1. What is unique about
the retail curriculum at FDDI?
This curriculum is designed for developing retail professionals
from the first line of management, the entry level retail positions as a tool
to create awareness about retail functions and improve skills related to the
management work in a retail environment. Intended to be a premium retail
course, the Retail Curriculum is aligned with industry requirements. This
course is dedicated for all the facets of retail such as Retail operations,
visual merchandising, retail merchandising, e commerce, retail communication
etc. We offer 19 modules to the MBA students. We offer modules like product
knowledge in apparels, fashion and Garments, Store planning, Retail Software
Knowledge on the SAP which are not covered by any another institutes in the
country. This is the only course which has the core modules of retail
throughout all the semesters.
2. Are there any plans
to add something new to the existing curriculum?
Our curriculum is based on the latest knowledge impartation to the
students. It is an exhaustive course curriculum and we keep on adding subjects
which would be deemed necessary based on industry feedback. Our task is to come
up with a curriculum that works well. In developing such a curriculum that
meets complex retail industry specifications, we try not to have any
shortcomings or tradeoffs. Based on the retail industry feedback E commerce, Digital
Marketing and Luxury Retail would be offered to the students for which the
course content is being developed.
3. What sort of
practical learning do the students acquire when they take up a course in
retail?
Through a course in retail management students learn the various
aspects of retail which includes store operations, visual merchandising,
logistics, site selection, supply chain and others . This course demonstrates
how to run a virtual retail organisation, taking operations and other subjects
into consideration. In order to make the student aware of the real retail
organization along with its allied organisations, store visits, factory visit,
on the job training are encouraged. Each year a national visual merchandising
competition is held, which aids a student in learning about the nuances of
visual merchandise. The student’s participation is judged by the leading visual
merchandisers of India and abroad.
Projects undertaken permit the student to discover the prevalent
commercial and industrial practice in order to reinforce their theoretical
knowledge.
4. What are the growth
prospects for students who take up a career in retail?
With the tremendous growth of economy, retail management has
emerged as one of the fastest growing careers in India. The enormous expansion
in the retail sector during the past few years has thrown up a big demand for
skilled professionals in the field. One can take up a job depending on one’s
interest and aptitude, since retail industry is an array of activities starting
from marketing to branding. This makes retail profession one of the most
demanding careers of the era. One could start his career as a management
trainee, and with hard work and right attitude, could reach the manager posts
of different departments. A retail management graduate can easily fit in brands,
retailers, ecommerce/online retailers, airlines, banks etc. One can even start
one’s own business and be an entrepreneur. The Retail Management Student can opt for
careers as buyer, brand manager, category manager, store manager, floor
manager, department manager, district manager, store operations manager, visual
merchandisers etc.
Trained and talented retail management professionals
are always in great demand not only in India but abroad also. Big brands have
opened retail chains throughout the cities & rural areas that offer huge
job openings.
5. What is the future of
retail in our country?
Retail Industry is one of the fastest changing and vibrant
industries in the world that has contributed to the economic growth of many
countries. Indian retail sector has been rated as the fifth most attractive,
emerging retail market in the world. Indian retail sector accounts for over 10
percent of the country’s GDP (gross domestic product) and around 8 percent of
employment, is expected to grow at a compound rate of 30 per cent over the next
five years. Online retailing is creating ripples in the retailing
business. It has increased its spread widely and at a rapidly increasing speed.
Shopping is becoming more experiential; eating, being entertained and
living the shopping experience will take on prominence. In the future, the
retail landscape of India will be dramatically different from today,
expectations are increasing and integration between retail operators and brand
manufacturers may happen.
