MG410 Career Viewpoint: Graduate Employment Research Report

This report explores the trends impacting the retail industry and the skills, knowledge, and experience required for a recent graduate to succeed as a retail manager. It identifies key trends such as online selling, digital tools, omni-channel strategies, automated technology, and social commerce. Essential skills for retail managers include communication, interpersonal abilities, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, marketing, and financial acumen. The report evaluates the role of a retail manager, highlighting its potential for career development and competency building. The conclusion emphasizes the retail industry's significance and the importance of skills and strategic planning for career success.

Career Viewpoint

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Trends that impact chosen industry.............................................................................................1
Interview question........................................................................................................................2
Skills and knowledge and experience required ...........................................................................2
Evaluation........................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Retail industry is one of growing industry that consist numbers of separate business. It is
employing around 3 million people in it by developing job opportunities. It is providing goods
and service to customers in order to meet needs and requirement of customers (THE UK RETAIL
INDUSTRY, 2022). This project report includes trends and its impact over retail industry. It also
includes question to be asked for job role of retail manager. Moreover, it consist skills and
knowledge required by retail managers.
MAIN BODY
Trends that impact chosen industry
There are various trends identified in retail industry of UK as changes in fashion, change in
requirement of customer, change in technology and others. These factor create serious impact
over retail industry (Chan, Chiu and Ho, 2022). These industry require diverse skill set for a
person which can be applied by a person for applying job. These factors which are related to
retail industry are mentioned below:
Selling online: There is increasing trend of online shopping among customers as it saves their
time and also these platform provide different service to customers like free shipping, easy
exchange, different payment option and others. These requirement of customers are fulfil by
business and allow them to connect with customers. Online platform increase reach of business
and provide them opportunity to get success.
Use of digital tools: Retail sector is increasingly using digital tool in business that will helps
them for purpose of improving efficiency. It is essential for company as it allow them for
purpose of completing a wok in less time (Shin, 2018). It also provide opportunity to firm to
differentiate its prioducts and service from competitors. It also allow business to introduce
innovation in market that helps company to solve problem faced by customers.
Omni channel tools: Retail industry are using omni channel strategy in their business. It is
better in compare to mass move towards e-commerce channel. In this strategy, retailer are
integration different options of selling to customers like online selling, social channel, physical
selling and others (Gaio Santos and Martins, 2021). As consumers have different perception
related to different things and due to this, retailer provide different method of selling to
consumers.
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Automated technology: Retailer are also increasingly using technology in business that provide
them opportunity of success. It is important for business to attract more customers towards them
and also to improve efficiency of business. There is shortage of skilled and efficient labour and
in order to overcome of it, retailers are using automated technology. It is important as it will
helps them in order to reduce time taken for purpose of completion of work. I also also helps
company to improve efficiency by tracking order, communicating with customers, managing
customer loyalty program and others.
Social commerce: It is another trend occur retail industry that create change in ways companies
are operating. In this, companies are selling its products and service on social media platform
like Instagram, Facebook to launching online store (Haridas, Ture and Nayanpally, 2021). All
these efforts are made by companies in order to meet changing needs of customers. In this omni
channel strategy is also playing important role for selling products at social media platforms.
Social media is also helps in retailer and is considered as e-commerce tool that allow retailers to
reach to customers. It also provide opportunity to firm to earn more revenues.
Interview question
What are implication of selling products online on retail sector?
Online platform provide opportunity to business of retailer sector to increase reach to its
products. It increment chances of success to business and also them to reach to large target
market with less efforts. Online shopping is more convenient for customers that allow customers
to purchase products and service from their home. These online shopping platform provide
opportunity to retailers to meet needs to customers. Going online increase chances of success of
business and due to this, retailers are increasingly changing business models.
What are implication of using automated technology?
Automated technology is one of important part of business that provide opportunity. Retailers are
facing issues in attracting new employees and retaining them for long term. But this process
create problem for company as there is shortage of labour in industry. Due to this, retailers are
planning to adopt automation that helps to decrease time taken for completion of work.
Skills and knowledge and experience required
In order to play job role of retail manager, a person needs to adopt various skills and capabilities
which allow them to handle various responsibility. In retail sector, a person needs to perform
different task and for completion of it, skills are mentioned below:
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Communication skills: Communication skills is one of important skills that allow a person to
share their view, thoughts and ideas to another person. Retail managers needs to communicate
with different members working in organisation that allow them to manage task in effective
manner and also reduce possibility of confusion (Kwon and Cho, 2020). It also helps them to
communicate with tea members in order to understand problem faced by them and provide
solution in order to motivate them towards completion of work. It also needs to report to
operation managers about requirement of inventories which is important in order to manage
inventories in effective manner.
Interpersonal skills: It is a skills which allow retail managers to maintain good relationship with
customers and also ensure free flow of communication in organization. It is a skills that assist
individual to be polite and humble with others members and solve their queries in effective
manner. It is important in order to motivate employees for work and allow them to handle
situation in effective manner.
Team work skills: It is another important skills required by retailer managers as it allow them to
coordinate with different members for attainment of goals and objectives of company. It is also
important for them to delegate their roles and responsibilities in company (Nayak, Akbari and
Far, 2019). Team working skills is also essential for attainment of goals and objectives of
company by taking efforts of different people.
Problem solving: It is another important skills which allow a person to solve problem occur in
their life. There are various probe occur in day to day work life of retail managers which are
related to management of inventory, managing team and others things. In order to overcome of
these problems, retail managers needs to develop different solution to business. It is essential for
retail managers to overcome of these problem in order to concentrate of productivity of
company.
Adaptability: It is also important for retailer managers to adopt things easily in less time. It
allow them to accept changes which is essential for them in order to updates as per current trends
(Shaikh and Shaikh, 2021). It also provide success to company as they are able to accept changes
occur in business and industry.
Marketing skills: The marketing skills are most important for a person to learn in order to
increase the revenue and sales figures of a company. In the recent times, importance of
marketing skills are increasing and most of the individuals are focusing on marketing skills
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development. This is also one of the major role a retail manager to focus on increasing marketing
skills to manage marketing department and its functions.
Financial skills: The retail manager must have financial skills which are important for
maintaining financial transactions of a business. In the retail sector, it is major role of an
individual to learn financial skills for achievement of competitive advantage. In the corporate
world, it is the major role of a company to provide training and development to develop financial
skills in the employees. The management of inventory and keeping its records are important for
achievement of financial aspects. All major companies in the international and national
marketplace focus on increasing financial skills of employees.
Evaluation
In the retail sector job role of retail manager is perfect for me as I am wishing to establish
my career in retail sector. In order to develop as retail manager in an organisation I want to
increase my decision making and leadership skills. This will increase my potential in order to
handle day to day tasks in a professional manner. This job opportunity will help me in increasing
my competencies and capabilities which are most important for me. This job role will develop a
perfect strategy and approach in order to gain competency edge in my career development. The
job role will provide me with key opportunities in order to explore and develop my career field.
CONCLUSION
From the above stated report it can be concluded that retail industry is the prominent and
well established industry in order to develop job opportunities. This project concludes the
significance of different skills and competencies which are essential for overall development of
personality of an individual which is helpful in career based life. The above stated report also
concludes the importance of professionalism in career field. The report also concludes
effectiveness of planning and strategic framework which is used to develop academic career
field.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Chan, A.W.Y., Chiu, D.K. and Ho, K.K., 2022. Workforce Information Needs for Vocational
Guidance System Design. International Journal of Systems and Service-Oriented
Engineering (IJSSOE), 12(1), pp.1-16.
Gaio Santos, G. and Martins, D., 2021. Linking career success motives and career boundaries to
repatriates’ turnover intentions: A case study. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 32(16), pp.3458-3501.
Haridas, J., Ture, R.S. and Nayanpally, A.K., 2021. Organizational career management and
turnover intentions: mediating role of trust in management. European Journal of
Training and Development.
Kwon, K. and Cho, D., 2020. Developing trainers for a changing business environment: The role
of informal learning in career development. Journal of Career Development, 47(3),
pp.310-327.
Nayak, R., Akbari, M. and Far, S.M., 2019. Recent sustainable trends in Vietnam's fashion
supply chain. Journal of Cleaner Production, 225, pp.291-303.
Shaikh, A.A. and Shaikh, M.M., 2021. A VIEWPOINT ON SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES OF
COLES AND WOOLWORTHS DURING COVID-19. Academy of Marketing Studies
Journal, 25, pp.1-4.
Shin, H., 2018, August. A Brand-New Risk in Japan?—Risks of Industrial Accidents in the Age
of Diversity Management and Their Countermeasures. In Congress of the International
Ergonomics Association (pp. 363-369). Springer, Cham.
Teeuwisse, V. and Brannon, D.W., 2020. A Qualititaive Exploration of Sustainble Talent
Management of Hospitality Interns' Career Intentions based on their Pre-, Post-and
Present Practical Placement Experiences. In Sustainable hospitality management.
Emerald Publishing Limited.
ONLINe
THE UK RETAIL INDUSTRY, 2022. [Online]. Available through: <https://brc.org.uk/climate-
roadmap/section-1-context/12-the-uk-retail-industry/>
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