Retail Groups Research Articles

Features of improving the economic mechanisms of resistance to external threats on the example of "X5 Retail Group"

This article discusses the issue related to the study of difficulties and barriers that arise in the process of improving the system of mechanisms to ensure corporate fraud counteraction on the example of X5 Retail Group. The author studied the existing system, which reflects a set of mechanisms aimed at combating corporate fraud in X5 Retail Group, including an analysis of specific mechanisms, depending on which aspect of protection they are aimed at. An important place in this work is given to the analysis of the use of Big Data technology in X5 Retail Group. The author gave a description of this technology, described its main elements and principle of operation, and also considered the features of its application in a group. At the same time, this paper also highlights assumptions regarding the aspects in which the use of Big Data technologies should be expanded, as well as certain vectors of further development that X5 Retail Group should pay attention to. The author identified a number of problems and difficulties that the management of X5 Retail Group has to face in the process of developing a system of mechanisms to combat corporate fraud. In addition, the author described ways to solve the main difficulties that hinder the development of the X5 Retail Group compliance system. In the final part of the work, the author gives recommendations in the field of improving the existing system of mechanisms for combating corporate fraud in X5 Retail Group, and also determines the role of Big Data technology in this process.

Leadership development, gender and race: Intersectional insights from South Africa

AbstractThis research explores the existence of differential group‐level experiences in a South African retail group's leadership development programme (LDP). Primary data were collected with semistructured intersectional focus groups. Findings were triangulated with secondary data from organizational document analysis. Emerging themes were identified with Thematic and Axial coding. Gender‐ and race identity shape how content, development needs, peer interactions, and support are experienced within the LDP. Additionally, certain findings also contradict existing knowledge of LDPs, such as the prevalence of mistrust between participants in a mixed‐group programme. Findings indicate a need for further research to explore the differential effects of intersectional identities on the experience of LDPs. Findings challenge psychologically and behaviourally focused conceptions of leadership development by demonstrating how multiple identities interdependently influence the experience of an LDP. Concurrently, the study challenges existing knowledge of group dynamics within mixed‐group development programmes by highlighting essentialist assumptions about gender and race in the context of leadership development. An analysis of the qualitative data also produced the counterintuitive finding that intersecting bases of privilege might actually result in negative outcomes within a learning context. Finally, the study also contributes to the body of knowledge of intersectionality by demonstrating its utility in leadership development research.

Impacts of the Pandemic, Animal Source Food Retailers' and Consumers' Knowledge and Attitudes toward COVID-19, and Their Food Safety Practices in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the food supply chain, retailers, and consumers owing to infection awareness. This study evaluated the impacts COVID-19 on ASF retailers’ businesses and consumers’ livelihoods, as well as their knowledge toward the disease, attitudes, and food safety practices to prevent infections. The study includes a cross-sectional component that was conducted in urban/peri-urban (U/PU) and rural areas in Chiang Mai province. In another part of the study, a structured questionnaire was developed for animal source food (ASF) retailers and consumers, with three primary parts for data analysis: general information, COVID-19 impacts, and knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) assessment. Data corresponding to three periods of interest (before the COVID-19 outbreak, during partial lockdown, and present) were gathered and analyzed. In this study, 155 retailers and 150 consumers participated, of which the majority of the respondents were female (70.3% and 82.7%, respectively) with average ages of 47.4 and 44.9 years, respectively. The most noticeable effect of COVID-19 was a decline in income for retailers and consumers. The KAP scores of consumers in both areas were not significantly different, whereas the retailer attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and food safety practices scored more highly in rural areas than in U/PU. During the partial lockdown, food safety practices significantly improved relative to the time preceding the outbreak, and these practices have remained constant to the present day. The results revealed that gender, age group, business type, and type of ASF retailers were associated with the KAP of the retailers, whereas gender, age group, education, number of family members, and occupation were associated with the KAP of the consumers. Our findings provide in-depth information about the effects of COVID-19 on ASF retailers and consumers, as well as their KAP regarding the outbreak and food safety, which may serve as support in developing policies for improved health and food safety.

SARS-CoV-2 serological findings and exposure risk among employees in school and retail after first and second wave COVID-19 pandemic in Oslo, Norway: a cohort study.

The objective was to characterize and compare SARS-CoV-2 serology among Norwegian school employees and retail employees, and describe preventive measures taken at the workplaces. A cohort of 238 school and retail employees was enrolled to an ambidirectional cohort study after the first COVID-19 pandemic wave. Self-reported exposure history and serum samples were collected at 10 schools and 15 retail stores in Oslo, Norway, sampled at 2 time-points: baseline (May-July 2020); and follow-up (January-March 2021). SARS-CoV-2 antibodies targeting both spike and nucleocapsid were detected by multiplex microsphere-based serological methods. At baseline, 6 enrolled workers (5 in retail) presented with positive SARS-CoV-2 serology, higher than the expected 1% prevalence (3%, 95% CI: 1-6, p = 0.019). At followup, school and retail groups presented 11 new seropositive cases altogether, but groups were not significantly different, although exposure and preventive measures against viral transmission at workplaces were different between groups. Self-reported medical history of COVID-19 infection showed that all but one positive SARS-CoV-2 serological findings arising between baseline and follow-up had been diagnosed with virus testing. Distribution of SARS-CoV-2 positive serology after the first wave was slightly higher than expected. Distribution of infection was not significantly different between the groups at baseline nor at follow-up, despite difference in exposure and protective measures. Nearly all new seropositive cases discovered between baseline and follow-up, had already been diagnosed, highlighting the importance of extensive viral testing among workers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(5):537-47.

The Effect of E-Commerce on Grocery Store Choice and Retail Competition

Abstract E-commerce continues its expansion, and most retail groups have opened online distribution channels in the French grocery market. Using purchasing data, I develop a store choice model and a supply model to estimate the effect of the online distribution channel on consumer welfare and retail competition. E-commerce leads to a small decrease in consumer surplus. Furthermore, only online leaders obtain more market shares and profits while the majority of retailers globally get lower market shares and profits with e-commerce.

Microbial Diversity and Quality-Related Physicochemical Properties of Spicy Cabbage in Northeastern China and Their Correlation Analysis.

Chinese spicy cabbage (CSC) is a popular special fermented food in Northeast China. The bacterial community and quality of CSC from different regions of northeastern China (Group_J: Jilin province, Group_L: Liaoning province, Group_H: Heilongjiang province) at retail (Group_P) and home-made (Group_C) were investigated in this study. The determination of the microbial community was achieved using high-throughput sequencing and the quality-related physicochemical characteristics included pH, salinity, total acid (TA), amino acid nitrogen (AAN), reducing sugar (RS), nitrite, and biogenic amines (BAs). Based on OPLS-DA analysis, there was a difference between the quality of Group_C and Group_P. No significant difference was observed in province grouping. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla, and the dominant genera were Lactobacillus, Pantoea, Weissella, and Pseudomonas. All groups had significant differences in community structure (p < 0.05). Compared with Group_C, the relative abundance of opportunistic pathogens (Pseudomonas and Serratia) in Group_P was lower. Pseudomonas and Serratia were the biomarkers in Group_H. At the genus level, Lactobacilluss and Weissella had a positive correlation with pH, Cadaverrine, and salinity (p < 0.05), however, they were negatively related to tryptamine. Pseudomonas was negatively correlated with salinity (p < 0.05). Bacterial community and physicochemical parameters of CSC, as well as the correlation between them, were discussed in this study, providing a reference for future studies on CSC inoculation and fermentation.

Управление рисками ритейлеров как участников экосистемы российской розничной торговли

The article examines the concepts of "risk management" and "ecosystem", as well as provides a detailed analysis of the ecosystem of the Russian retail trade, the participants of which are domestic retailers. The retailers X5 Retail Group and VkusVill are considered as an example of effective use of the e-commerce ecosystem. As a result of research, the main problems in the risk management of retailers X5 Retail Group and VkusVill were identified, and practical recommendations for their elimination were proposed.

Analiza produktivnosti sektora maloprodaje Republike Srbije sa osvrtom na COVID-19 pandemiju

The sector that has suffered the highest market turbulence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is the retail sector. Evidence for this can be found in the great shocks on the demand side, primarily for essential products necessary in conditions of self-isolation and quarantine. The principal question is whether the sharp increase in demand, restrictions on the operation of retail facilities, strict epidemiological measures among both employees and consumers, tightened safety protocols, mandatory protective equipment etc., have affected the business, primarily of small retailers. In this regard, the aim of the paper is to analyze productivity between key groups of retailers in the market of Serbia with special reference to the assessment of productivity in the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed statistically significant differences existed between the productivity of local and regional retail chains in relation to the leading retail chains. It was confirmed that the average productivity of associated retailers is higher than that of independent (local) retailers. Also, there are differences in productivity per employee between the observed groups. However, the results showed no statistically significant difference in the degree of productivity of the retail sector in the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The obtained results suggest that the retail supply chain has stabilized after the first months of the pandemic and shown its complete flexibility to sudden market shocks. Guidelines for future research are included in the paper.

Smart Cart With Multi-shopping Solutions

Consumerism has constantly been growing, and visiting marketplaces and purchasing is a key development factor for the economic development of a city. The spending habits of people are a reflector of many development indices. As people go out for purchasing in malls for shopping essential items, they often tend to find long queues at the billing counter, and the queues are more longer during weekends and during sale seasons. This has been deterring people from going out shopping and instead resort to online shopping. This has affected the sales and revenue of departmental chains. Also, people spend quite a considerable amount of time searching through rows in order to find the items of their choice. Proposing a solution to these above-mentioned problems using technology is a real boon. Installing a payment option on the cart itself would result in cutting down the waiting times in queues. Moreover, the customers can also benefit from navigation through the virtual maps that would be displayed on the screens of the carts. This reduces the time wasted by customers in searching for products. Hence the customers are self-dependent during their shopping. For the retail group, their transactions and management are truly simplified with these developments. Additionally, the counter labor will decrease if not cease to zero, which in turn reduces the labor cost drastically. In times of pandemic like now, people have been sticking with online shopping due to various reasons, but they long to go out and spend time in the malls as they would in normal times. The proposed solution would definitely assist in the normalization of lives and bring back on-ground retail back to life.

Корпорация-гражданин в политическом дискурсе в условиях пандемии

The wisdom of reviewing corporations, which execute strategic programs of corporate sustainability, as an important actor of political communications in postindustrial society is justified in the article. The basic features of corporate sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and corporate citizenship concepts, the role of strategic communications under international ESG-discourse are outlined. The comparative analyses of Russian companies, participating Global Compact Network, social investments during COVID-19 pandemic is based on case studies, transparent nonfinancial reporting, and expert interviews. Social projects and programs of X5 Retail Group, Severstal’, Norilsk Nikel, United Metallurgic Company were studied. These companies’ basic business activities were established in industrial society. As the result of the research, based on process sociology (N. Elias), mediatization (A. Hepp), and communicative rationality (Ju. Habermas) approaches, the role of corporate citizens in communicative figurations of the network society formation and their subjectivity in political communications acquiring. The focus is made on COVID-19 pandemic influence on communication infrastructures with the studied companies’ stakeholders transformation.

The Transmission Dynamic of the COVID 19 Outbreak: A Predictive Dashboard

COVID 19 outbreak gives a great impact worldwide. The disaster of this pandemic has resulted in a large number of human lives being lost. As all countries implemented quarantine and social distancing, the great lockdown all over the world lead to multiple crises including health, economy, financial, and collapse in industrial and educational activities. Movement Control Order (MCO) and social distancing which have been implemented as control measures in Malaysia also affected many sectors. The landscape now has successfully reduced the number of infected people. However, from the economic point of view, the Retail Group Malaysia (RGM) has projected the country’s retail industry suffers a negative growth rate for the first time in 22 years. If the epidemic continues, society will reach an impasse, a time when the lockdown will become more than some of them can tolerate. As recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), modelling the outbreak based on the prior input data is more appropriate than the ‘risk of bias’ for decision-makers. Thus, this research is conducted to model the outbreak of the disease using the susceptible-infected-recovery-death (SIRD) compartmental model accompanying with the varying infection rate due to changes in MCO measures. The model assumes under the unavailability of the vaccine, recovered people can be reinfected. The epidemic parameters and reproduction numbers are estimated and fitted from the transmission model to the actual data using the Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) of Metropolis-Hasting. The model is solved using a numerical algorithm of the Runge-Kutta method. The predictive dashboard of a graphical user interface (GUI) is developed, hence monitoring and predicting the outbreak under the control measures of the two different types of MCO scenarios (which are called constant and alternate scenarios) can be performed. GUI for the dynamic transmission of the COVID 19 provides insight for the future outbreak, hence may help the respective stakeholders to propose the best policy of a new norm for all sectors. From the GUI, we can see that, when no or loose MCO is implemented or compliance of the public to the COVID 19 standard operating procedure (SOP), the infected case will increase rapidly up to 7.5 million. With strict MCO regulation or public obedient to the SOP, the infected case will decrease rapidly, but even after a long period of strict regulation, once the quarantine is stopped, the infected case will rise again. An alternative MCO scenario is suggested where a cyclic pattern of strict and loose MCO regulation is upheld, and it shows to flatten the curve while allow periods of less restricted lifestyle. This can be one of the alternatives to balance the life and livelihood.

Competitive Advantage Threats and Opportunities in the South African Clothing, Textiles, Leather, and Footwear (CTLF) Industry

Despite the employment and competitive advantage decline experienced in previous years, the South African clothing, textile, leather, and footwear (SACTLF) industry is still a significant contributor to the country’s manufacturing sector. To restore employment figures last seen a decade ago in the industry, the SACTLF has to explore competitive advantage threats and opportunities, among others. To explore competitive advantage threats and opportunities in the SACTLF industry, a leading SACTLF retail group and two leading clothing manufacturers’ associations (representing over 100 CTLF organisations) were purposefully sampled and interviewed. Emerging from the transcripts is that the low rate of innovation and lack of access to manufacturing inputs are the main competitive advantage threats. Strengthening quick-response time and localisation emerged as competitively advantageous opportunities. This article’s findings show that the SACTLF industry has the potential to develop a competitive advantage. The findings of the study contribute new knowledge to the literature.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 27 July 2021 / Accepted: 7 October 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021

Developing Mechanisms of Reducing Risks in Managing Innovation Projects and Programs in Russian On-Line Retail Organizations

Currently, the market is crowded with commercial enterprises, which makes it necessary to maintain the competitiveness of modern companies. One of the effective ways to support its functioning in the market and successful further development is the development and implementation of innovative projects. At the same time, when managing innovative projects, developers face various risks that should be minimized in a timely manner. Risk reduction is a rather complex process, as there is a high level of uncertainty inherent in innovative projects. Therefore, in order to minimize the risks of innovative projects, it is important to choose the best quality methods and tools that will form an effective risk reduction mechanism as a result. This article presents the concepts of innovation project, risk management and risk reduction mechanism. Methods and tools for reducing the risks of innovative projects are considered, the main types of risk minimization mechanisms are identified. In addition, the author conducted an analysis of innovative projects of the Russian retail chains "Magnit" and "X5 Retail Group", identified the main mechanisms for reducing the risks of innovative projects and programs used in these retail chains.

Современные подходы к управлению рисками инновационных проектов сетевых организаций розничной торговли в условиях пандемии

The relevance of the research is due to the fact that in the conditions of the pandemic the priority for the retailers is to do business through the innovative projects implementation. These processes are associated with the various risks when it is required to choose a competent approach to their management. There are many different modern approaches, but it is necessary to choose the most effective one, which will not entail serious losses. In the article the concepts of an innovative project and risk management are discussed, the modern approaches to risk management are explored and their classification is considered. It has been carried out the analysis of the developed and implemented innovative projects by the largest Russian retailer X5 Retail Group in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistical data on the implementation of innovative projects are presented, problems in the risk management of innovative projects are identified and recommendations for solving these problems are proposed.

Post-COVID-19 retail landscapes

This paper offer insight to the substantial role of the small and medium retailers (S&amp;M) and how Covid-19 has impacted the sector. The economic contribution of this group of retailers have been noted to be high. Policy measures of the government of South Africa in response to the pandemic was severe on the informal retailers who were stopped from operating their businesses. The paper highlighted the internal and external struggles and opportunities of the retailers. There is the need to revalue the sector according to its contribution to the society, assist the retailers to improve on their infrastructure, formalise their practises, embark on reform programmes aimed at improving their capacities.

Impact of the Value of Intangible Assets on the Capitalization of Food Retailers for their sustainable Growth

The objective of the research in the article is the food retail companies that occupy leading positions in the Russian and foreign markets. The subject of the study is financial and economic relations in the field of the use of intangible assets (IA) as a significant factor in increasing the capitalization of food retailers and their sustainable development. The relevance of the problem is due, on the one hand, to the significant contribution of trade to the country’s GDP, on the other hand, to the need to find new drivers for the sustainable development of food retailers in the context of overcoming the negative consequences of the pandemic and the digital economy. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of the value of intangible assets on the capitalization of food retailers. The authors applied the methods of comparative analysis, calculation of financial and economic indicators, correlation, and regression analysis of statistical data processing. The authors used Student’s t-test and Fisher’s f-test to confirm the quality of the constructed model. The study shows that Russian food retailers, as compared to foreign ones, occupy a smaller market share in the domestic economy and have a smaller share of intangible assets in the non-current assets of companies (except for X5 Retail Group). On the Russian food market, a trend has been revealed towards an increase in the production of goods under private labels and a decrease in the presence of foreign retailers, as well as an increase in the share of online trading that requires the use of intellectual property, including digital intangible assets, and leads to an increase in cash flows. Based on multivariate correlation analysis, it was found that the capitalization of trading companies in the food sector is most affected by the value of intangible assets and return on them. The constructed model of linear two-factor regression allows the authors to conclude that with an increase in the value of intangible assets by 1%, the market capitalization of a company increases by 10% with a constant return on assets. The article provides recommendations for Russian food retailers on the formation and use of a portfolio of intangible assets for value-based business management, which will contribute to their sustainable development.

Measuring Circular Supply Chain Risk: A Bayesian Network Methodology

The world is facing economic, as well as social, crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Implementing sustainable practices is one of the possible ways to address these issues. Adopting circular oriented techniques throughout the supply chain not only guarantees economic profitability, but also provides an edge to the organization in the market of fierce global competition. The concept of implementing circularity in the supply chain is novel and dynamic in nature, and it involves certain risk. In this study, a Bayesian Network methodology is adopted to analyze how the risk propagation takes place in a circular supply chain network of an automobile organization. The circular supply chain network consists of a group of manufacturers, retailers and recyclers, located in the Delhi–NCR region. Economic, environmental, social, technological, waste management, agile vulnerability, and risk of cannibalization are the major risk categories that were identified through an extensive literature review. Further, the impact of risk on the performance of the circular supply chain is analyzed by considering performance parameters such as lost sales, impact on supply chain revenue, and inventory holding cost. Risk exposure index is incorporated into the study to analyze the vulnerability of each node. The findings of the study reveal that the reverse side of the circular supply chain can be a source of risk propagation during the implementation of the circularity concept. This work is carried out under a single industry domain. In the future, risk propagation analysis can be examined in the supply chain of other sectors. The findings of the study can assist the supply chain managers and the risk experts to focus on the areas that are more vulnerable to risk.

ONLINE SALE OF FASHION GOODS

The main channel for the distribution of retail goods is gradually becoming the Internet. It is also a binding distribution channel for the sale of fashion goods. It allows the retailer to take opportunity not only to post photos, video and audio material showcasing their latest collections, but also to sell the goods directly to the consumer through a website. In Latvia, the purchase of goods in the Internet is growing very fast, especially during the Covid - 19 restrictions, when the purchase of goods in stores is restricted. Throughout Europe and especially in Latvia the crisis caused by Covid-19 has led to the questions, such as - what to do now, what should change and what decisions should be made by fashion retailers so that employees and buyers are not so vulnerable in such unpredictable force majeure situations? According to data from the Interactive Media Retail Group, for example, the UK's online retail turnover increased by 42% in September 2020, by 35.7% in October and by 39% in November compared to the previous year. The aim of this article is to analyze researches about online fashion retailers conducted by US and British researchers and the results of surveys among Chinese and Latvian students. The questions included in the researches and surveys are: Who sells fashion items online? Who helps to create a good fashion website? How do fashion retailers design websites? Who buys online? Conclusions and proposals have been made for retail web developers in Latvia.

Reducing the prevalence of chemical UV filters from sunscreen in aquatic environments: Regulatory, public awareness, and other considerations.

Given increasing concerns about the persistence and toxic effects of some sunscreen ingredients in aquatic ecosystems, several states, territories, and nations have banned the sale and/or possession of sunscreens containing chemicals of concern. Little is known, however, about the outcomes or effectiveness of these efforts to reduce the prevalence of toxic chemicals in coastal waters. This article reviews the state of knowledge relating to regulatory and other efforts to reduce the impact of chemical ingredients in sunscreens on aquatic ecosystems, focusing on the following questions: To what extent will local legislative restrictions on ingredients actually reduce the concentrations of chemicals in coastal waters and protect aquatic health? Do these legislative measures effectively decrease overall public use of sunscreens containing potentially harmful ingredients, or would other measures, such as local outreach programs, consumer education, or broad-scale ingredient regulation, be more effective? How might restrictions on chemical UV filtersimpact human health? Although it is still early to assess the outcomes of recent ingredient bans, their effectiveness is limited by the fact that legislation generally applies only to sunscreens sold within the legislating jurisdiction. Public awareness campaigns can be locally effective, but they are hindered by the absence of clear environmental labeling standards for sunscreen. Although retail and industry groups, and many dermatologists, cite concerns that sunscreen ingredient bans might lead to increased incidences of skin cancer, consumer preferences are influenced by a wide range of factors and no studies clearly document whether restrictions on chemical ingredients will cause people to use sun protection less frequently or less effectively. Until more information is available, many consider it prudent to take a precautionary approach to sunscreen regulation supported by broad-scale, consistent regulatory policies and labeling standards that limit chemical ingredients to those considered safe for human use and ecosystem health. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:982-988. © 2021 SETAC.

Prevalence of Substandard Amoxicillin Oral Dosage Forms in the National Capital District of Papua New Guinea.

.Antibiotics are commonly reported as being substandard or falsified in low- to middle-income countries, having potential to contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance and drug-resistant infections. Amoxicillin, used to treat a number of infections and listed by the WHO as an essential medicine, presented as a good drug candidate for this study. We aimed to measure the prevalence of substandard and falsified amoxicillin oral products (tablets, capsules, and suspensions) in the National Capital District of Papua New Guinea (PNG). These oral products were surveyed in 2018 and 2019 from retail pharmacies, private and public health facilities, and the Area Medical Store, representing more than 90% of licensed medicine outlets. The product packaging was visually inspected, and the samples were analyzed for amoxicillin content using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method. Although no falsified products were identified, 15% of the 190 products analyzed contained substandard amounts of amoxicillin. Quality varied with the dosage form (P = 0.002), with capsules exhibiting the lowest incidence of substandard content (4% in 2019) and tablets collected in 2018 experiencing the highest failure rate (50%). Suspension (40%) quality was compromised by failure to achieve homogeneity on reconstitution. A higher incidence of substandard content (P = 0.002) was associated with one major retail group. Routine testing of medicines by resource-poor countries is often unachievable, leading to the circulation of poor quality drugs, which is a global public health concern. Our study highlighted that substandard amoxicillin oral products are indeed prevalent in the NCD of PNG.