The recently-established Wholesale and Retail Leadership Chair at the Cape
Peninsula University of Technology is the first of its kind in Africa; and
seeks to align its research and professional education role with that of
similar centres in leading universities in the USA, Europe and Australia. Its
first project has been a comprehensive survey of priority research needs of
the South African Wholesale and Retail Sector; with the objective of
providing an overview of the most significant research requirements of this
complex and volatile economic sector, nationally and internationally. The
Wholesale and Retail research priorities survey was conducted across the
spectrum of sector stakeholders including corporate and informal traders, in
all provinces. Survey methodology encompassed a structured priority-rating
questionnaire, complemented by action research dialogic interviews with
thought leaders in the W&R sector, government and labour unions. Within a
matrix of W&R functional areas and Standard Industry Classification
divisions, the multiplicity of perceived research problems is analysed and
distilled into ‘Top Ten Research Priorities’ for consideration by a
collaborative network of sector stakeholders and practitioners.