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Updated May 1, 2007

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MERCHANDISING COURSE DESRIPTION

Proposed Course Matrix

ADFH 710 Consumer Behavior in Merchandising

Evaluation of psychological, sociological, and cultural theories of consumers’ behavior through the examination of factors influencing consumers’ decision-making process.

ADFH 720 Professional Advancement

Analysis of leadership and how it affects organizational culture and change through a prism of past and current experiences. Various leadership styles will be examined and a personal leadership philosophy will be developed for professional advancement in Merchandising.

ADFH 730 Product Design, Development and Evaluation

Advanced study of issues and management strategies necessary to design and produce a competitively priced product. Examination of the role of globalization and rapidly changing technology the development of a successful product.

ADFH 740 Promotional Strategies in Merchandising

Examination of integrated marketing communications (i.e., promotional strategies and techniques) while f ostering cultural and global awareness, social responsibility and ethical decision-making in the field of promotion.

 ADFH 750 Retail Theory and Current Practice

Theoretical and applied analysis of Merchandising strategies; assessment of internal and external environmental forces impacting strategic decisions by retail firms; synthesis of past and present trends in order to forecast probable future patterns.  Prerequisite: Retail Management course.

ADFH 760 Historical and Contemporary Issues in Trade

The examination of fiber, textile, and apparel industries in a global context. Specifically, a look at the historical development of the global and U.S. textile and apparel industries and how the global environment (economic, political, and social systems) affects the textile/apparel production and trade.

ADFH 770 International Retail Expansion

Comprehensive understanding of theory, practices and trends on international merchandise management. An analysis of global retail systems and the methods of distributed to consumers in various countries.

ADFH 775 Research Methods in Merchandising

This class will provide an overview of the research process used in social science, including an overview and analysis of research methodologies. This class will also include a review of current Merchandising literature with implications for future research. Prerequisites: Graduate level course in statistics.

ADFH 780 Financial Merchandising Implications

The advanced study of financial trends in the Merchandising industries; implications related to sole proprietors, partnerships, franchises, S corporations, and C corporations. Foci will be on the financial implications of recent advances in the field that assist graduate students as they embark on careers in academia and/or the Merchandising industries.

ADFH 785 Strategic Planning

Examination of the executive planning process utilized to develop successful corporate strategies; emphasis on the importance of a market orientation for building customer value and sustaining a competitive advantage. Pre-requisites: ADFH 740, instructor permission.