New Perspectives on 20th Century European Retailing
Peter Scott, Patrick Fridenson, Peter Scott, Patrick Fridenson
- 170 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
New Perspectives on 20th Century European Retailing
Peter Scott, Patrick Fridenson, Peter Scott, Patrick Fridenson
About This Book
Despite the publication of several studies examining European retailing in relation to the USA, there is still a dearth of recent research, in English, that explores the development of retailing in specific European countries (with the obvious exception of Britain), over the twentieth century. Even for the UK, more research is needed to challenge claims such as the alleged "backwardness" of British retailing relative to North America, or the presence of formidable "environmental" barriers to the "industrialisation" of retailing in Britain.
New Perspectives on 20th Century European Retailing showcases new research on various aspects of twentieth century European retailing, that challenges the traditional view that Europe was a "follower" of America in retail innovation. It brings together work by several - mainly early career - scholars, who are doing innovative, archival-based, research on various aspects of European retail history. Following a general review of European retailing by the editors (discussing key debates and new approaches) seven thematic chapters present work that either sheds new light on old debates and/or explores hitherto neglected topics. Collectively, they show that whereas retailers are often regarded as 'intermediaries', in fact they are actors in their own right and they challenge the traditional view that Europe was a "follower" of America in retail innovation.
The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Business History journal.
Frequently asked questions
Managing business performance: The contrasting cases of two multiple retailers 1920 to 1939
Andrew Hull
Business performance measurement and management (PMM) systems are often viewed as relatively recent phenomena, responding to the failure of historical practices which prioritised financial measures. But despite the considerable focus on these systems over the last 25 years, they have not lived up to their early promise. This article looks backwards to understand how practitioners managed their performance in the past. It focuses on two British multiple retailers between 1920 and 1939 and highlights not only the formal processes they adopted but also the role of the informal processes which shaped how they achieved their objectives.
Introduction
Approach
Questions | |
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Performance objectives | What were the key factors believed to be central to the organisationâs overall future success and how were they brought to the attention of managers and employees? |
Organisational structure | What was the organisation structure and what impact did it have on the design and use of performance management structures and systems? How did it influence and how was it influenced by the performance management processes? |
Performance management processes: | |
⢠Planning and targeting performance | What strategies and plans did the organisation adopt and what were the processes and activities that it decided were required for it to ensure success? How did it go about setting appropriate performance targets for its key performance measures? |
⢠Evaluating performance | What processes (formal and informal) did the business use to evaluate individual, group, and organisational performance? Were performance evaluations primarily objective, subjective or mixed? |
⢠Motivating (including rewarding) performance | How did the firm motivate employees to deliver the performance of the business? What was the mix of financial and non-financial rewards? |
Measuring performance | What were the key performance measures? How frequently did they change? How were they specified and communicated and what role do they play in performance evaluation? Were there significant omissions? |
Linking the system | How wer... |