Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.22598/zefzg.2023.1.49
Labour productivity dynamic in retail trade: Results of empirical study in Croatia
Dario Dunković
orcid.org/0000-0002-2030-2212
; Ekonomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
The purpose is to demonstrate how part-time work in the retail store reflects on labour productivity. The motivation is very low labour productivity in the retail sector in Croatia (57% of the EU average). Operational data on customer frequency and working hours for the empirical study are business data requested and obtained from a retail chain in Croatia, which derived them from its business intelligence (BI) analytical system. Bivariate correlation statistical analysis was used to compare productivity between five similar stores with different workforce structures. The goal was to show the impact of part-time work on productivity. The results confirm that part-time employment provides a proportion of effective hours that can increase the store's productivity. The gross margin proved to be a limitation for the dynamics of labour productivity, which means that the introduction of part-time work will negatively affect the margin after reaching a certain proportion. Retail management can use the contribution for strategic purposes to shape the workforce structure and as an operational input in the timetable scheduling to improve productivity. Empirical validation focused on a single format is considered a study limitation. The paper holds an exhaustive analysis of operating data from the retail business, which can be a valid input for driving the macro-level productivity of the entire retail sector.
Keywords
labour productivit; retail sector; store; part-time work; full-time workers
Hrčak ID:
306250
URI
Publication date:
18.7.2023.
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