UK retail graduates and IT competence ‐ a case of virtual reality? Available to Purchase

Examines the nature and characteristics of information technology (IT) course development and delivery in retail degree/diploma programmes in the UK. While the effective utilization of information technology at both strategic and operational levels is recognized as crucial to the achievement of retailer competitive advantage, this research suggests that retail graduates’ IT knowledge and capability do not meet the expectations and requirements of many of their retail employers. Issues of lecturer inexperience, non‐availability of simulation software and an unwillingness on the part of retail organizations to share their resources and expertise has left many retail graduates with a superficial understanding of the integration of IT within a retailing context. A resolution to this situation can perhaps be best achieved through improved co‐operation between retail teachers and retail organizations, and from a fundamental reassessment of the methods in which retail and other vocationally focused courses are developed and delivered.