| Unit name | Retail Futures |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MGRC30006 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Pantano |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important? [150 words]
The impact of technology on how products, services, experiences and ideas are being distributed to consumers has been immense. New technologies such as artificial intelligence systems and intelligent robots, virtual and augmented reality represent new tools that marketers can use to support the promotion, distribution, sale and purchase of their products and services. This unit aims to equip students with an in-depth understanding and knowledge of a range of theories and tools for creating an effective technology-enhanced retail strategy. This unit stimulates students to address the factors underpinning the successful integration of technology for achieving competitive advantage in retail. They will learn to think strategically about offline and online retailing and apply a range of marketing principles in managing physical and virtual channels enhanced with new technologies.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study [100 words]
This unit focuses on the domain of retailing, which is one of the key areas of marketing. While the unit does not have any prerequisites, it provides a specialisation in an area of marketing for those who are interested in pursuing a career in this sector.
An overview of content
Students will learn how to reduce the risk of selecting inappropriate retail technology through a systematic analysis of market trends, organisational capabilities, consumer interaction and shopping experience with different technologies. They will address the factors underpinning the successful integration of a technology for achieving competitive advantage in retail. They will learn to think strategically about offline and online retailing and apply a range of marketing principles in managing physical and virtual channels enhanced with new technologies.
Topics covered in this unit might include :
- customer journey and touchpoints - customer shopping experience (including multisensory shopping experiences) - consumer-technology interaction (including acceptance and risk of out of date and out of use) - shopping channels - new retail business models - omnichannel retail - the future of retail (technologies, challenges, and future directions)How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
After the completion of this unit, students will approach retail settings (either online and offline) differently, by showing a critical approach towards technologies and the way consumers interact with brands in retail settings. In particular, students will be able to understand how consumers interact with technologies, and how these can be successfully integrated by retailers to provide a better shopping experience. Finally, they will be able to hypothesise possible future technology-rich retail settings and suggest suitable recommendations to make them effective and successful for retailers.
Learning Outcomes
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of in-class sessions and asynchronous activities, which will create a unique and comprehensive learning experience. Specifically, it will include a combination of pre-recorded learning materials (e.g., recorded videos from TedTalks, interviews with experts, or recorder guest talks), critical review of selected academic journal papers', and case studies. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their reading, on the taught contents of the live sessions, and on the applications of what they are learning to real-world scenarios. Moreover, prior to the submission of the summative assignment, an in-class formative session will provide support, suggestions and “tips” for the completion of the assessment.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The assignment consists of a 3,000-word individually-written essay worth 100% of the mark. The essay will address a company of their choice for a given market, where students critically evaluate the theories and frameworks involved in deciding a suitable technological integration in the retail strategy, critically appraise the actual technological integration in the retail strategy of the company of their choice, and develop and support a list of recommendation to the CEO with a new retail technology integration to improve the value delivered to customers by providing a new shopping experience.
When assessment does not go to plan
Students will submit an individual essay (3,000 words) for reassessment. However, they will need to choose a different company and market for this work.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MGRC30006).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
