A DECISION MODEL FOR RETAIL LOCATION ANALYSIS

Abstract

Research into the relationship between geographical location and the performance of a retail business is found in many fields of studies. Attempts have been made by many academicians, to develop models and theories to assist the retailer in making the right choice of location. The "aids", more often than not, are mathematically sophisticated and practically specific to certain trades in their application. In view of the lack of a practical and versatile model for application by the retailer, a modified Kepner and Tregoe Decision Model has been proposed as a general tool for retail location analysis. The Kepner and Tregoe model is essentially a management decision technique. It can be applied to many types of decision problems. This academic exercise ventures to demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the model in its application in the retail locational decisions. Developing the model is the first task of this dissertation. After which, the model generated is being applied to the book retail business to illustrate its ease of application and reliability of the results obtained. It is hoped that this dissertation paper would be appreciated for its practicality and flexibility in the application of the model in the retail industry.