RESEARCH TRACK

Merchandising theory, principles and practice applied to the strategic planning, developing and presenting of textile, apparel and home furnishings product lines. How consumer driven markets motivate product sourcing, pricing, assortment, styling and timing in the global distribution pipeline.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

To be scheduled only with consent of department. 6 hours credit required. No credit assigned until thesis has been completed and filed with graduate school. Continuous enrollment required once work on thesis has begun.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Critical evaluation of research methods in merchandising and hospitality management fields. Develop research framework and formulate research design questions. Enhance research skills through writing a thesis proposal or research proposal.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Application of statistical techniques to the problems of merchandising or hospitality industries using SPSS software package. Emphasis is on conceptualizing problems, analyzing and interpreting quantitative information. Topics include identification of appropriate metrics and measurement methods, descriptive and inferential statistics, parametric and non-parametric tests, correlation and linear regression, categorical data analysis and factor analysis. 

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Tools and processes to analyze the network data in social media are essential for enabling practitioners and researchers to sustain the success of social media marketing. Based on the Network Analysis and Visualization (NAV) process model, the course articulates the export, analysis, interpretation, and visualization of big data collected from online networks in social media.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Introduces students to the theories, design and applications used in mixed-methods research as it pertains to social and human inquiry. Students learn how qualitative and quantitative consumer data can be integrated to answer complex research questions.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Provides an overview of quantitative methods essential for analyzing data, with an emphasis on business and industry applications. Topics include identification of appropriate metrics and measurement methods, descriptive and inferential statistics, experimental design, parametric and non-parametric tests, simulation, and linear and logistic regression, categorical data analysis, and select unsupervised learning techniques. Standard and open source statistical packages are used to apply techniques to real-world problems.

Recommended: MATH 1100 or MATH 1680 or equivalent, or ADTA 5100.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $24.70

Designed to teach non-majors the basics of ethnographic and qualitative methods. Students develop the skills necessary to conduct qualitative research through reviewing and applying the relationship of research to theory, research ethics, project design, data collection (observation, interviewing and focus groups), coding, analysis of data through the use of computer software, and presentation of findings.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $20

Experiential learning in industry centers for fashion, home furnishings, and/or hospitality provides a context for career development as well as an overview of the industry at work. Students collect and synthesize primary and secondary data into comprehensive analyses for career opportunities, trends, brands and other appropriate elements for the fashion, home furnishings, and hospitality industries.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of college.

Meets with CMHT 4000.

Pre-trip and post-trip classes are required. No more than three hours of field study may be used to fulfill degree requirements.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Classic and contemporary consumer theories analyzed in situational contexts. Emphasis on formulating integrated consumer behavior models for strategic decision-making in both domestic and international consumer-driven markets in merchandising and hospitality industries.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Major areas of human relations skills necessary for managing employees and customers in merchandising and hospitality management are studied. Topics include employee supervision, motivation, communication, training, management development, problem-solving, decision making and stress management.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Analyze internal, external and situational factors that influence promotion strategies including advertising, public relations, promotions and salesmanship. Formulate and judge promotion strategies that generate added economic value to textile, apparel, home furnishings, or hospitality products or companies.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Creating and managing customer experiences of tangible and intangible products and services that link merchandising and hospitality segments. Applying merchandising strategies of planning, developing and presenting products to consumers with the experiential components of the hospitality industry to provide a total concept-based experience.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Explores the dynamics of service excellence in the merchandising and hospitality industries. How consumer-driven trends motivate service approaches, management and training procedures, and their impact in the marketplace.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Prerequisite(s): None.

May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Provides introductory teacher education preparing graduate students to enter into a first teaching assignment with knowledge of how to prepare, likely challenges, and facilitation of student learning.

Prerequisite(s): Merchandising or hospitality management master’s status.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Introduction to the laws and regulations which influence business and management decisions in the merchandising and hospitality industries. Provides a practical knowledge of the law and operation of the legal system. Focuses on the management techniques for minimizing risks associated with legal liability.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Study and application of visual merchandising in a virtual format. Emphasis on merchandising processes that convey product characteristics to the consumer from production through distribution. Development of web site using computer software

Meets with DRTL 4090.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Introduction and overview of components and processes associated with the furniture and home furnishings industry and their function within the overall merchandising process. Examination of topics related to materials, product development, sourcing, manufacturing, merchandising and sales of these products.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Strategic perspective of fashion-oriented products in a dynamic marketplace. Included are case analyses of merchandising principles practiced by representative companies. Interpretations of global trends and issues affecting multi-channel distribution.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Application of various consumer research methodologies including descriptive and predictive analysis in developing effective business strategies. Solving complex problems and providing viable solutions using analytics tools and data visualization programs. 

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

In-depth studies of top analytical tools that provide analysis of business trends, patterns, and performance in the retail industry, and hands-on practice of analytical skills to derive data-driven insights to improve customer experience, increase sales, and optimize operations. The analytical tools to be learned include Excel PivotTable/PivotChart, Tableau Essential, Power BI and Google Analytics. Important analytical metrics and methods used in these tools are covered.

Prerequisite(s): DRTL 4070 or consent of instructor.

Meets with DRTL 4370.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Examines fundamental business tools for the pursuit of sustainable development to business operation in apparel and home furnishings enterprises.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Explores the social, psychological and cultural theories of dress and appearance.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Using the case study method, students apply merchandising theory, principles, and practices to industry scenarios. Emphasis on problem solving, creative thinking, fact-finding, data analysis, and data interpretation involved in business operations. Focus on the development of leadership skills while functioning in small and large groups.

Meets with MDSE 4660.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Analysis and application of digital information exchange technology related to textile, apparel, home furnishings and other fashion-oriented products. Emphasis on distribution, merchandising, e-commerce and sales.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Meets with MDSE 6750. 

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Provides a holistic overview of digital retailing strategies through examination of merchandising, marketing and customer experience strategies in digital marketspaces. Focuses on how to help organizations make intelligent decisions while conducting business in the digital age. Emphasis is on the understanding of digital technologies and critically evaluating their influence, particularly on digital channel strategies.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Meets with CMHT 6770.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Arranged.

Prerequisite(s): None.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Arranged.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory):
Academic (AF) per hour: $10.40

Theoretical and methodological introduction to Link Analysis from the perspective of Social Network Analysis: collecting, analyzing, visualizing and interpreting a large cloud of favorites, comments, tags, likes, ratings and links that are applicable across various business sectors.

Prerequisite(s): Familiarity with the basics of multivariate analysis and a statistical software package such as SPSS or SAS, and consent of instructor.

Course specific fees (in addition to tuition and mandatory): Academic (AF) per hour: $10.