NEGOTIATING IN FINNISH GROCERY RETAIL - Negotiation Narratives of S-group, Kesko and Lidl

In this research retail negotiations are explored through the question: What characteristics are distinctive to negotiating in Finnish grocery retail trade? To shed light on the research question I interviewed experienced retail negotiators and mapped out the most important characteristics of the retail negotiations. I described through examples the most prominent challenges negotiators face in their negotiations and elaborated what kind of tools the experienced negotiators use to overcome those challenges. The research results add up to a groundwork frame for retail negotiations with which further research can be more easily directed to any area of interest in the Finnish grocery retail negotiations. The framework can give ideas or frames for further research, or function as a general guideline of factors to consider when negotiating in Finnish retail field. The results were divided into 3 sections: Characteristics, Challenges and Tools. Different negotiation models help negotiators and researchers understand negotiation dynamics. This research adds to that pool by focusing on elements essential to consider specifically in the context of Finnish retail. Finland offered an exceptionally interesting setting to study negotiation, as grocery retail trade in Finland is highly centralized. Especially for those interested understanding a centralized setting such as Finland’s retail field, the framework presented in this research might provide a valuable spectrum of essential negotiation elements. Learning is a lifelong process, but that path can be evened by tuning in on what others have learned during their own endeavors in similar situations. Seasoned negotiators have many stories to tell about negotiating that can be drawn upon and by doing so, we can avoid having to spend time learning the same insights twice. This research drew on narrative, case-research and interviewing to find out how seasoned negotiators in the field of Finnish retail experienced negotiation, what challenges negotiations pose and what tools can be used to overcome them

Manpower development and nation-building : Singapore's experience

Manpower is a basic resource. It is the indispensable means of converting other resources to mankind '.s use and benefit. As a process· of increasing the knowledge, skills, and dexterity of the people of a society, manpower development is the most fundamental means of enabling a nation to acquire the capacities to bring about its desired future state of affairs -- a more mighty and wealthier nation. Singapore's brief nation-building history justifies the emphasis accorded to the importance of good quality human resources and manpower development in economic and socio-political developments. As a tiny island-state with a poor natural resource base, Singapore's long-term survival and development depend ultimately upon the quality and the creative energy of her people. In line with the nation-building goals and strategies of the Republic, as conditioned by her objective setting, Singapore's basic manpower development premise has been one of "quality and not quantity". While implementing the "stop-at-two" family planning and population control programs and the relevant immigration measures to guard against the prospect of a "population explosion", the Government has energetically fostered various educational programs, including vocational training schemes, adult education programs, the youth movement, and the national service scheme to improve the quality of Singaporeans. There is no denying that some of the manpower development measures taken by the Government have imposed sacrifice and hardship on the Singapore citizens. Nevertheless, they are the basic conditions for the island-Republic's long-term survival and development. It is essential iii to note that Singapore's continuing existence and phenomenal-success are largely attributable to the will, capacities and efforts of her leaders and people. In the final analysis, the wealth and the strength of a nation are based upon its ability to conserve, develop and utilize effectively the innate capacities of its people. This is true not only of Singapore but necessarily of other developing nations. It can be safely presumed that since most developing states' concerns about the quality of their human resources and the progress of their nation-building work are inextricably bound to those about the quantity of their population, the "quality and not quantity" motto of Singapore's manpower development programs can also be their guiding principle.

Receipt from Watkins and Harris, Wholesale and Retail Ironmongers, Toronto, Ontario for iron

Receipt from Watkins and Harris, Wholesale and Retail Ironmongers, Toronto, Ontario for iron, May 11, 1838.

Prevalence of Salmonella in retail whole chicken carcasses in Hanoi, Vietnam

Au Vietnam, les informations sur la contamination de la viande de volaille par les salmonelles sont presque limitées. L’étude cherche à comparer la prévalence des salmonelles entre les marchés traditionnels et les supermarchés ainsi qu’entre les carcasses fraîches et congelées en plus de mesurer la température interne au moment de l’achat. Deux cent quarante-cinq carcasses de poulets entiers ont été achetées des marchés et des supermarchés dans sept arrondissements de la ville de Hanoi au Vietnam de juin à juillet 2011. L’échantillonnage a inclu 110 carcasses fraîches de marchés traditionnels (F/M), 109 carcasses fraîches des supermarchés (F/SM) et 26 carcasses congelées des supermarchés (FZ/SM). La température intérieure des carcasses a été évalué au moment de l’achat des carcasses. Salmonella a été isolé à partir de rinçage de carcasses et les isolats ont été sérotypés. La prévalence de carcasses positives pour Salmonella était de 66,5% (163/245) et variait entre les trois catégories : 84,55% (93/110) de F/M, 59,63% (65/109) de F/SM et 19,23% (5/26) de FZ/SM (P<0.05). Pour un total de 25 sérovars détectés, le sérovar principal fut Agona (24,78%) suivi de Albany (20,43%) et enfin Corvallis (10%). Deux des sérovars repérés se retrouvaient sur les mêmes carcasses pour 66 échantillons (26,9%). La température interne des carcasses des marchés traditionnels et des supermarchés était associé une différence significative (P < 0.05) avec une température moyenne de 27,3°C et 15,8°C respectivement. Cette étude dévoile une prévalence élevée de Salmonellaspp.des carcasses de poulets à Hanoi et démontre une difficulté partagée par tous les types de marchés à maintenir une température adéquate des carcasses.

Salmonella cross contamination in retail chicken outlets and the efficacy of spice extracts on salmonella enteritidis growth inhibhition on various surfaces

The source of samonella cross contamination in 15 retail chicken outlets in aresidual area in coimbatore city ,sourthern India was studied. Chopping boards and the butchers hands were predominant followed by knives and the weighing balance tray. Serotyping of the salmonella strains revealed that all strains were salmonella enteritis, except one which was found to be salmonella cerro.The anti bacterial activity of commonly used spices were evaluated.

The incidence ,Antibiotic resistence and survival of salmonella and escherichia coli isolated from broiler chicken retail outlets

The incidence of salmonella and escherichia coli in chicken retail outlets in a residential area of coimbatore, Tamilnadu India was studied with the view that accessories may be a source of cross contamination.Accessories like cages,knives ,chopping boards weighing balance trays and the hands of butcher were examined.A toatal of 14 salmonella as well as 31 E.coli were isolated from different sources. The incidence of E.coli was higher than that of Salmonella.The highest incidence of Salmonella was found in chopping boards and the maximum level of E.Coli was detected in cages.

Organized Retail Market Boom and the Indian Society

IT and related services played a major role for India’s current 9.2. GDP growth. Organized retailing in India is one more example for its open economy. The IT industries where able develop a demand for Indian talents all over the world and improved their living standards. It directly impacts only a small minority of Indian population while organized retail affects every single Indian and every sector of Indian society. The paper gives a glimpse of the slow evolution of retail market over the years in India and its contribution for economic growth. The likely positive impact of this revolution in different sectors is enumerated. Paper addresses its ability to manipulate consumption pattern of society, increased customer satisfaction and likely change in the market shares of the different types of sellers. Paper discusses its flip sides like increasing social tension among families below poverty line and greater loss of self employment opportunities by this revolution. The main theme of enquiry of this paper is what it all means for the Indian society.

Service provider switching: a study on the switching process in retail banking

In a business environment that is characterized by intense competition, building customer loyalty has become a key area of focus for most financial institutions. The explosion of the services sector, changing customer demographics and deregulation and emergence of new technology in the financial services industry have had a critical impact on consumers’ financial services buying behaviour. The changes have forced banks to modify their service offerings to customers so as to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and also high levels of customer retention. Banks have historically had difficulty distinguishing their products from one another because of their relative homogeneity; with increasing competition,the problem has only intensified with no coherent distinguishing theme. Rising wealth, product proliferation, regulatory changes and newer technologies are together making bank switching easier for customers. In order to remain competitive, it is important for banks to retain their customer base. The financial services sector is the foundation for any economy and plays the role of mobilization of resources and their allocation. The retail banking sector in India has emerged as one of the major drivers of the overall banking industry and has witnessed enormous growth. Switching behaviour has a negative impact on the banks’ market share and profitability as the costs of acquiring customers are much higher than the costs of retaining. When customers switch, the business loses the potential for additional profits from the customer the initial costs invested in the customer by the business get . The Objective of the thesis was to examine the relationship among triggers that customers experience, their perceptions of service quality, consumers’ commitment and behavioral intentions in the contemporary India retail banking context through the eyes of the customer. To understand customers’ perception of these aspects, data were collected from retail banking customers alone for the purpose of analysis, though the banks’ views were considered during the qualitative work carried out prior to the main study. No respondent who is an employee of a banking organization was considered for the final study to avoid the possibility of any bias that could affect the results adversely. The data for the study were collected from customers who have switched banks and from those who were non switchers. The study attempted to develop and validate a multidimensional construct of service quality for retail banking from the consumer’s perspective. A major conclusion from the empirical research was the confirmation of the multidimensional construct for perceived service quality in the banking context. Switching can be viewed as an optimization problem for customers; customers review the potential gains of switching to another service provider against the costs of leaving the service provider. As banks do not provide tangible products, their service quality is usually assessed through service provider’s relationship with customers. Thus, banks should pay attention towards their employees’ skills and knowledge; assessing customers’ needs and offering fast and efficient services.

Does it pay to be socially responsible? Evidence from spanish retail banking sector

This paper presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of strategic competition in retail banking when some of the financial firms are non-profit organisations that invest in social activities. Banking literature about competition is fairly large, but the strategic interaction between profit maximizing and non profit maximizers has not been extensively analysed except for Purroy and Salas (1999). In this paper, a completely different approach is taken. An adaptation of Hotelling’s two stage model of spatial competition is developed to take into account consumer perceptions respect to the two different types of financial institutions. The empirical analysis confirms that consumers take into account other features different from the price, such as social contribution or closer service to make a deposit or mortgage decision. These conclusions are of interest in the debate about a firm’s social or ethical activities. It is shown that if consumers value social activities, firms can improv

Escenarios del retail en Bogotá

Durante los últimos años el principal motor de la industria es el comercio, esta actividad económica de la ciudad ha permitido un trabajo en conjunto con las empresas productoras que conlleva beneficios y rentabilidad para ambos sectores satisfaciendo las necesidades de los habitantes de la capital. La importancia de la planeación estratégica por escenarios en el comercio al por menor permite un acercamiento sistémico que relata la interacción de este con su entorno, brindando herramientas para la toma decisiones por parte de la alta gerencia de las empresas del Retail en la capital basándose en la identificación de variables claves que permiten la generación de escenarios a futuro por medio de hipótesis.

Implementación del modelo de negocio en el mercado retail colombiano

La teoría de precios bajos es una estrategia de empresa que se basa en el modelo de eficiencia en costos. Aplicado en diferentes empresas como Walmart, Tesco, Mercadona, entre otras, ha hecho que esta proposición sea aplicada en varias empresas en todo el mundo. Y es necesario saber por qué ha sido una aplicación exitosa en todas estas empresas y la razón de haber tomado la decisión de emplear este modelo. Como es bien sabido, una empresa tiene dos enfoques de estrategia. La primera es la de diferenciación, donde el producto o servicio ofrecido tiene un valor agregado o valor único que hace que su precio no sea relevante, por el contrario, éste demuestra que su oferta en el mercado sea única y como su palabra lo dice, diferenciada a los demás productos. También es necesario entender que la mayoría de estos productos no son bienes comprados por necesidad, sino por el contrario, por gusto y satisfacción personal. Por otro lado, existe la estrategia de liderazgo en costes. Por el contrario de la de diferenciación, los productos a los que se aplica este modelo, se encuentran en mercados de consumo básico y donde la compra se hace de manera inconsciente y rápida. Y es ahí donde las compañías trabajan no para hacerlo único en el mercado, por el contrario, trabajan para hacerlo llamativo, a un precio razonable y donde la calidad ofrecida sea igual o mejor al de la competencia. Es por esto, que la estrategia de costos, busca en todas las maneras posibles abaratar los costos de fabricación, producción y distribución de los productos, de manera que puedan realizar grandes cantidades de ellos, llamadas economías de escala. Es por esto, que uno de los grandes retos para las marcas blancas es competir en calidad y precio frente a grandes marcas reconocidas. Y es ahí donde entra a jugar como factor clave la reducción máxima de costos dentro de las empresas y un manejo excelente en la logística. El proyecto a tratar será sobre este tema de liderazgo en costes y los precios bajos ofrecidos al consumidor como estrategia para abarcar mayor población y de tal manera generar mayores utilidades.

salud financiera y riesgo en los estados financieros de la empresa avianca del sector aeronautico

La globalización y la competitividad como realidad de las empresas, implica que los gerentes preparen a sus empresas de la mejor manera para sobrevivir en este mundo tan inestable y cambiante. El primer paso consta de investigar y medir como se encuentra la empresa en cada uno de sus componentes, tales como recurso humano, mercadeo, logística, operación y por último y más importante las finanzas. El conocimiento de salud financiera y de los riesgos asociados a la actividad de las empresas, les permitirá a los gerentes tomar las decisiones correctas para ser rentables y perdurables en el mundo de los negocios inmerso en la globalización y competitividad. Esta apreciación es pertinente en Avianca S.A. esto teniendo en cuenta su progreso y evolución desde su primer vuelo el 5 de diciembre de 1919 comercial, hasta hoy cuando cotiza en la bolsa de Nueva York. Se realizó un análisis de tipo descriptivo, acompañado de la aplicación de ratios y nomenclaturas, dando lugar a establecer la salud financiera y los riesgos, no solo de Avianca sino también del sector aeronáutico. Como resultado se obtuvo que el sector aeronáutico sea financieramente saludable en el corto plazo, pero en el largo plazo su salud financiera se ve comprometida por los riegos asociados al sector y a la actividad desarrollada.

Condiciones para que perduren las tiendas por departamentos en el sector retail colombiano

Esta investigación busca identificar los componentes que permiten que las organizaciones del segmento tiendas por departamento del sector retail en Colombia perduren; para ello analiza la definición alcanzada por la Universidad del Rosario en 2009 y la contrasta con estudios teóricos anteriores y posteriores a esta, entrevistas en profundidad a algunos de los actores del segmento en el país, e información sobre el tema publicada en medios de comunicación. A partir de la triangulación de estos datos se concluye que, en tanto el sector tiene las mismas problemáticas y criterios de evaluación de cualquier empresa, le son aplicables los mismos criterios de perdurabilidad.

Productivity growth in electric energy retail in Colombia. A bootstrapped malmquist indices approach

This paper offers a productivity growth estimate for electric energy commercialization firms in Colombia, using a non-parametric Malmquist bootstrap methodology. The estimation and methodology serve two main purposes. First, in Colombia Commercialization firms are subject to a price-cap regulation scheme, a non-common arrangement in the international experience for this part of the industry. Therefore the paper’s result suggest an estimate of the productivity factor to be used by the regulator, not only in Colombia but in other countries where commercialization is a growing part of the industry (renewable energy, for instance). Second, because of poor data collection from regulators and firms themselves, regulation based on a single estimation of productivity seems inappropriate and error-prone. The nonparametric Malmquist bootstrap estimation allows an assessment of the result in contrast to a single one estimation. This would open an opportunity for the regulator to adopt a narrower and more accurate productivity estimation or override an implausible result and impose a productivity factor in the price-cap to foster the development of the industry.

Propuesta de mejoramiento de la política de inventarios de la empresa Wholesale and Retail Place LLC

Wholesale and Retail place LLC, es una empresa que nace en el año 2012 en la ciudad de Carteret, Nueva Jersey dedicada a la comercialización y distribución de ropa para mujer colombiana en Estados Unidos. De esta manera, la problemática abordada en este proyecto será la influencia de la política de inventarios en el desempeño de la empresa. A partir de esto, se plantea realizar un mejoramiento de la política de gestión de inventarios, recurso que procure cambiar el modelo operativo de negocio mediante un enfoque a la transición, desde una pequeña hasta una mediana empresa, con énfasis en la perdurabilidad y sostenibilidad de la compañía.