EMPOWERMENT IN RETAILING

Considers aspects of change in large retail organizations. Debates the apparent dilemma posed, on the one hand, by the opportunities for using information technology to improve efficiency and centralize decision making, and, on the other hand, the case being argued by a number of management “gurus” for increasing the empowerment of front‐line managers. Develops a simple analytical framework for considering the issues, and isolates the important variables involved in the decision.