactics, and ethical selling and sales management activities.

Business Capabilities (AoL goals): KS (1.1) (1.2), HO (2.1), (2.2), PC (3.1), SE (5.1)

Weight: 60
Length: 3000
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

There is no prescribed text. Students will be provided with case studies and will undertake their own independent research.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with lectures or tutorials in this unit. You should, however, familiarize yourself with evacuation procedures operating in the buildings in which you attend classes and take the time to view the Emergency video.