Colloquia

Summary

This master thesis dives into the dynamic landscape of supermarkets, recognising their central role in Dutch society and the evolving challenges they face. To know what the impact of a change is on the internal business processes of a supermarket, it is necessary to understand how the elements within the system are connected. This thesis aims to conceptualise the supermarket shop floor to provide actionable insights for the supermarket management.

The objective of this research is to create an intervention which functions as a decision support system (DSS) to enhance decision-making when changes occur in the environment of a supermarket. The research topics range from information structuring and approaching 'change' to identifying trends and stakeholders in the industry. Combining the insights from literature and the industry, a conceptual framework was developed that includes supermarket-related entities and their interrelations. Finally, the conceptual framework was translated into a functional DSS.

The concluding part outlines the development and working principles of the proposed DSS, providing a practical tool for informed decision-making. The DSS is designed based on the interests of the identified stakeholders. A proof of concept is established for predefined scenarios based on the current industry trends, offering a glimpse into the potential of the proposed DSS.