Retail NaviGator

"So what is YMA FSF anyway," you might be asking? Well, it is a non-profit organization that stands for Young Men's Association Fashion Scholarship Fund. The organization was started decades ago to foster and aid the educational and professional development of future leaders in the fashion industry. Every year, YMA FSF awards fifty $5,000 scholarships to design and business students interested in retailing or any aspect of fashion industry. The award money must be spent on the pursuit of each scholar's fashion goals. Along with the prize money comes a guaranteed internship in New York City with one of the YMA's partnered companies. The partnered companies are not little "no-name" brands either. They are household names such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Nautica, Perry Ellis, Vanity Fair, Zac Posen, Geoffrey Beene, and Macy's, to name a few.

After being one of two winners from the University of Florida, I had the privilege of working at Tommy Hilfiger's corporate office in New York City for the summer. Living and working in the city really opened my eyes to what retailing is about. My experience showed me this is the industry I want to be in for the next stage of my life.

While at Tommy Hilfiger, I was a paid intern, was given real responsibility and allowed to make decisions that impacted my department. I later found out my internship experience was different than that of other interns at Tommy Hilfiger because I was an YMA scholar. YMA scholars receive special advantages when working at companies associated with the fund. The first advantage is their internships are full-time and paid. The second is YMA scholars are the first candidates for corporate jobs in the retail industry, and third, YMA scholars have the opportunity hold internship positions equivalent to entry-level jobs and duties instead of primarily being the "gopher" (go for this...go for that...)

In addition to prize money and the great internships, the YMA has wonderful connections. The organization does a superb job hosting networking socials during the summer. Scholars have the opportunity to meet each other, but more importantly scholars have the chance to meet and talk with executives from all the associated retail firms, as well as celebrities within the fashion industry. The socials are a fun time and can greatly change your life depending upon whom you get the chance to meet. I met executives from many top tier fashion organizations, most of whom asked for my resume and asked me to keep in touch with them as I enter the workforce.

All in all, the YMA is a wonderful opportunity to distill your creative ideas into a prompted case study that could allow you to win $5000, have the opportunity to live and work in New York for a summer, and to meet executives and celebrities in the fashion industry. Oh, by the way, did I mention I have the opportunity to work Fashion Week this fall, thanks to the connections I formed with members of YMA? As you can see, the YMA can change your life in ways you only dreamed about! So get out of your chair and enter the case study—who knows what opportunities will come out of it? What do you have to lose? For more information about this scholarship, contact the Miller Center for Retailing at 352-392-7166.

The project, International Retail Education and Training (IRET), led by Dr. Bart Weitz and Dr. Hyunjoo Oh, will help build global competence in international retailing. IRET would focus on enhancing student's competence in global retailing. It would also concentrate on the challenges encountered by the U.S. manufacturers and retailers expanding into the emerging markets of the BRIC nations.

Retailing is a major, highly competitive global industry. In the U.S., one out of five people works in the retail industry. The rise of the global networked economy is fundamentally changing the way U.S. retail firms do business. Retail firms must embrace flexibility to make cultural adaptations and be prepared to design and implement global retail expansion strategies to offset the declining domestic market and to remain competitive and thrive. New understanding of market determinants of success/failure in foreign retail ventures must be translated into lessons for business students and best practices for business professionals. Leading retail firms now are looking for employees who are familiar with the cultural norms and unique business issues in different countries. This new expectation is making global competence as one of must-have abilities for today's students. The IRET project is designed to meet the challenges and requirements demanded for global retail workforce.

The IRET project will: 1) build global competence among UF business students, and students studying at other U.S. universities, in the multidisciplinary challenges of international retailing; 2) increase sensitivity of students to cultural and ethical issues in international retailing; 3) offer opportunity to both business and foreign language/area studies students to go beyond international retail awareness to learn about and experience best practices in international retailing; 4) establish forums to educate business practitioners on international retailing; and(5) establish an on-going program enhancing international retailing capacity among the Warrington College of Business Administration and UF foreign language departments and area study centers.

Requiring four years for full development, the IRET project will focus on the following activities during the grant cycle 2009-2011:

1. Developing faculty expertise in retailing in China and Brazil;
2. eveloping and disseminating multimedia learning support modules (lecture materials, cases, and interviews with industry practitioners and consumers) on retailing in China;
3. Infusing multimedia learning support modules into current UF curriculum and development of a course on retailing in China;
4. Conducting a two-week student study tour abroad focused on that country's retailing sector;
5. Conducting an international retailing workshop for business professionals, particularly targeting the regional Florida market and emphasizing best practices in China and Brazil.

The innovative IRET Project will be beneficial in many ways. Students will benefit from an increased opportunity to develop job-relevant international knowledge and skills. The nationally disseminated international retailing multimedia learning modules will permit a large number of students in dispersed geographical areas to gain at least a "broad brushstroke" exposure to international retailing issues in international business classes and in traditional retailing classes. Business and non-business students at UF will be able to go beyond global retailing awareness and acquire more in-depth international retail skills through specialized course work and study abroad. Faculty at UF will benefit from enhanced international business capacity that will enable them to address a broader range of current issues in teaching and in research. Faculty nationwide will benefit from much needed pedagogical materials. Florida industry will benefit from a specialized workshop showing how to be successful in global retail endeavors. Both national and regional retailing industries will benefit from an increased number of management trainees who are prepared to tackle critical issues in foreign market retail entry as these students will be equipped with pertinent cross-cultural skills and will be ready to apply the latest findings from retailing research.

Mr. Elliott began his speech by explaining how retailing changes rapidly which forces retailers to look for new methods to innovate and streamline products or services to develop new business opportunities. Sears Holdings is no different in this regard. With the demise of KB Toys and the lack of differentiation within the current retail toy departments, Sears recognized a wonderful opportunity to capitalize on an underserved market. With the toy industry generating $22 billion dollars in revenue each year, Sears believes they can capture market share by providing shoppers with an exceptional shopping experience unparalleled within the retail industry. Sears intends to provide this experience by implementing programs and policies that engage both parents and children. They will reward parents while also giving them a reason to shop. Mr. Elliott explained his vision of creating everlasting experiences and relations that will stay with both children and parents for generations.

Mr. Elliott further explained that to provide an exceptional shopping experience, you must first engage and excite potential shoppers. Marketing plays a vital role in this aspect of implementation. As consumers, we are constantly bombarded with various forms of advertising, marketing and promotion. Mr. Elliott and his marketing team had to create a marketing plan that differentiated itself from its competitors while still remaining relevant to its customers. One idea implemented was having Santa Claus within the stores in the middle of August! What better way to generate excitement with children than with Santa Claus. This had never been done previously, so naturally parents and children flocked to the stores. Continuing to provide shoppers with unique experiences will create the relationships and spur emotions that Sears Holdings is planning, with such innovations as placing employees in Elmo costumes and having them walk around the mall. Children within the mall quickly took notice and followed Elmo. The parents and children would eventually make their way to Sears where giveaways and various other promotional items awaited them. These forms of promotion provided both children and parents a unique experience only offered by Sears.

Within the toy department of Sears, Mr. Elliott again wanted to innovate and engage. Kiosks are located throughout the toy department of Sears. With these kiosks, parents can place orders for birthday and Christmas gifts without children recognizing what was bought. Toys are also more accessible within the toy department. Children can touch, feel, and play with toys their parents may potentially purchase as oppose to simply looking at the item in its box. Again, this provides children with the experience of playing with the toy and the parents the reassurance that this item satisfies their child's needs. Furthermore, Mr. Elliott explained that the toy shops have only one place of entry and exit. Having a single entrance and exit helps parents shop with their children in a safe environment. Even the products within the store itself provide engagement for both children and parents.

Mr. Elliott's speech provided valuable insight as to what companies look for when they decide to launch new business ventures. I was pleasantly surprised to see Sears locating viable new markets in the midst of all our economic turmoil. Many retailers simply aren't doing this. They are instead cutting back and streamlining processes to save money. The management team at Sears has the courage to take educated risks and the talent to see them succeed. Throughout this presentation, as an observer, you can clearly see the confidence and talent that has made him a top executive.

Because of Macy's new "My Macy's" localization approach, Bobbie Chelminski is now better equipped to cater to the needs of the customer in the Ocala market. The customer is key in all retail businesses, which is why Macy's has decided to switch to a localization management strategy. The power to decide upon the merchandise assortment is now available to the store. By not only listening to the customer, but also understanding their needs and wants, Chelminski can deliver better assortments and marketing programs to target her customer, the horse farm owner of Ocala.

With the new "My Macy's" approach to retailing success, the lines of communication between the buyers/planners and the associates in the stores have opened up, allowing a transformation to take place. Macy'''s stores are now divided into regions with districts that house regional planning and marketing offices. This allows for better communication between merchants and store management. This communication leads to better decisions about the merchandise offered to the customers and the time it is made available in the stores.

Because of the strategy, Macy''s has developed more positions and advancements for students interested in retail. "Localization has given associates more potential for a career path and to develop career skills within a region," said Chelminski. Because of centralized planning/buying and marketing, a student or associate interested in buying had to relocate to New York or Miami. Now, students can develop within a region without having to make a big move.

Chelminski is excited to better engage her customers in a customized shopping experience by using "My Macy's" localization. This new management strategy has given Macy's the tools to help drive sales and profits by performing one simple act: listening.

The first big step in conquering an interview is to do the homework before you go to the interview. Research the company. Understand the mission of the company, where they want to go and how you can fit into the culture.

The most frightening parts of an interview are the behavioral questions, but if you understand why recruiters ask them and practice how to respond, students will excel. There are three main types of questions: credential verification, experience, and opinion questions. Credential verification questions ensure the candidate meets the qualifications of the position. For example, one question may be, "Are you capable of effectively using Microsoft Office?" Experience questions focus on learning about a candidate's experiences. Answers can reflect past work experiences or classroom experiences. These two types of questions are fairly straightforward and easy to answer. The toughest questions that students encounter are opinion or behavioral questions. These questions usually start off with "describe a time...." or "tell me about a time when you...." These questions are aimed to provide an example of a past experiences in order to potentially understand your future performance on the job. The key to mastering these questions is to tell a relevant and compelling story with passion. In the story, students should be precise and give examples. Millares stated that when describing a situation, students should use the S.T.A.R. approach: indentify the Situation, Task, Action and Result. Hitting all of these points should help students answer behavioral questions with great confidence and help them conquer the interview.

The last part of the interview is closing the deal. When the interview is over, students should restate why they are the best choice for the job and make sure to thank the interviewer for the opportunity. It is recommended to get the recruiter''s name and contact information so that a thank you letter can be forwarded. It takes practice and a little extra work, but these methods are proven and can help students succeed through interviews!

Brown began by talking about resumes and stressed that a student's contact information should be listed clearly at the top of the resume. Furthermore, he pointed out the necessities of stating one's school information—including the institution, major, and GPA—as well as the importance of listing work experience, student involvement, and any type of leadership in extracurricular activities.

Other insights highlighted were the necessity of proofreading a resume. He suggested that everyone needed a proofreader, as we cannot see our own mistakes on our own documents. He suggested developing a resume that is one page, use office acceptable fonts, bold key terms, convert Microsoft Word files to PDF files, and use standard white paper for the final version.

Brown discussed various guidelines of how to make a great first impression with recruiters at Showcase. Having a basic understanding of the company and its job opportunities is a vital element of successfully impressing recruiters during that first meeting. Have a firm handshake, maintain eye contact, project your voice, dress professionally, have your resume ready, and most importantly, exude confidence.

Stock started his presentation with the song "You Have to Learn How to Fall Before You Learn How to Fly" by Paul Simon. This was the theme throughout his presentation. He related stories about how working and even being fired, taught him important lessons altered his career, and brought him to his current position with Guy Harvey. He has been with Guy Harvey for 15 years and worked his way from General Manager to his current role as President.

Branding Guy Harvey is an important part of Stock's job, and he emphasized that to brand a company properly, you must build it to where people want to associate with it. It starts with picking a name and logo that captures the heart of the company. It travels to the quality of your products and the values of the company. For instance, Guy Harvey Inc. is passionate about protecting the ocean environment, and openly shares how most of the profits fund the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. It is one thing to donate to charity, but another to be actively involved in raising awareness for an important cause. Cause marketing is vital to Stock''s job.

Guy Harvey Inc. has expanded rapidly with Stock as President. What started as a company with two product lines (men's t-shirts and coffee mugs) has grown to over 24 licensed lines (including the original t-shirts, women's clothing, swimsuits and sunglasses). The t-shirts are a walking billboard for the company and a perpetual advertisement for the brand. Guy Harvey also has a TV show on Sun Sports, "Portraits from the Deep," which not only gives viewers a glimpse of Guy Harvey, the talented artist and scientist, but also raises more awareness about the oceans he loves so much.

Stock closed his presentation by sharing many of the quotes that have inspired him throughout his career. It was his own words however, that expressed his journey the best: "I never said that it would be easy, I only said that it would be worth it."

When it comes to picking a suit, basic black is always a conservative and safe choice when meeting executives for Showcase or an interview. Dillards emphasized the importance of matching the shades of black and not to mix a solid jacket with a striped pant or vice versa. However, tan and navy suits are also very acceptable in a business environment. Tan suits look great with pops of color like pink or blue. Navy suits are impressive with red and white accents.

The business casual look can be used for casual Fridays and daytime workshops. The best advice for dressing is to mimic those who are already performing your job. If they dress in suits, it is recommended that you dress in a suit as well. Dillards demonstrated examples of business casual: dress pants with a conservative blouse for ladies, and pressed khakis with a long-sleeve button-up shirt for men. They cautioned participants to remember that in a business casual setting, it is still business, and clothes must be clean and pressed.

The main idea in dressing for success is to make sure your clothing does not detract from your strengths as a candidate. If you choose to wear wild, distracting clothing, your interviewer could focus on that more than you. Even the strongest candidates can't afford that. So dress smartly, interview with confidence, and Go Gators!

Retailing can be both a financially and personally rewarding career. Retail presents a career where each day is different and fast-paced, and it offers competitive salaries with progressive companies. Although managers do work some evenings and weekends, this all depends on the needs of the business. For example, retail is an industry that is customer and service-driven. So, if the store is open late during the holiday season, a manager would want to be present to help drive sales while customers are in the store. However, companies are increasingly changing to develop a good work/life balance for their management and associates. In light of this, Hamilton and Martin said, "In order to be promoted from assistant manager to store manager, you have to be a good assistant manager. In order to be a district manager, you need to be a great store manager, and to be a district manager, you have to be an exceptional regional manager." Retail offers rapid advancement and endless possibilities. It all depends on the individual. The ability to relocate during a retail career can also help promote an exceptional candidate, just as hard work and dedication is considered.

Every retailer is different, but the training programs all offer extraordinary instruction. The difference from other industries is the fast paced environment, the creativity and the rapid acquisition of responsibility. Retailers are looking for individuals that are analytical, decisive, creative, progressive, organized, and able to communicate. Remember, it is not what the retailer can do for you, but what you can do for retailing.

Walking between classes to find an ice cream buffet, complete with caramel syrup and peanuts, surprised students as they walked between classes in the Warrington College of Business Administration. "I never saw a company do this before," said senior Veronica Berano, "It demonstrates what retailing is about - excitement, forward thinking, and creativity!" Visiting executives shared sundaes with students while talking about careers, internships and new ideas. Sam Schiller, Food Resource Economics major, said, "The social provided a relaxing environment where I could talk with successful executives about my own career goals...it was like having a mentor for the afternoon!" The JCPenney team consisted of Kazem Moghtader, product development and sourcing recruiter; Scott Boyer, store manager of the Gainesville JCPenney; Jason Leondard, director of field and college recruiting; Sharon Cleveland, district manager, and Kristie Cheatham, regional coordination manager. JCPenney's campus recruiter, Candace Wang, oversaw the gathering students so everyone could interact with the executives. To supplement the retail atmosphere, a video quietly played, presenting vibrant information about JCPenney brands, featuring Sephora, American Living and Cindy Crawford Styles. This opened the eyes of students to what JCPenney offers consumers.

Kristie Cheatham, regional coordination
manager, JCPenney

In the evening, Kazem Moghtader presented the workshop "Communication Styles in Business" to help students develop excellent communications skills for a professional retail career. The highly interactive workshop encouraged participation amongst the audience by guiding students through real life scenarios and helping them to think of alternative ways to manage unique situations. Moghtader went beyond the standard PowerPoint presentation by utilizing "Dilbert" comic strips that demonstrated poor communication tactics and then offered alternatives to enhance good communication in the workplace. His choice of humorous comics helped students understand the pitfalls of poor workplace communication and the values of improving this skill.

After spending the day with JCPenney, students were able to understand retailing as a career offering a variety of opportunities within one company. The visiting executives modeled pathways for success through their experiences and work-life balance.

• Teaching tips, assignments, project, and classroom exercises
• Interesting retail-related websites including trade magazines and associations
• Syllabi used by instructors teaching undergraduate and MBA retail courses
• PowerPoint slides On:
• Introduction to the World of Retailing
• Shopping Behavior
• Financial Retail Strategy
• Retail Strategy
• Retail Locations
• Retail Site Analysis
• Retail Store Management
• Retail Store Design and Visual Merchandising
• Retail Customer Service
• Retail Assortment Planning
• Types of Retailers
• Retail Human Resource Management
• Retail Information and Supply Chain Systems
• Retail Customer Relationship Management
• Retail Communications
• Retail Merchandise Budget Planning
• Multi Channel Retailing
• Buying Retail Merchandise
• Retail Pricing
• Family Dollars' Retail Strategy
• Store Management at Advanced Auto Parts
• Michael's Store Redesign
• Office Depot Merchandise Strategy
• Information about the 7th Edition of the Retailing Management textbook coauthored by Professor Weitz and published by McGraw-Hill.
• Table of contents
• Walk through
• Sample chapters
• List of cases
• List of videos
• Support material for instructors