ABSTRACT This essay explores the opportunities and challenges presented by the ready-made garment trade for women’s work, employment and economic independence in the Edwardian and interwar period, through a focus on the writing of a critically overlooked woman author, Dorothy Whipple (1893-1966). Going beyond the contexts of production and consumption which have often taken centre stage in histories of women’s clothing, especially in relation to elite dress and high fashion, this essay foregrounds representations of women’s work in the provincial retail sector. Historically situated at a significant juncture in the shifting relations between women’s home sewing, the private dressmaking trade and the manufactured clothing industry, Whipple’s 1930 novel High Wages documents the exploitation of young women in the textile and garment trades while also contesting the more sensationalist tropes attached to the figure of the shopgirl. Charting its protagonist’s trajectory from wage dependence to financial autonomy, the narrative can be situated within the context of interwar feminism, affirming the importance of paid employment as a remedy for the adverse effects of women’s financial dependence on men and as an outlet for women’s agency, initiative and enterprise.

ABSTRACT This study employs a qualitative case study approach to explore how collaborative logistics pooling enhances last-mile delivery performance and strengthens supply chain resilience in the retail sector. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, roundtable discussions, and on-site observations with stakeholders involved in a real-world pooling initiative. By analysing a real-world logistics pooling initiative, the research identifies how shared logistics resources, such as transportation and warehousing, address key challenges in modern supply chains, including cost efficiency, environmental sustainability, and adaptability to disruptions. The study reveals significant cost savings, enhanced flexibility, improved visibility, and stronger collaboration among stakeholders. Consolidated deliveries and optimized routes reduced transportation costs and carbon emissions. Shared digital platforms enabled real-time coordination, ensuring swift responses to disruptions and fluctuating demand. These findings highlight the strategic value of pooling in building adaptive, efficient, and sustainable supply chains. The study’s focus on practical and strategic implications, offers valuable insights for addressing modern supply chain challenges in competitive and dynamic environments.

ABSTRACTIssue AddressedThe integration of a new standard for food safety in Australia signifies a notable step toward national unity in the adoption of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles and contemporary food safety management tools for the food service and retail sector. The standard introduces key measures, including certification of food safety supervisors, food safety training requirements for food handlers, and means for substantiating control of food safety hazards throughout key food handling processes.MethodsThis study explored the experiences and perspectives of local regulators regarding the implementation and feasibility of the new standard. Data were collected via an online survey and semi‐structured interviews with Environmental Health Practitioners across two Australian states.ResultsFindings reveal that implementation of the standard varied between states, largely shaped by the degree of support provided by respective state authorities. Six key barriers to effective implementation emerged from participant accounts.ConclusionsIn response, five targeted recommendations are proposed, grounded in established health promotion principles. Until these challenges are adequately addressed, the standard risks remaining ineffectual, limiting its capacity to enhance public health outcomes.So What?The key to effective implementation and realisation of Standard 3.2.2A as healthy public policy lies within the central tenets of public health theory and practice.

BackgroundCivility and incivility are two multifaceted constructs that can be difficult to assess in a nuanced way. Previous studies have only utilized unidimensional assessments, which may have yielded partially misleading results and conclusions.MethodsThe aims of the current mixed methods study were to investigate the 4-week prevalence of civility and incivility in a sample in the Swedish retail sector, and to assess if two-dimensional assessments can yield more nuanced interpretations of the civility and incivility constructs. The cross-sectional study included 1,014 employees out of which about 41% responded to the whole questionnaire and 59% answered it almost entirely or partially; approximately 50% responded to the civility and incivility questions presented in the current study.ResultsThe 4-week prevalence of incivility was approximately 62%, which is lower than in previous studies. Two-dimensional civility and incivility assessments and open-ended questionnaire responses demonstrate that these constructs can be interpreted in a more nuanced way. The notion that civility or incivility, mostly, or on average, is associated with positive or negative experiences does not necessarily mean that it applies for everyone.ConclusionThis insight becomes particularly important when assessments are used as a basis for efforts to systematically ensure good and healthy work environments. Scientifically, the results implicate the importance of using two-dimensional assessments for more accurate and nuanced conclusions. In occupational settings, dialogues need to be conducted to understand the true meaning of assessments to enable adequate actions based on accurate conclusions, rather than preconceived notions.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-026-04927-2.

Drug shortages are an ongoing challenge in health care delivery. Research has focused on factors associated with manufacturer-level shortage reports; however, these reports do not reflect population-level drug availability. It is essential to determine the impact of supply chain events on trends in drug utilization and identify factors associated with decreases in use to ascertain shortage risk and inform future policy prioritization. To quantify incident shortages following Canadian supply chain events and determine drug characteristics associated with increased shortage risk. This matched cohort study analyzed monthly trends in drug purchasing of Canadian pharmaceutical products from the IQVIA MIDAS database from January 2017 to December 2021 with a 6-month follow-up. Data were analyzed from September 2023 to September 2024. Reporting of a supply chain issue in Drug Shortages Canada. The main outcome was an incident shortage, defined as a decrease of 33% or more in purchase volume within 6 months following the supply chain issue. A logistic regression with random effects compared the odds of experiencing an incident shortage for cases and controls. A secondary outcome, shortage intensity, defined as the decrease in purchases multiplied by the duration, was analyzed using a zero-inflated beta regression with random effects. Of 1591 drugs, 972 unique drugs (61%) were exposed to 1919 supply chain events. Incident shortages were observed in 11% of cases (216 drugs), compared with 7% of controls (1271 comparators). Drugs with baseline sales less than $100 000 (odds ratio [OR], 4.01; 95% CI, 3.03-5.30), anti-infective drugs (OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 2.33-4.04), and over-the-counter drugs (OR, 3.05; 95% CI, 2.38-3.90) had greater odds of experiencing an incident shortage. Schedule G drugs, which include controlled drugs (OR, 3.61; 95% CI, 1.66-7.77), drugs with more than 25 unique products available (OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.89-4.44), and those with equal dominance in both retail and hospital sectors (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.93-3.01) had the largest magnitudes of association with higher shortage intensity. In this study of shortage incidence following Canadian supply chain events, 9 in 10 reported supply chain events did not experience true shortages. These findings highlight a need for a unified shortage definition focusing on real disruptions in supply and can be used to guide policies to manage drug shortages, improve patient outcomes, and enhance health care delivery.

Purpose Recommerce, the buying and selling of pre-owned goods online, has emerged as a key business model in the US fashion retail sector. With projections indicating that this market could double in size in the next five years, there remains a notable gap in academic literature. This study utilized the Business Model Canvas to explore the core characteristics of current recommerce business models in the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory multiple-case study approach was employed for analysis to observe variations between business models and highlight the fundamental characteristics of different types of business models. Findings The findings underscore the significance of recommerce as a vital element in the shift toward more sustainable and circular economic practices. Key attributes such as value propositions, channels, sustainability efforts, key partners and key activities were identified as crucial factors in the business models. Originality/value This study is among the first to examine the recommerce market in the context of the fashion industry and provides key considerations for retailers seeking to enter the sector.

• Integrated OHS-WHP interventions have limited implementation in Australia. • Large Australian workplaces appear more likely to implement OHS-WHP interventions. • This self-reported study reports on useful practical insights into intervention content and delivery. Occupational health and safety (OHS) interventions traditionally target workplace ergonomic, psychosocial, and material risks, while workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions primarily focus on health education and behaviour change. The objectives of this study were: (1) to assess the extent to which Australian workers received and participated in integrated interventions; (2) to explore how they viewed three common examples of integrated interventions. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Australia in 2024. Eligible participants were employed in Australian workplaces under any contract type and were aged ≥18 years. Descriptive statistics summarised current practices and perceptions, while inferential statistics explored associations between variables. A thematic inductive approach was employed to analyse qualitative data. Of the 394 workers, mainly from the education, health, and retail sectors, only 25% reported they received integrated interventions, and these workers showed satisfaction (median 4/5). Of the workers receiving integrated interventions, 67.1% participated in integrated interventions with a frequency of 1–4 times/year. Organisational size was significantly and positively associated with the implementation of integrated interventions. Regarding the three examples presented, participants considered them useful (median 4/5) and supported their implementation, with the intervention addressing excessive sitting/musculoskeletal pain being most frequently implemented. High-quality intervention content and human-centred delivery were identified as key success factors that should be carefully considered during intervention planning. Overall, the current picture about integrated interventions in Australia highlights the requirement for genuinely meeting worker needs around intervention delivery and content relevance and addressing worker concerns about privacy and perceived compulsion to improve uptake and effectiveness.

This research investigates the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in demand forecasting within the retail sector as part of supply chain management (SCM). The research aims to develop a framework based on conceptual AI models for better enhancing demand forecasting in SCM. The key focus area of this research is demand forecasting through AI, emphasizing its importance in attaining precision and reliability in predicting demand and enhancing SCM through developing and creating various models. Since demand forecasting is perceived to play a vital role in SCM, researchers examine the application of AI in effectively predicting demand and addressing current SCM issues. There is a focus on providing information to researchers on the application of AI in demand forecasting in SCM, with a deep and in-depth focus on explaining the application and development of AI in predicting demand. The empirical validation in this study is limited to retail data, while the proposed conceptual framework is designed to be extendable to other sectors.

The management practices, problems and improvement pathways of textile retail supply chains in Bangladesh are not well documented, as they link millions of consumers with the manufacturers, wholesalers and importers. To fill this void, this study examines the practices of SCM, capability factors and operational constraints in domestic textile retail sector in Bangladesh. A concurrent mixed methods design was used. A quantitative survey was conducted on 422 textile retail outlets with different sizes, areas and product specializations. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were used. Twenty-two semi-structured key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with retailers, suppliers, wholesalers, logistics actors, technology providers and institutional stakeholders, and analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Existing SCM practices and operational constraints were the two most significant predictors of SCM outcomes (β = 0.278, p < 0.001 and β = −0.295, p < 0.001, respectively). Each of the three capabilities – inventory planning capability, supplier relationship capability, and technology-enabled capability – made positive contributions. Results were significantly different between small and large businesses, and between experienced and inexperienced businesses, but were not different between product categories. Ten themes emerged qualitatively, indicating that the structural characteristics of the sector are seasonal demand cycles, informal supplier relationships, memory-based inventory systems and organizational readiness deficits. Operational constraints are systemic and are co-produced by actors in the supply chain, and need to be addressed collectively rather than individually at the level of the firm. Relationships with suppliers are a form of resilience capital that is underutilized. Inventory planning is the area of the sector with the highest consequence and lowest development. A sequenced approach of basic inventory discipline, structured supplier collaboration, incremental digitalization and enabling institutional support is needed to modernize the supply chain sustainably. The results provide a focus for the SCM literature to move away from the export-oriented garment industry in Bangladesh and towards the comparatively under-researched retail textile industry.

Green transformational leadership and its prediction of employees\u2019 green behavior: A dataset from the petroleum retail sector in Vietnam

This study explores how artificial intelligence reshapes business strategies through synergistic effects between digital thinking, change management, and cross-cultural leadership in organizational transformation processes. Based on multi-source public data from 450 global enterprises across technology, manufacturing, finance, and retail sectors, this research integrates structural equation modeling, in-depth case analysis of 20 extreme cases, and machine learning prediction methods to construct and validate an “AI-Driven Strategic Triple Helix Evolution Framework” through seven interrelated hypotheses. Empirical findings confirm that organizational transformation plays the role of a core mediating hub (R2=0.64), connecting AI capabilities to strategic reconstruction, while the interaction with the three elements of synergy adds an additional 11% of explanatory power to it (ΔR2=0.11, P<0.001). Six strategic paths are differentiated in this research: AI-native (12%), platform transformation (23%), ecosystem orchestration (18%), niche specialization (21%), hybrid innovation (17%), and conservative following (9%), with significant cultural context dependence. Cross-cultural leadership shows the greatest moderating effect on high power distance cultures (β=0.38). The framework goes beyond the traditional technology-organization-environment models in unfolding dynamic co-evolution mechanisms among technological capabilities, cognitive reconstruction, and cultural adaptation. Machine learning models further predict 70% of enterprises participating in ecosystem strategies by 2030, and a digital mindset contributes 34.2% to strategic innovation prediction.

ABSTRACT Online retail is growing rapidly, but fierce and global competition poses a challenge for retailers seeking to compete on values beyond price. Research in product and physical retail branding shows that building a relevant brand image can increase consumers’ willingness to pay a premium over competing brands with similar products. However, the academic literature lacks understanding of how branding can influence consumers to pay a price premium in the growing online retailing sector, which is frequently conceptualized as distinct from traditional product marketing and traditional retailing contexts. This study aims to address this gap by developing a conceptual framework of online store brand image on willingness to pay. Six brand image dimensions: Social prestige, Digital Fulfillment, Sustainability, Digital Inspiration, Price, and assortment are identified. In order to highlight the unique contribution of price premium as the outcome, rather than loyalty and willingness to buy, which have been discussed within online retailing, this study also examines how the six online retail images influence brand loyalty. Results show that Social Prestige and Sustainability Image of the retailer have the strongest impact on willingness to pay a premium, followed by Digital Fulfillment and Digital Inspiration, while Digital Fulfillment and Price Image influence brand loyalty the most. In groceries, Digital Fulfillment Image dominates both outcomes. Sustainability Image impacts price premium, especially in fashion and electronics, but less so regarding loyalty. Social Prestige image consistently predicts both outcomes across categories, and Digital Inspiration impacts hedonic products more than utilitarian ones.

An entrepreneurial culture evolved in the various economic sectors during the early years of the twentieth century South Africa. In the fashion retail sector, Sydney Press emerged as a pioneering entrepreneur of Edgars Stores Limited. To contextualise Sydney Press’ achievements, this article focusses on the early development of retail in South Africa and Sydney Press’ pursuit of industry growth and diversification. His endeavours nurtured the development of a fashion system. The paper explores how the entrepreneur developed a fashion retail system from a single store, ultimately nurturing a domestic fashion industry. Press’ career and his pursuit of the entrepreneurial opportunity is central to this investigation. This case study centres around the question of how an entrepreneur mobilised resources to set the entrepreneurial multiplier in motion to generate industry development.

The retail sector has undergone a profound metamorphosis over the last decade, catalyzed by the convergence of high-speed 5G/6G internet, ubiquitous smartphone penetration, and the maturation of Artificial Intelligence. In 2026, the modern consumer is no longer tethered to a single platform; they are "platform-agnostic." This shift has rendered traditional marketing silos obsolete. Consumers today are characterized by high digital literacy and a "zero-friction" expectation. They possess the tools to research products on social media, compare live prices via AI assistants, and choose fulfillment methods that range from immediate in-store pickup to drone delivery. To survive in this "Always-On" economy, retailers have had to move beyond the limitations of multichannel retailing to the holistic framework of the Omnichannel Strategy. At its core, omnichannel marketing is the seamless integration of branding, messaging, and online/offline touchpoints as consumers move through the sales funnel. While "Multichannel" retailing—the precursor to this model—involved operating various platforms like a website and a physical store as independent silos, "Omnichannel" breaks these walls down. It ensures that the customer’s data, preferences, and shopping cart follow them across every interface. This creates a "Unified Commerce" experience where the distinction between a "digital" and a "physical" transaction becomes invisible. For example, a customer might "Like" a product on an Augmented Reality (AR) ad on Instagram, receive a personalized discount via a mobile push notification when they walk near a physical outlet, and eventually complete the purchase through a voice-activated smart home device.

Purpose: This program was initiated in response to low adoption of digital marketing and financial literacy among MSMEs in Tinambung Subdistrict, resulting in limited market reach and poor business management. The initiative aims to enhance MSMEs’ capabilities in digital marketing and financial literacy and to promote business self-reliance. Research Method: The activity was conducted in February 2026 in the Tinambung Subdistrict, Polewali Mandar Regency, and involved 30 MSME operators across the retail, food service, and service sectors. The method used was a participatory approach through outreach, technical training, and hands-on coaching, with observations, interviews, and questionnaires serving as evaluation tools. Results and Discussion: Before the intervention, only 23% of partners had a digital business account, and 26% kept financial records. The activities were implemented in phases, ranging from outreach to monitoring. The results showed significant improvements: digital account ownership rose to 83%, understanding of promotional content to 78%, financial record-keeping to 80%, and financial segregation to 76%. Implications: This program promotes digital adoption and financial management among SMEs. Ongoing support is recommended to ensure the sustainability of SMEs’ digital transformation.

Although MSME business strategies in the cellular retail sector have received attention in several previous studies, research that specifically integrates business strategy analysis with the perspective of sharia business ethics remains limited. This study aims to analyze business strategies and evaluate their implementation from the perspective of sharia business ethics at Toko Agoeng Cell. This study used a qualitative approach with a case study design, involving 37 participants consisting of 7 key informants, namely the owner and employees, and 30 customers selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation, then analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis and a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) approach. The results showed that Toko Agoeng Cell experienced a decline in sales during the 2020–2023 period due to increasing competition and changes in consumer behavior toward digital channels, before experiencing an increase in 2024. The SWOT analysis showed that the dominant strategy was the SO (Strengths–Opportunities) strategy, namely utilizing internal strengths in the form of affordable prices, good service, and customer trust to capture digital market opportunities. The implementation of sharia business ethics was reflected in the practices of honesty and service, but it had not been systematically integrated into the business strategy. These findings contribute to the development of value-based business strategy studies and expand understanding of the integration of strategic management and sharia business ethics in the MSME context. The conclusion of this study emphasizes the importance of adaptive, structured, and sharia ethics-based business strategies to improve the competitiveness of cellular retail MSMEs.

High turnover intention is a major challenge in the modern retail sector, characterized by high work demands and employee psychological stress. Although job insecurity and burnout have been widely studied as factors influencing employee turnover intention, the psychological mechanisms that bridge this relationship are still relatively limited, particularly in the context of the Indonesian retail industry. This study aims to analyze the influence of job insecurity and burnout on turnover intention, with quiet cracking as a mediating variable. The study used a quantitative approach with a causal associative design. Data were collected through an online questionnaire from 150 Indomaret employees in Ketapang Regency and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM). The results showed that job insecurity and burnout had a positive and significant effect on quiet cracking and turnover intention. Furthermore, quiet cracking was shown to partially mediate the relationship between job insecurity, burnout, and turnover intention. These findings suggest that employee turnover intention is formed through a gradual psychological process that begins with work pressure, progresses to disengagement, and finally gives rise to a tendency to leave the organization. This study contributes to the human resource management literature by positioning quiet cracking as a psychological mechanism that bridges the relationship between work stress and employee turnover intention in the context of the modern retail sector.

Replacing single use plastic packaging with repeatedly refilled reusable containers is a ‘refill on the go’ business model that can contribute to circular economy objectives. Despite potential to enable sustainable consumption, reuse business models frequently fail. Research into barriers to widespread adoption is scant, with blame for poor uptake frequently attributed to consumer behaviour. Knowledge of country specific barriers is also low, thus delaying political engagement with reuse solutions. To address these gaps, we adopted mixed methods combining 11 semi-structured interviews with an online consumer survey (n=326) in Vietnam and the UK. By triangulating multi-stakeholder views, we identified eight interrelated internal (consumer- and business-related) barriers and external (policy- and regulatory- related) barriers to the adoption of ‘refill on the go’ business models. Barriers overlapped, and some were country specific: low profit margins, knowledge and product provenance were identified by Vietnamese refill sector stakeholders, whereas hygiene, allergies and customer engagement were barriers in the UK. We observed consumer willingness to engage with refill business models struggling to gain and maintain footing in the competitive retail sector. We argue that effective adoption and scaling require top-down interventions, starting with policy and education, supported by context-specific strategies. Our findings suggest that barriers may be more easily addressed in Vietnam than the UK owing to a more central state role, flexible sector and lower recycling uptake. This research alerts policymakers to the challenges of a circular business model that is unlikely to grow to scale without bold, urgent and regionally appropriate policy support. • Barriers in the UK and Vietnam restrict the scaling up of refill business models • Education, knowledge and product provenance are barriers in Vietnam • Hygiene, allergies and customer engagement were stronger UK barriers • Vietnamese consumers may be more likely to adopt refill business models • A research focus on external barriers such as policies and education is recommended

This research focuses on customer satisfaction in the organized and unorganized retail sectors, using the SERVQUAL model. The study explores the gap between expected and perceived service quality in five dimensions: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. A questionnaire was administered to 100 respondents. The research uses gap analysis and independent sample t-test to measure the service quality differences. The results show that organized retail outperforms unorganized retail in service quality, infrastructure and technology, while unorganized retail is superior in personal interaction and convenience. The findings show a statistically significant gap between the two retailers, which suggests that there is a need for service improvement and technology in the unorganized retail sector and more personalization in the organized retail sector. Customer satisfaction is a crucial determinant of business success, influencing customer retention, loyalty, and overall organizational performance. It reflects how well products or services meet or exceed customer expectations. Studies indicate that satisfaction levels are shaped by factors such as service quality, convenience, accessibility, and perceived value (Chavhan & Husain, 2023) . In service-oriented sectors, elements like reliability, comfort, safety, and timely delivery significantly impact customer satisfaction (Girjapure & Husain, 2024) . Organized sectors typically offer standardized services, better infrastructure, and consistent quality, while unorganized sectors rely more on personalized interactions and flexibility. However, customer perceptions vary depending on expectations, awareness, and service experience. Therefore, comparing satisfaction levels between organized and unorganized sectors becomes essential to understand consumer preferences and improve service delivery strategies...

Purpose This study seeks to identify the primary obstacles to adopting Industry 5.0 technologies, such as the cyber-physical Internet, for the retail logistics and distribution of goods, advancing Logistics 5.0 and emphasising sustainable development. It underscores the necessity of surmounting such obstacles to facilitate the seamless integration of advanced technologies and promote sustainability in logistics operations in the retail sector. Design/methodology/approach The research used a mixed-method approach integrating the best-worst method, interpretive structural modelling and Matrice d′Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement (MICMAC) analysis. These approaches systematically identify, prioritise and assess the impediments. Expert contributions are used to substantiate the conclusions, while the MICMAC analysis examines the driving and dependency power of the obstacles, offering a comprehension of their interconnections. Findings Significant technical and organisational obstacles, including “Lack of High Capital Investment” and “Lack of Data Security and Privacy”, are essential hindrances to implementing cyber-physical Internet-enabled Logistics 5.0. This study emphasises the need for strategic planning, leadership dedication and stakeholder cooperation to address these difficulties. Originality/value This study makes a novel contribution to the complexities of Logistics 5.0 adoption in the retail sector. It offers a unique, structured Technology-Organization-Environment-Human-Organization-Technology (TOE-HOT) framework for obstacles by integrating Industry 5.0, cyber-physical Internet, sustainable development, logistics sector and the retail sector. This research advances our understanding of the sustainable logistics sector and provides actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders.