Retail Leadership Institute

Courses Offered:

FCSC 225: Starting the Entrepreneurial Business

This course is designed to introduce students to the challenges and opportunities associated with a startup retail business venture.  The course will discuss issues including the life and psychology of the entrepreneur, identification of potential retail opportunities including franchising, the risks and challenges of financing a retail venture, decisions about location including web-based retail businesses and development of a new venture business plan. Register

FCSC 227: Managing the Entrepreneurial Business

This course, designed as a follow on to RCSC 225, is designed to focus students on the going-forward management of an entrepreneurial retail business.  The course will discuss issues including basic retail operations including budgeting and inventory management, human resource management, accounting fundamentals and importance of managing cash flow, use of information technology, and marketing and sales techniques. Register

FCSC 331: Food Supply and Distribution

A study and analysis of the food supply chain, its scope, links and interdependencies. Topics include planning, logistics and distribution along with information technology, competition and collaboration, relationship marketing, local and global markets and sustainability. The impact of the changing food supply chain on retailers and the consumer are addressed.  Case studies and projects used to apply the concepts. Register

FCSC 333: E-tailing & Customer Management

A study and analysis of the underlying principles and practices of e-tailing and its relationship with conventional retail methods. Topics include a survey of e-commerce, its technology underpinnings, opportunities and challenges. Focal areas include the e-customer, e-service, e-retailing models, m-commerce and multi-channel access from both retailer and customer perspectives. Cases studies and projects used to apply the concepts. Register

FCSC 335: Fashion Forecasting & Research
Develop the science of predicting future fashion trends. Learn the relationship between forecasting, trend prediction, external, social changes, and historical style movements. Analyze past styled movements and establish an understanding of historical context, consumer trends, buying patterns, fads, and cults. Research color palettes, surface and fabric trends and concepts, form and silhouette changes, and product shifts. Learn to synthesis trends for new product by gaining insight into consumers’ attitudes and lifestyles phases. Learn the different consumer research in business, social and environmental that effect fashion trends. Overall the course will examine the forecasting practices in the textile and apparel industries as mentioned above and apply these practices through case studies and group research activities in the fashion industry of the past & present. Register