Retail Centers Research Articles

Developing an Open Governance System for Local Development (WITHDRAWN)

New perspectives on government and coordination represent a general response to the dramatic increase in the complexity of the social world. If we add increasing problems of openness and democratic participation, it is clear that we need to develop new approaches to local development. In the paper we first survey the current problems related to local government, in order to understand how particular governance structures work. Then we propose an approach to the development of an open governance system, partly based on social systems theory, with its orientation towards problems of complexity registration and reduction. The problem is: How can we change a governance system to be more openly collaborative and transparent? The paper develops a solution to this problem, based on the choice and implementation of several interventions, representing broad and democratic participation from local stakeholders, and resulting in an open governance system with great capacity for collective action and local development. As a final practical illustration, we use this theoretical framework to analyze the governance of a town center retail system and its need to develop a regional competitive position.

Qualified Supporting Organization Acquires Retail Center, With No Adverse Tax‐Law Consequences

The IRS has ruled that a supporting organization with respect to a university may acquire, own, and receive revenue in connection with a major commercial retail center, without disturbance of its tax‐exempt status and without incurrence of any unrelated business income tax (Priv. Ltr. Rul. 201444043).

Youths and agribusiness development in Kenya

In many parts of the world, agriculture has been left for the old people and illiterate men and women in the rural areas. Unfortunately, these people view agribusiness with a lot of suspicion. For them, agribusiness is synonymous with big business/ capital, transnational corporations, globalization, international capital, export crops and large-scale plantations. More often than not, these are seen to culminate into exploitation of local people and resources.Adoption of new technology, inputs and engagement with new markets are critical for the enhancement of agricultural productivity in Kenya. With the new free primary and secondary education in Kenya, a higher population of youths are literate hence able to adopt new technology and engage with the new markets in the agricultural industry. Since agribusiness is all about innovation in line with value addition, youths are privileged to have technological, mental and physical capacity to think and execute accordingly.When projecting into the future of agribusiness in Kenya, the youths are inevitably vital. It is also undoubted fact that the critical role played by agribusiness in agri-food sector requires high level of flexibility and dynamism among the people involved.This vibrant agriculture will lead to fairly adequate availability of employment opportunities within the sector. Specifically, jobs will move from informal to formal, small scale organizations to formal and large scale; from artisan to more industrial processing; from wet market to store based retail and small market centers will grow to towns and cities.The main objective of this research is to find out the diverse potentials among the youths that are essential for agribusiness development in Kenya. It will focus on knowledge or literacy levels among the youths; ability to think or innovate, training potentials and health conditions among others. It will also look into the physical resources available at their disposal e.g land size, shelter, livestock, capital etc. We will also go an extra mile to find various challenges that discourages youths from engaging in agribusiness ventures. The results of these findings will enable us to conclude whether the youths are indeed essential for the agribusiness development in Kenya or not.

Regulation, SMEs' Growth and Performance in Cameroon's Central and Littoral Provinces' Manufacturing and Retail Sectors

The paper discusses results from a survey on regulation, growth and performance of SMEs in Central and Littoral provinces of Cameroon's manufacturing and retail sectors. Trade regulation and company law have a negative impact on small and medium-size businesses, being more pronounced on the trading volumes of younger enterprises. Corruption in general, paying bribes to tax regulators, age of business owner and business location in the Littoral province impact negatively on trading volumes. Total registration cost impacts negatively on business trading volumes which then impacts on business performance and growth.

Spatial convenience: bridging the gap between shopping malls and shopping strips

Purpose– Due to rising obesity levels, declining fitness levels, an aging population, and shopper lethargy, retail planners must give serious consideration to the physical demands retail centres place on their patrons. The purpose of this paper is to determine the importance consumers assign to spatial convenience, measure how consumers perceive shopping malls and shopping strips (also referred to as the downtown area, central business district, Main Street or the High Street) in relation to it, and compare them in their provision of it.Design/methodology/approach– The study utilises a household survey of consumers and as well as a retail audit. The survey was used to identify the importance consumers assign to spatial convenience, while the retail audit was used to establish how malls and strips compare in their provision of it.Findings– The results of the survey indicate that consumers regard spatial convenience as important and believe that malls are superior in providing it. The retail audit confirmed the accuracy of these perceptions, with the mall providing greater store compatibility, and a more compact shopping environment.Originality/value– The influence of spatial convenience on shopping behaviour has been largely overlooked at the level of the retail centre. Moreover, those studies that have focused on this topic, have typically done so from the singular focus of either malls or strips. This study incorporates both, and does so via an empirical analysis of consumer attitudes and a spatial comparison of both retail formats.

Factors Influencing Consumer Choice of Fast Food Outlet: The Case of an American Fast Food Franchise Brand Operating in a Predominantly Rural Community

The slow penetration retail centres into previously disadvantage communities has contributed to the expansion of fast food franchises into townships and rural communities. The aim of this study was to establish the value and relevance of the salient factors influencing rural-consumer choice of fast food outlet. A quantitative survey was undertaken, with data being generated from a convenient sample of N=267 respondents. Data were analysed by utilising the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 20.1. Importantly, the study established that affordability was the main motivator for rural-based consumers in their selection of fast food outlet. The study further established that the traditional salient factors of value for money, convenience and accessibility were significant factor influencing their choice of fast food outlet. It was also found that factors such as nutritional value and the variety of the menu were not significant influencers amongst the respondents. As a result of the study the paper also determines that the country of origin of the franchise brand does not play a distinctive role in the consumer decision process. However, this paper recommends further qualitative research into the consumer buyer behaviour for rural fast food consumers to generate further empirical data as fast food franchise brands continue to explore new previously disadvantaged markets. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p802

Built environment change and change in BMI and waist circumference: Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

ObjectiveTo examine longitudinal associations of the neighborhood built environment with objectively measured body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in a geographically and racial/ethnically diverse group of adults.Design and MethodsThis study used data from 5,506 adult participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, aged 45–84 years in 2000 (baseline). BMI and WC were assessed at baseline and four follow-up visits (median follow-up 9.1 years). Time-varying built environment measures (population density, land-use, destinations, bus access, and street characteristics) were created using Geographic Information Systems. Principal components analysis was used to derive composite scores for three built environment factors. Fixed-effects models, tightly controlling for all time-invariant characteristics, estimated associations between change in the built environment and change in BMI and WC.ResultsIncreases in the intensity of development (higher density of walking destinations and population density, and lower percent residential) were associated with less pronounced increases or decreases over time in BMI and WC. Changes in connected retail centers (higher percent retail, higher street connectivity) and public transportation (distance to bus) were not associated with changes in BMI or WC.ConclusionLongitudinal changes in the built environment, particularly increased density, are associated with decreases in BMI and WC.

Measuring the Impact of Out-of-town Retail Development on Town Centre Retail Property in England and Wales

This study is a quantitative investigation into the retail markets of England and Wales between 2005 and 2010. We examine the performance of retail over space and time with particular reference to town centre activity and the impact of large off-centre retail, over a period of economic recession. We also estimate the relative income generated for Local Authorities by town-centre or off-centre location, to propound market significance by geography. Despite a widespread discussion of the impact of de-centralised planning over more than 30 years there have been no detailed studies quantifying this impact; the results aim to address a gap in current empirical evidence at the national extent. We use Valuation Office Agency (VOA) business rates as a proxy performance measure and geo-statistically defined town centre boundaries to create a nationally and statistically consistent methodology. The variation of business ‘rateable values’ is in part a facet of economic performance, and spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allowed us to illustrate those areas over and under-performing the national economic market over the same period. New off-centre large retail developments were identified over the same time frame, to identify any correlations between new developments and the resilience of proximate town centres. The study highlighted multi-scale forces and patterns of impact and found a relationship between the proximity of new off-cenre large retail developments and retail floor space value change over time in town centres.

High Street research agenda: identifying High Street research priorities

Purpose – The purpose of this short article is to outline a research agenda to further our understanding of how retail areas are influenced by, and adapt to, change. This is part of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project High Street UK 2020. Design/methodology/approach – We outline a research agenda – containing factors which High Street stakeholders in Alsager, Altrincham, Ballymena, Barnsley, Bristol, Congleton, Holmfirth, Market Rasen, Morley and Wrexham have identified as influencing the vitality and viability of their retail areas. Currently, there is little or no academic evidence available to support these factors; therefore, they are worthy of further research. Findings – The towns assert that the following factors influence High Street performance (either positively or negatively) and need further research: business support; engagement and engaged businesses; fragmentation; information; Internet connectivity; local knowledge; measuring economic impact/value; media coverage; networking; public sector dependency and risk aversion. Research limitations/implications – Only 10 towns have taken part in the research. Nevertheless, they are representative of the research-user community for retail centre research. Practical implications – This research agenda will enable researchers to respond to a clear gap in our knowledge about High Street performance, as identified by towns themselves. Social implications – By undertaking the research that people that manage retail areas need, it will enable practitioners to make better informed decisions and manage these important areas more effectively to the benefit of their local communities. Originality/value – By allowing town centre managers, traders, council members/officials and “concerned citizens” to set the agenda for research production in the area of retail centre change, we anticipate forthcoming research in this area will be more highly valued by practitioners and have more impact in “the real world”.

Transforming a Retail Centre into a Brand Through Professional Mall Management

With the changing lifestyles, incomes and shopping habits, there is a lot of scope for organized retailing which is growing day by day. Shopping malls are really helping these retail giants by providing them the infrastructure required by them to grow fast.The present study is based on the multiple drivers of growth & the issues being faced today by these shopping malls when more are coming up but they are not able to find the right rentals nor the footfalls required.Therefore, before planning for a mall, developers should position their property according to Customer Profile. It is suggested that they should not act as realtor, because poor mall management and poor tenant mix have resulted in low mall traffic and low conversion rate (8-10 percent only). They must know their customers in the area well and try to have a tenant mix as per the target customers. Create USP for their malls and have the right rentals for their shopkeepers because high rentals will lead to less profit for their shop owners. The mall developer should create an ambience and maintain a hygienic and a clean environment for family members to shop and come again and again making their shop owners more profitable in future.

Nestedness in bipartite networks of Thuja plicata, Prunus laurocerasus and Buxus sempervirens and their pathogens

The trade with cultivated plants is one of the major pathways for the introduction of invasive species, pathogens included. Based on network analysis, the present study aimed the interaction between several species of cultivated woody perennials found in gardening outlets and nurseries trading with ornamental species and their documented pathogens. Focal species of the host list were Thuja plicata, Buxus sempervirens and Prunus laurocerasus, the selection being based on reported bestselling figures. Bipartite, qualitative, undirected networks were constructed to incorporate woody perennials as hosts and their documented pathogens. The tested network properties were: connectance, node degree distribution, web asymmetry and nestedness. Cluster analysis using Euclidian distance and niche overlap index of Pianka were employed as additional pattern description metrics. The main network containing 33 host species and 112 pathogens was characterized by truncated power law distribution fitting the observed degree distribution of hosts and power law distribution fitting the observed degree distribution of pathogens, low connectance (C = 0.12), intermediate web asymmetry (W = 0.54) and high significant nestedness (N = 0.94). The network containing three focal hosts showed significant lower nestedness (N = 0.54), higher asymmetry (W = 0.94) and higher connectance (C = 0.38). Cluster analysis revealed the separation of focal species distinctly, the majority of other hosts merging in one cluster. Due to the prevalence of specialized pathogens the niche breadth was narrow, with small overlap in resources’ partition (Pianka index = 0.31). Our results showed that a random assembly of hosts (woody ornamentals displayed for sale in retail centers and nurseries) could harbor pathogens which attached in a non-random manner, generating a characteristic pathosystem, with distinctive topology. The possible implications of the study consisted in a new insight in invasive spread and the inclusion of new pathogens in local pathogen communities using network analysis as a powerful investigation tool.

Do medical marijuana centers behave like locally undesirable land uses? Implications for the geography of health and environmental justice

As of 2013, medical marijuana is legal in 20 US States and the District of Columbia, but few studies have investigated the impact of the retail centers that sell the drug. We draw upon the social construction literature to frame our research and help us determine whether medical marijuana centers in Denver, Colorado, are considered locally undesirable land uses (LULUs). The geography of health and environmental justice frameworks lead us to hypothesize that marijuana centers are more likely to be opened in Hispanic, Black, and poor neighborhoods than in non-Hispanic White and affluent neighborhoods. We also hypothesize that marijuana centers will tend to increase the minority composition and poverty of the neighborhoods in which they are located. Contrary to expectations, we find no empirical support for these two hypotheses. Instead, results suggest that marijuana centers are likely to be situated in neighborhoods with higher crime rates and more retail employment. Thus, despite the view by many planners and law enforcement officials that these centers are problematic, they do not take on LULU characteristics in siting and demographic changes. This finding, while limited to Denver, has important implications for policymakers who are considering similar marijuana policies.

English

The study was conducted to assess the rate of effluent generation and management at the Tamale abattoir. It also investigated the methods adopted in processing animal carcasses, including handling/transportation to retail centres. The investigative approach to data collection was adopted in combination with desk research and other strategies. Waste material generated was estimated based on calculations by Aniebo et al. (2009). The results show that on average, about 55 cattle, 50 sheep and 20 goats were slaughtered daily at the abattoir, leading to an annual production of 2,475 tons of beef, 270 tons of mutton and 94 tons of chevon. These represent 12, 1.6 and 0.5% of the 2010 national output of meat in Ghana. The number of livestock (125) slaughtered daily results in 0.7 ton of blood, 0.5 ton of gut contents, 0.4 ton of waste tissues and 0.7 ton of bone. These translate into a total of 1,159.7 tons of blood, 822.9 tons of intestinal contents and 636.5 tons of waste tissues discharged into the environment annually. Handling and transporting carcasses to the various points of sale is generally done under unhygienic conditions, exposing the meat to all sorts of contaminants. With only one old wretched meat van serving the abattoir, majority of butchers (93%) resort to the use of other deficient means including bicycles and taxis (booth) to transport meat to the market, posing a serious threat to the health of consumers. Key words: Abattoir, environment, intestinal content, tissue waste, biogas.

Creating GIS-based spatial interaction models for retail centres in Jeddah City

Spatial interaction models are used today in facilities planning research for predicting and for allocating flows of demand between origin and destination areas based on the attractiveness of each facility and based on the distance between facilities and demand areas. These models have been adapted to a wide range of application areas including predicting flows of people to shops, offices, schools, and hospitals. The aim of this paper is to use GIS for producing spatial interaction models for two retail centres Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. These models are created using ArcGIS software and using the interaction function which is available within the network analysis module. To produce these models, detailed geo-database was created that covers location of retail centres, the capacity of each centre, the size of centres demand at the study area, and road network coverage for Jeddah City. The created models can be used by city planners for identifying areas of the city that are poorly served by existing retail centres. In addition, these models can be used to define the impacts of expanding retail supply and or retail demand at the study area.

Sustainable Retail Spaces: Establishing the Profile of a "Green Population"

AbstractThis paper surfaces and describes the “green” population—those who, by their attitudes and/or personal behaviours, align with a sustainable social agenda. It reveals their expectations in relation to sustainable retail environments. The literature is used to identify dimensions that influence individual attitudes and consequent behaviours, in relation to environmental issues, particularly in relation to home and retail environments. These are then used to inform the conduct of eight focus groups of consumers in two tightly defined geographical areas, containing a mix of retail centre types, which are subsequently subjected to telephone surveys. Each investigation is analysed using appropriate qualitative or quantitative techniques and the results thereafter triangulated. It was found that the concept of the “green” shopper is an oversimplification, with various shades of green existing. These variations arise as a consequence of age, gender, household income, occupation, and level of education and are reflected in personal attitudes and beliefs, as well as behaviours at home and expectations of sustainable retail spaces. The designs for environmentally sustainable retail spaces are only economically sustainable if they are socially acceptable. Understanding the individual nature of the ‘green’ shopper, and the size of the ‘green’ shopper population, is central to decision-making in this regard. This research is believed to be the first critical analysis of what constitutes the ‘green’ population in terms of retail environments.

Focus: The threat is real

INTERNATIONAL union rights Page 5 Volume 21 Issue 1 2014 the site for several days before police riot squad broke the picket. Concerns about blacklisting Unions have several times unsuccessfully urged the Australian Privacy Commissioner to investigate the alleged use of personal information for blacklisting purposes. So the ETU-Grocon case is important in bringing public attention onto blacklisting, which has long been suspected to be rife in the construction industry in Australia. The ETU is seeking penalties for breaches of sections of the Fair Work Act by Grocon, compensation for the workers, and a court order that it cannot threaten to refuse to engage certain subcontractors who have known union activists on their books. The Victorian State Secretary of the ETU, Troy Gray, said these concerns were not isolated to Grocon. But he said Grocon’s behaviour was the most overt. “There hasn’t been genuine worker representation on Grocon projects going back six or seven years ago . . . There’s been blacklisting going on in the construction industry for years but we’ve never seen it at this level of absolute control”, he said. Mr Gray said the union had taken the legal action because of members’ concerns about safety on the Grocon sites, without any representation or elected safety representatives. He said the alleged intervention by Grocon had also jeopardised the employment of union members who have house mortgages and family living costs to maintain. “Blacklisting is one of the most barbaric things a company can do to its workers”, he said. “To deny a worker the ability to put food on the table for their families, for standing up for their fellow workers’ rights, is disgusting. “We must, and will, use any legal means at our disposal to put a stop to any form of blacklisting of workers”. Blacklisting ‘widespread’ in the mining industry On the other side of the country, in the Western Australian capital of Perth, ‘Sam’ wants some answers as to why he hasn’t been able to get a job since 2010. Sam (whose name has been changed at his request) has spent the past 30 years working as a rigger on large construction sites all over Australia and parts of the rest of the world, but since 2010, he hasn’t been able to get a job. Sam had been working on the construction of O NE of Australia’s largest construction companies with aspirations to being a global player has been accused of unlawfully blocking union delegates from working on its building sites in a case that has echoes of the blacklisting scandal in the UK. In a case underway in Australia’s Federal Court, the Victorian branch of the Electrical Trades Union has alleged that building giant Grocon has pressured sub-contractors not to employ known union members on projects in Melbourne. The ETU alleges that at least three card-carrying electricians were each blocked from working on a high-profile city centre retail development, following intervention by Grocon senior management . Grocon has denied the substance of the claims by the ETU, which are still working their way through the courts. But in July last year, after the ETU launched its legal action, Grocon gave undertakings in court that it would not prevent the union members from being employed on its Myer Emporium project , pending a full hearing of the case. Grocon, which began as a small family concreting business in Melbourne in the 1950s has grown to be a multi-billion dollar construction giant, and under the guidance of Executive Chairman Daniel Grollo has set its sights on becoming a global player. Attempts to de-unionise the workforce Daniel Grollo inherited the business 14 years ago from his father, Bruno, who was known as a tough but fair employer who had a good and trusting relationship with unions. But Daniel Grollo has never hidden his contempt for organised labour and several times over the past decade and a bit has attempted to deunionise the company. In 2002, he attempted to bypass the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union by urging employees to sign a non-union agreement . It was voted down by workers who stuck with the union. But...

Impact of Corporate Retailing on Price Spread Of Cauliflower in Odisha

The research study was conducted to know the impact of corporate retail marketing on price spread and profit of cauliflower cultivators in Bhubaneswar, Khurdha district of Odisha. Data were collected through a well prepared questionnaire from farmers supplying cauliflower through corporate retail market channel and traditional market channel. Three market channels were found out in the study area. Those were channel I: producers-commission agent-wholesaler-retailer-consumer, channel II: producer-wholesaler-retailer-consumer and channel III: producer-corporate market collection centre -corporate retail market's city processing centre retail outlet- consumers. Marketing cost (Rs. 25162.86) was highest for channel I and lowest for channel III and it was Rs. 9390/ha.Producers supplying their produce to corporate retail market's collection centre i.e. channel III were getting highest profit (Rs 3.49/Kg) than other two market channel. In channel I, producer's share in consumer's rupee was 32.93 percent. In channel II producer's share in consumer rupee was 35.93 percent and in channel III producer's share in consumer rupee was highest and it was 51.66 percent. Net margins of intermediaries were highest in channel I (36.5 percent) and it was less in channel III (22.5 percent) indicating that marketing efficiency was highest for channel III.

A simheuristic algorithm for the Single-Period Stochastic Inventory-Routing Problem with stock-outs

This paper describes a ‘simheuristic’ algorithm – one which combines simulation with heuristics – for solving a stochastic variant of the well-known Inventory-Routing Problem. The variant discussed here is integrated by a vehicle routing problem and several inventory problems characterized by stochastic demands. Initial stock levels and potential stock-outs are also considered, as well as a set of alternative refill policies for each retail center. The goal is to find the personalized refill policies and associated routing plan that minimize, at each single period, the expected total costs of the system, i.e., the sum of inventory and routing costs. After motivating it, a detailed description of the problem is provided. Then, a review of the related literature is performed and our simulation–optimization approach is introduced. The paper presents a set of numerical experiments comparing the proposed method against different refill strategies and discusses how total costs evolve as the level of system uncertainty and the inventory-holding costs per unit are varied.

Conceptual Optimization Model of Inventory/Distribution Network with Multi Role Nodes

Production and distribution planning might come as one integrated system or separately managed. The distribution planning may include the storage and handling of products, transportation and delivery of products, and so on. Some industries may have inventory/distribution network which are very complex, due to its distribution network and may also be subjected to specific routing restriction. The restriction may affect the optimization of the performance of the distribution network. The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual model which minimizes the total distribution cost for a multi production plant, multi distribution center and multi retailers under seasonal demand and multi time period. The supply chain under consideration comprises of multi role nodes as the production plant and/or distribution center.

Consumer perceptions of environmental and social sustainability of wood products in the Finnish market

Consumers in today's world can perceive an additional benefit associated with responsible business practices and the sustainability of purchased products. However, in Scandinavian context, there is a lack of knowledge of consumer perceptions toward environmental and social sustainability of wood products. Our data on adult Finnish consumers (private end-users) (N=227) were collected during 2004–2007 as interview exit data from home retail centers selling building materials. The perceived environmental and social sustainability of wood products was investigated using exploratory factor analysis, and the phenomenon was observed to be a two-dimensional construct consisting of “General environmental and social sustainability” and “Specific social sustainability” reflecting strong consumer need for product safety. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the “General” dimension also explains the consumer's self-declared willingness to pay for sustainable wood products. The results also indicate that the respondents may be segmented based on their perceptions on product level environmental and social sustainability: the most environmentally and socially conscious group can be profiled by gender (female), older age, and summer cottage ownership.