Bachelor of Arts in Retail Management

This course provides an overview of concepts, skills, theories and techniques involving human resource management and a review of examples involving innovative HR practices in the workplace. There will be an examination of human resource planning, development, and utilization in modern organizations. The establishment and operation of a total human resource program is explored. Topics include recruitment, selection, training and development, performance appraisal, reward systems, benefit programs and role of the human resource department.

This course is a study of the management process including planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Topics include the classical and contemporary management theories that provide a foundation for the manager in today's business environment. (Note to Students: The course materials, assignments, learning outcomes, and expectations in this upper level undergraduate course assume that the student has completed all lower level general education and career planning coursework necessary to develop research, writing, and critical thinking skills. Students who have not fulfilled all general education requirements through courses or awarded transfer credit should strongly consider completing these requirements prior to registering for this course.

This course will focus on the forces that shape corporate strategic decisions, become familiar with the basic tools corporate leaders use to maximize the value of the company, and gain an appreciation of the issues and situations frequently confronting today’s executive. In addition, the student will learn to recognize the different characteristics of an industry environment and how to identify the threats and opportunities as well as the organizations strengths and weaknesses relative to its environment.

Students in this course will use analytical techniques for diagnosing the competitive position of retail focused strategy and to discover specific retail options. They will discover the strategic perspectives of retail management by examining essential concepts in the retailing industry, determining and calculating how retail businesses increase returns, and determining ways they create economic value for owners and stakeholders. Students will contrast how today’s managers assess and implement strategies and apply planning used by successful retailers. They will explore the retailer’s role in society providing insights as to how consumers behave as shoppers, what retailers do to create demand as well as their role in satisfying customer demands. In addition, students will discuss strategy from the perspective of planning for success as well as identifying challenges and problems that occur when retailers do not react to rapid changes in the marketplace to remain competitive and meet the ever-changing demands of the consumer.

Retail innovation is a new or significantly improved service concept that is taken into practice. It includes examples such as: new customer interaction channels, a distribution system or a technological concept or a combination of them. A service innovation always includes replicable elements that can be identified and systematically reproduced in other cases or environments. The replicable element can be the service outcome or the service process as such or a part of them. Innovation benefits both the service producer and customers and it improves its developer’s competitive edge. Retail innovation is a service product or service process that is based on some technology or systematic method. In retail however, the innovation does not necessarily relate to the novelty of the technology itself but the innovation often lies in the non-technological areas. Retail innovations can for instance be new solutions in the customer interface, new distribution methods, novel applications of technology in the service process, new forms of operation with the supply chain or new ways to organize and manage services. The course provides a study of how retailers must continually review and introduce innovational concepts to remain competitive and explore how patterns change in markets creating both opportunities and threats to retailers.

Retail Operations involves managing the day-to-day functions of retail establishments like department stores, grocery stores and specialty shops. This course is concerned with the formulation and analysis of these operations and the policies that collectively determine how a retail oriented business positions itself to increase its returns and create economic value for its owners and stakeholders. Students will be introduced to analytical techniques for diagnosing the competitive position of retail focused strategy, and identifying and analyzing specific retail operation options (consisting of such things as the sale of goods or merchandise from a fixed location, a department store or kiosk, or by post, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Students will cover the functions and applications of various retail operations theory and the needs of today’s managers in assessing and implementing retail operations used in the supporting functions in the workplace.

Students in this course will review retail merchandising operations Retail selling effort is the principal task of in-store sales personnel through the use of promotions designed by a manufacturer, such as unique displays, giveaways, or discount and premium offers. In this case, merchandising is the act of managing and arranging the merchandise on display in a store so as to promote its sale. Its importance in a competitive market to include the relationship between retail merchandising operations and corporate profitability will be examined. Students will discover the various retail merchandising operations including planning, organizing, staffing, directing, leading and controlling as well as analyzing the competitive market and how the many different concepts of retail merchandising operations are needed for today’s managers to continue to increase profits for their shareholders. Students will discover how today’s competitive and global organizations utilize techniques and resources to succeed and remain profitable.

This course examines human characteristics and their bearing on the management and resultant performance of organizations. It includes a review of theory and research on personality, motivation, values, stress, leadership skills, power bases, and communication. It is designed to provide an understanding of the attitudes and behavior of subordinates and superiors, as well as important insights regarding one's own responses to the organization.

This course is a study of the moral and ethical responsibilities of managers in the conduct of daily activity inside and outside of the business enterprise. The morality of profit-making, fair and equal treatment of employees, and the responsibility of the business firm to the society in which it exists are analyzed and discussed. Equally stressed will be the idea of the individual's responsibility within the organization.

This course is a study in the theory and techniques of communication within and between organizations. It takes an analytical approach to the development of content and presentation in management communications with an emphasis on the relationship of creative and logical thinking to the solution of management problems through written communications.

Everyone is writing about the impending Baby Boom retirement and the issues associated with the lack of talent in the workforce. Through the study of talent identification, development and retention this course will begin to embrace a human capital strategy for the 21st century through lens of leadership development and succession planning. (Prerequisite: MGMT331,MGMT332).

Pre Reqs: Leading Yourself Foundations(MGMT331),Leading Others Leadership Counseling(MGMT332)

This course explores consumer behavior from determining consumer needs and wants, the process by which they are satisfied, and the environment in which the behavior occurs. The objectives of the course are to introduce the student to concepts developed in psychology, economics, and sociology and their relationship to consumer behavior, to involve the student directly in the study and analysis of consumer behavior, and to develop in students the ability to translate what can be learned into marketing action implications.

This course is an overview of the transportation sector, including providers, users and government agencies. It examines contemporary public policy issues, such as deregulation, along with managerial strategies in transportation.

This course is a study of supply chain management from the consumer back to raw materials. The entire process is studied from the standpoint of the leading theory and practice of cutting-edge organizations.

This course is designed to provide a solid foundation for undergraduate study in the online environment. Students will be introduced to learning theory, the tools available in the online classroom and campus, and online research. Identification of personal learning style allows students to improve their study/learning techniques and prepares them to succeed in college level courses. Students will be introduced to formatting and citation styles. APUS policy and procedure is addressed. There is an emphasis on written communication to assist students in the transition to the online environment.

This course is a capstone course designed to allow the student to review, analyze and integrate the work the student has completed toward a degree in Retail Management. The student will complete an approved academic project or paper that demonstrates mastery of retail management studies. This is a capstone course to be taken after all other core courses have been satisfactorily completed. Student must have SENIOR standing to register.