Preference for a career in retailing: a question of personality |
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Authors: | Wibke Heidig Thomas Dobbelstein Wayne Jooste |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Business Science and Management, Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences , Sigmaringen, Germany;2. Wholesale &3. Retail Leadership Chair, Cape Peninsula University of Technology , Cape Town, South Africa;4. Faculty of Business, Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University , Ravensburg, Germany;5. Customer Research 42 , Ravensburg, Germany;6. Department of Retail Business Management, Cape Peninsula University of Technology , Cape Town, South Africa |
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Abstract: | Drawing on previous findings from the field of brand personality research and employer branding, this paper aims to explore the symbolic attributes of the retail industry image in South Africa and to identify those personality traits that distinguish preferred industries from the retail industry. The research provides a contemporary overview of the current image of the retail industry in South Africa from the perspective of young university students and allows retailers to strengthen their joint communication effort accordingly. Therefore, a quantitative survey study with 1426 participants from five South African universities was conducted. Participants assessed personality characteristics of the retail industry as well as their most preferred industry. The main results suggest that retail and non-retail students hold different personality perceptions of the retail industry and that prior retail involvement accounts for this difference to some extent. Moreover, the analysis shows that retailing performs significantly worse on those personality attributes that are of major importance for future job seekers. Additionally, the study identifies those attributes that exert a strong effect on students’ preferences for the retail industry. The findings provide useful communication themes for educational institutions, retail companies, and industry associations in order to foster positive personality perceptions associated with the retail industry. |
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Keywords: | Brand personality industry image retail industry career South Africa |
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