John Pal

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Position: Senior Lecturer in Retailing
Academic unit: Marketing, Operations Management and Service System
 

Biography

The focus of my work is on the teaching of retailing at undergraduate, postgraduate and post-experience levels, as well as the supervision of research from undergraduate dissertations through to DBA and PhD Levels. My current interests focus on why retail firms go bust. I aim to bring my research and practice interests into my teaching. My teaching approach is to build on learners' experience and experiences, an approach that I adopt in my teaching on the Tesco Business Improvement Programme.

Some history

A town planner by education, a retailer by profession and an academic by accident, I started in retailing as a warehouseman sweeping the floors at Marks & Spencer in Leeds. My early management career was spent with C&A as a merchandiser working in Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool and Reading before joining Goldberg's (which counted Ted Baker and Schuh in its stable of brands) as a store manager, latterly in Blackpool.

Prior to joining MBS in January 2011, I worked at MMU where I taught on the pioneering Sainsbury’s Open Learning degree and also on courses for retailers such as B&Q, Tesco and the Co-operative. My academic teaching and publications reflects, and is built on, my first hand retail experience and interest in retail location. Most recently I have been working with Econsultancy on the UK’s first Masters-level qualification in Internet Retailing. My work in teaching has been recognised by being the inaugural winner of MMU's Business School’s Prize for Teaching Innovation for work on theRetailGame, an online retail planning exercise

I have published in academic journals such as The Journal of Business Research, The Service Industries Journal, the International Review of Retail, Consumer and Distribution Research, the Journal of Marketing Management, and Environment & Planning A.

Engagement activities

In addition to contributing to professional journals and the trade press I have provided comment for the BBC (both radio and television), ITV , Sky News, the Guardian and the Manchester Evening News on topics such as the Portas Pilots, retailers' trading figures, the demise of record stores, the plight of small retailers, town centre management and the impact of new cafe chains on the city centre landscape.

By invitation I have provided key note addresses and presentations for the International Association of Department Stores, the Royal Town Planning Institute and Retail Week.

During 2012 I was the invited opening speaker at "Heritage and the High Street" http://ihbc.org.uk/highstreet/index.html

Research Interests

My research interests include corporate retail failure, retailer lobbying, retail location and general retail management.

Current supervisions also includes 2 DBAs (the role of the salesforce in the cash and carry trade; and, luxury retailing) and one PhD (retail failure).

Recent Media Contributions

Broadcast
2013

Live studio interview on Sainsbury's results, BBC 1 Breakfast, 8 May

Live telephone interview on Tesco's results, BBC Radio Ulster, Evening Extra, 17 April

Live studio interview on retail vacancies, BBC 1 Breakfast, 19 February

Live studio interview on the calling-in of administrators at HMV, BBC1 Breakfast, 15 January

Comment on Lakeland's plans for expansion, BBC North West Tonight, 9 January (recorded)

Comment on proposed legislative changes on pubs, Granada Reports, 9 January (recorded)

Live telephone interview about Christmas trading figures, BBC Radio 5 Live, The Tony Livesey Show, 8 January (this was syndicated to 26 local BBC radio stations)

2012

Comment on Royal Mail's expansion, BBC 1 News at Six, 30 October

Live on location interview about independent retailing, BBC 1 Breakfast, with Jenny Hill 9 October

Comment on sale of JJB Sports, Granada Reports News, 2 October

Live interview BBC Radio Manchester, 17 September, about demise of JJB Sports

Live interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, 20 July, about Pop-up Shops

Live on location interview on BBC 1 Breakfast, 20 July, about relaxation of planning regulations

Live on location on BBC 1 Breakfast, 30 March, about Portas Pilots

Live telephone interview on the BBC Radio 4 Today, 17 March, about trading at Tesco

2011

Live interview on BBC Radio Manchester, 15 December on The Drivetime Show: comments about the retail scene

Comment on Waitrose expansion in the north west, Granada Reports, ITV, 20 October

Live interview on BBC Radio 5 Drive Time comments about latest inflation figures and effects on consumers, 18 October.

Live interview on the Andy Crane Show about John Lewis Partnership’s trading results, BBC Radio Manchester, 14 September

Live interview on the current spate for retail failures, BBC Radio Cumbria, 29 June, The Breakfast Show

Comment on the demise of Focus DIY, Granada Reports, ITV, 5 May

Comment on trading position at HMV, Sky News 19 January

Programme involvement

Specialist fields

Experience

Achievements

Membership

Publication summary

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Working papers

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Showing 28 publication(s)

Book contribution

  • Pal, J. and Stubbs, M. "The Retail Game." In Learning with digital games, ed. Whitton, N, 183-187. London: Routledge, 2010. eScholarID:105145
  • Pal, J. and Bennison, D. "The operational implications of location decision making: the Belfast Co-operative." In Cases in Retailing: Operational Perspectives, ed. Hart, C., Kirkup, M,, Preston, D., Rafiq, M,, Walley, P, 33-42. Oxford: Blackwell, eScholarID:161626

Journal article

  • Pal, J. and Medway, D. "What is a Retailer?" International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research(2013) . eScholarID:193508
  • Pal, J., Medway, D. and Byrom, J. "Deconstructing the notion of blame in corporate failure." Journal of Business Research 64, no. 10(2011) : 1043-1051. eScholarID:105162 | DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.11.001
  • Bennison, D., Warnaby, G. and Pal, J. "Local shopping in the UK: Towards a synthesis of business and place." International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 38, no. 11/12(2010) : 846-864. eScholarID:105149 | DOI:10.1108/09590551011085948
  • Pal, J., Medway, D. and Warnaby, G. "When the tide goes out: gender, leadership and failure in the retail sector." Environment & Planning A 42, no. 8(2010) : 1769-1774. eScholarID:105147 | DOI:10.1068/a4394
  • Pal, J. and Medway, D. "Working the system." Environment & Planning A 40(2008) : 761-767. eScholarID:106330 | DOI:10.1068/a40249
  • Pal, J., Medway, D. and Byrom, J. "Analysing retail failure from an historical perspective: a case study of A Goldberg & Sons plc." Service Industries Journal 26, no. 5(2006) : 513-535. eScholarID:106333 | DOI:10.1080/02642060600722817
  • Pal, J., Stubbs, M. and Lee, A. "Designing a web-driven retail marketing simulation." Journal of Marketing Management 21, no. 7-8(2005) : 835-858. eScholarID:106339 | DOI:10.1362/026725705774538435
  • Pal, J. and Byrom, J. "More than one bite of the cherry: a study of UK grocery retailers’ attempts to influence the retail planning policy-making process." Journal of Public Affairs 5, no. 2(2005) : 136-149. eScholarID:106334 | DOI:10.1002/pa.15
  • Bennison, D., Pal, J. and Warnaby, G. "Support your local retailers." Planning(2004) . eScholarID:161635
  • Pal, J. and Byrom, J. "The 5 Ss of retail operations: a model and tool for improvement." International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 31, no. 10(2003) : 518-528. eScholarID:106340 | DOI:10.1108/09590550310497049
  • Stubbs, M. and Pal, J. "The development, design and delivery of a retail simulation." British Journal of Educational Technology 34, no. 5(2003) : 651-662. eScholarID:106344 | DOI:10.1046/j.0007-1013.2003.00357.x
  • Pal, J., Bennison, D., Clarke, I. and Byrom, J. "Power, policy networks and planning: the involvement of major grocery retailers in the formulation of Planning Policy Guidance Note 6 since 1988." International Review of Retail, Consumer and Distribution Research 11, no. 3(2001) : 225-246. eScholarID:158504
  • Pal, J. and Medway, D. "Solving the state of independents." Planning no. 1298(1999) : 14-15. eScholarID:161636
  • Jones, P. and Pal, J. "Retail services ride the waves." International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 26, no. 9(1998) : 374-376. eScholarID:161627
  • Pal, J and Sanders, E. "Measuring the effectiveness of town centre management schemes: an exploratory framework." International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 25, no. 2(1997) : 70-77. eScholarID:161629
  • Pal, J. and Jones, P. "Motor car retailing on the move." Town and Country Planning 66, no. 1(1997) : 25-26. eScholarID:161637
  • Clarke, I., Bennison, D. and Pal, J. "Toward a contemporary perspective of retail location." International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 25, no. 2(1997) : 59-69. eScholarID:161628
  • Pal, J. "Discount stores faced with double standards." Planning no. 1178(1996) . eScholarID:161639
  • Pal, J. and Jones, P. "Multiplexes - what's the picture?" Town and Country Planning 65, no. 12(1996) : 344-345. eScholarID:161638
  • Bennison, D., Clarke, I. and Pal, J. "Location decision making: an exploratory framework for analysis." International Review of Retail, Consumer and Distribution Research 5, no. 1(1995) : 1-20. eScholarID:161630
  • Pal, J. "Ups and downs in the centre quality debate." Planning no. 1109(1995) : 24-25. eScholarID:161640
  • Tomalin, C. and Pal, J. "Local authority responses to retail change: the case for town centre management." International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 22, no. 6(1994) : 46-51. eScholarID:161631
  • Pal, J. "Quality and retail provision." Town and Country Planning 62, no. 6(1993) : 148-149. eScholarID:161641
  • Jones, P., Davies, B. and Pal, J. "Spokes in the wheel of retailing." International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 20, no. 2(1992) : 35-38. eScholarID:161632

Journal contribution

  • Pal, J. "Winners and losers in the race for space?" Marketing Intelligence & Planning 26, no. 7(2008) : 679-681. eScholarID:106332

Newspaper/magazine contribution

  • Pal, J. and Edmundson-Bird, D. "Thinking ahead together." Internet Retailing(2010) : 21-23. eScholarID:106345