Strategic Transformation in Retailing

This course provides a strategic look at the best methods to win in the highly competitive retail sector. We believe in learning by doing, in this course you’ll learn through engaging case study discussions, handson activities, sharing insights with a diverse cohort, and immersive visits to leading Australian retailers and retail precincts.

Topics include:

• emerging trends reshaping retail
• experimenting with new retail paradigms
• supply chain transformation
• operational efficiencies
• omni-channel alchemy
• what’s next? A view of the future.

The program is designed to provide participants with:

• critical and comprehensive understanding of the drivers of change in retail
• comprehensive and integrated frameworks for retail strategy and a consideration of how these translate into practice
• frameworks and tools to develop strategic transformation in retail.

Designed around the key factors of retail success, the program showcases the latest global trends and strategies employed by some of the world’s leading retailers.

The program enables participants to embrace and adapt to change and lead in retail transformation by:

• understanding the latest trends, insights and best practice shaping the business and consumer arena to inspire new thinking, ideas and innovation
• building a shared understanding through working interactively with others on a variety of different exercises, case studies, and immersive experiences
• exchanging insights and experiences with those from other organisations, sectors, and countries through group case analysis, class discussions, and problem solving.

By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• strategically analyse retailers from a variety of different sectors and channels
• understand how consumer behaviour and technology impact retailing strategy
• develop well-informed strategies that enable cross-functional business transformation.

Program delivery involves a mix of:

• online and offline content
• team-based discussions and ideation sessions
• comprehensive and mini-case study analysis
• an immersive retail safari in Melbourne.

The program concludes with participants showcasing their own learning and short guest presentations from retail disruptors.

Working interactively in groups, participants will share their experiences, thinking, ideas, and perspectives to address the challenges faced by retailers. This will help build their understanding and capabilities to drive transformative business growth.

Founded in 2001, the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (AGSE) is Australia’s first dedicated entrepreneurship school. Based in the Faculty of Business and Law, the AGSE is connected to expertise in the wider university. Building on Swinburne’s longstanding practice of engaging with industry, AGSE executive education is cocreated with senior industry leadership.

In collaboration with the Customer Experience and Insight (CXI) Research Group, AGSE programs are led by highly regarded researchers and educators who are both thought leaders and pragmatic practitioners. With a focus on real-world business challenges, AGSE’s suite of executive education programs develop participants through instruction, collaboration, and peer interaction.

Sean Sands

Sean is Co-director of the Customer Experience & Insight (CXI) Research Group and Associate Professor of Marketing at Swinburne Business School. CXI is a commercially-oriented research group that works with organisations to generate powerful insights that aid in the development of optimal customer experiences, inform innovation, and lead to actionable strategies. Sean has delivered seminars globally on retail innovation, design thinking and customer experience strategies, Sean has assisted brands in mapping customer experiences and developing an understanding of the customer journey, expectations, needs and desires. He frequently presents at industry conferences on the future of retail and consumer behaviour.

Sean's research expertise includes strategy, service design, customer experience design, advanced research methods, new product development, pricing research, and market segmentation. He is published in the European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing, and Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, among others. Sean teaches Marketing Strategy and is a visiting Professor at EADA Business School in Barcelona, where he teaches CX Design in the MBA program.

Jonathan Elms

Jonathan is the Sir Stephen Tindall Chair Professor in Retail Management at Massey Business School and leads the Bachelor of Retail and Business Management (BRBM), New Zealand’s only retail degree.

Jonathan is the Founding Director of the Centre for Advanced Retail Studies (CARS), New Zealand’s centre of excellence for retail research, education and scholarship. He has also conducted research and is a regular keynote speaker at national and international conferences on the topics of retail change, strategy, and innovation.