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This paper explores the potential that block teaching offers to enhance employability in the context of large-scale classes. It suggests that block teaching, with its condensed structure, necessitates curriculum innovation, fosters participatory learning and peer-to-peer networking, and has been shown to increase student focus and enhance engagement and attainment, especially amongst diverse learners. As these are the same challenges that large-scale teaching faces, it is proposed that intensive modes of delivery could be scaled up in a way that may help to mitigate such problems as cohorts in business schools continue to increase in size.

The paper is based on secondary research and provides an overview of literature that looks at block teaching, followed by that which explores the challenges of large-scale teaching contexts. It compares and contrasts the gaps in both to suggest a way that they could be combined.

The paper provides key insights into changes in the contemporary landscape of teaching within UK business schools, which have seen increasingly large cohorts and draws out the key strengths of intensive modes of delivery, which include helping students to time manage effectively, encouraging curriculum innovation and the creation of participatory learning opportunities as well as providing closer personal relationships between students and staff. Outlining some of the well-documented issues that can arise when teaching larger cohorts, the paper suggests that scaling up blocked delivery may offer a new way help to overcome them.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results are subject to generalisation. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions in large-scale teaching scenarios.

This paper includes implications for the development of innovative modes of teaching in the context of large cohorts, an experience that is increasingly common amongst British business schools and beyond.

This paper brings together two bodies of literature for the first time – that of intensive modes of teaching and that focuses on large-scale teaching contexts – for the first time to show how the former may help to overcome some of the key issues arising in the latter.

The continued poor performance of many retailers trading internationally suggests that effectively managing international operations continues to be a source of great difficulty. This paper presents short case studies of the ways in which two leading UK retailers – Dixons and Laura Ashley – have, by very different mechanisms, expanded their businesses outside the UK. For both companies, a review of their motivations for and philosophies on trading internationally is followed by some observations on the management of their international operations. Both companies have recently restructured their management in an effort to move away from a “multi‐domestic” management style and towards a more integrated “transitional” approach.

Describes the origins and development of the UK retailer, Laura Ashley, emphasizing the internationalization of the company and the emphasis on international comparison from an early stage of the company′s development. Charts the company′s overseas development in North America, Europe and the Pacific Basin with particular reference to the modifications to the trading format of the company that were necessary to gain acceptance in these markets. Considers the factors influencing Laura Ashley′s philosophy in its overseas markets and the recent events establishing Laura Ashley as an international retail brand.

MCB is not a company to rest on its laurels. In the vernacular of modern‐day management literature, the company can rightly claim to be a learning organization; one that seeks to regenerate and develop itself in accordance with current trends, most notably those in customer and market requirements.

The research presented here initiates the process of the detailed analysis of international retail divestment activity through the identification of the volume of global divestment activity and the characteristics of that activity during the timeframe of 1987‐2003.

The methodology followed here is essentially historical in nature and draws on a wide range of contemporary periodicals, reports and other sources.

The paper reports findings on: the form and extent of divestment activity; the year of divestment; divestment by retail sub‐sector; divested chain size; length of time spent in the market of divestment; divestment by retail sub‐sector; and the market of origin of divesting retailer.

This paper provides an initial indication of the volume and nature of international retail divestment in the period considered. Such material has not been available previously. International retailing research has primarily focused on the internationalisation process rather than retail divestment from international markets. However, divestment from international markets is an issue of increasing importance within the competitive global environment. Previously research into retail divestment has focused on individual company experience. For the first time, the research presented here attempts to build a picture of the scale and dimensions of international retail withdrawal. The paper shows that patterns of international divestment are discernible.

Whither Public Opinion Polls? One of the bedrocks of marketing intelligence and planning is market information and the activities of market research. There has been one considerable recent blow to the reputation of market research and the researching organizations.

Research into firm internationalisation has identified psychic distance as a key factor in explaining variations in both expansion patterns and organisational performance. Despite the substantial growth in research on the internationalisation of retailing, most contributions have been highly descriptive and generally bereft of coherent theoretical frameworks. This paper postulates that the psychic distance concept may provide an appropriate theoretical framework to explain variations in the organisational performance of retailers operating in the international arena. It is recognised that psychic distance alone cannot explain variations between countries inretailers’ performance. Other factors, such as the strategic decision making process, entry strategy adopted, the nature of the retail offer and the extent of adaptation, and organisational and managerial characteristics also influence the organisational performance of international retailers.

The purpose of this paper is twofold. In its initial stages it undertakes a review of the key fashion industry‐related themes emerging from the IJRDM. Subsequently, it reflects upon these themes in the context of luxury fashion brand Prada and in so doing identifies four key change phases in the evolution of the brand.

Review of literature spanning 20 years.

The paper identifies five overarching general themes. These comprise fashion retailer brands, the internationalisation of fashion retailing, the emergence and challenges of on‐line fashion retailing, changes in the supply chain and changes in consumption.

The paper provides a valuable overview of the main research themes within the context of fashion retailing. In addition, it provides a critical insight into the changing nature of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada.

The focus of this paper is two‐fold. First, it examines the growth strategies adopted by fashion design houses to transform and reposition their businesses from relatively small, niche‐market and privately‐owned companies to stock market listed conglomerates which produce fashion and lifestyle products aimed at a lucrative and international middle retailing market. The second is to consider the geographical implications of these strategies as illustrated through an examination of their locational impact on London and New York. The findings of this research suggest that both cities have experienced unprecedented and parallel patterns of development, apparently as a result of the aggressive expansion activities of fashion designer companies. As such, the paper highlights the impact of internationalisation and strategic growth at the micro environmental level.