INTERNATIONAL RETAILING - 2025/6

Module Overview

Internationalisation is a very substantive feature of the retail industry, with implications for retail competition, retailer strategy, retail development, digitalisation and supply chain management among other issues. A considerable and growing body of academic and practitioner literature surrounds this issue. It highlights some of the potential complexities and enduring challenges of retailing in an international environment and provides a valuable body of knowledge to inform future international marketing managers and retail marketing managers.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

ALEXANDER Andrew (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:
An Overview of International Retailing

• Retail Internationalisation Theory


• International Retailer Expansion: Formats, Approaches and Patterns


• International Retailer Expansion: Online Approaches


• Society and Culture in International Retailing


• Regulation and Market Structure


• Market Selection and Sourcing & Supply Chain Management


• International Retail Divestment

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Individual essay

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

achievement of the Module Learning Outcomes described above.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Group written project (addresses learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4)


• Exam (addresses learning outcomes 1, 2, 3)

Module aims

• Develop students' appreciation of the extent and characteristics of international retailing.
• Provide students with insight into the management issues faced in the retail internationalisation process.
• Develop students' knowledge of the key theoretical frameworks of retail internationalisation, and assist them in developing a critical evaluation of these in the context of current research and commercial developments.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: support the attainment of the Module Aims. 

The lecture programme provides a framework of knowledge upon which students can base their learning and develop their understanding through a structured seminar programme, small group work and independent study.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM139

Other information

Gobal and Cultural Capabilities; Employability

This module helps students to understand the application of theoretical concepts, particularly in international retailing and marketing, which provide them with a better understanding of real business world issues and how to develop strategies accordingly. Further, the transferable skills gained through this module such as critical thinking, problem solving, report writing will enhance their employability potential.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.