BUSN 2387 - Retail Management

Credit hours: 3

Course Description:
Acquaints students with the nature and scope of retailing and retail management. Topics include the history and development of retailing, management of retail operations, financial planning, merchandising, location analysis, store design and layout, and the impact of retailing on the economic environment.

Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

Understand the history and evolution of retailing, the importance of social, cultural, and technological trends for building and maintaining customer relationships, and the decisions to be made in operating and managing a retail enterprise environment.
Compare and contrast the operational differences and managerial practices within store-based, non-store-based, Internet-based, and hybrid forms of retailing. Describe how today’s technologies are used to drive and manage various retailing models.
Plan and develop the use of target marketing, demo- and psychographic trends, consumer buying behaviors, information-gathering methods, and continuous data analysis to choose the most desirable retail operating configuration, location, and supply chain paths to improve the customer experience and business success.
Understand and apply the principles of organizational structures, human resource, and operations management (both financial and operational), and supply chain economics for integrating and controlling today’s retail enterprise.
Develop and implement the most effective store-based, non-store-based, Internet-based, or hybrid form of merchandising practices using the marketing functions of product, price, place, promotion, and cultural trends and atmospherics to create and manage the most attractive image and consumer-convenient retail operation.
Create and present a financial and operational plan and organizational structure for implementing a new store-based, non-store-based, Internet-based, or hybrid form of retailing for a preferred retail sector.