The appeal of retailing as a career 20 years on

摘要

With the transformation and profesionalisation of British retailing it was expected that a career in retailing would be more appealing than previously. However, the results of a questionnaire survey of 369 undergraduate management students found that, on average, students remain neutral about pursuing a career in retailing. The top five attributes associated with a career in retailing were 'consumer oriented', 'people oriented', 'poor salary', 'limited advancement' and 'poor working hours'. Little has been done to dispel the 'retailing myth' as recommended by Swinyard et al. (J. Retailing 67(4) (1991) 451), and retailers and academics need to work independently and together to enhance the perception of retailing as a career option to undergraduates.