Title: Toward a theory for management success: the role of evidence-based management in the retail industry

Authors: Amine Ayad; Emad Rahim

Addresses: Strayer University, 51 Park West Boulevard, Akron, Ohio, 44320, USA ' Walden University, 155 5th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2511, USA

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to weave critical retail success factors into a retail operational model. This research integrates principles of traditional literature review with conceptual analysis and a reflective inquiry of a practitioner. This paper reveals a scarcity in research attempting to entwine success factors into workable models. Consequently, a retail approach towards the principles of evidence-based management is proposed, a new methodology for developing a retail management theory is provided, and an operational model is crafted. While the study provides evidence for the complexity of success in retail, it does not address all success factors such as e-retail, for example. Further, as an emerging theory this paper invites scholars and practitioner to build on its premise towards a comprehensive theory for retail success. To this author's knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to integrate evidence-based management into retail management. It provides a specific rationale to encourage practitioners to use the principles of evidence-based management in daily operations. It also opens the door for academics to critique and complement this model. As such, it benefits both practitioners and academics.

Keywords: evidence-based management; EBM; retail success; workability; operational models; modelling; organisational development; organisational design; management success; retailing; retail industry; critical success factors; CSFs; retail management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2013.055855

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2013 Vol.5 No.3, pp.199 - 221

Received: 18 Nov 2010
Accepted: 23 Apr 2011
Published online: 31 Jan 2014 *

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