Course Syllabus
Course Number:
Course Title:
Credits:
Pre-requisites/Co-requisites:
For Whom Planned:
Instructor Information:
RCS 560
Advanced Retail Buying and Merchandising
(3:3)
For undergraduates: Grade of C (2.0) or better in RSC 361;
For graduates: Instructor’s approval
Required course for undergraduate students in the Retail
and Consumer Studies (RCS) concentration and for
graduate students in the Department of Consumer, Apparel,
and Retail Studies online master’s degree.
Jennifer Yurchisin, Ph.D.
353 Stone Building
256-0272, jlyurchi@uncg.edu
In person office hours: Mondays & Wednesdays, 10:0011:00 AM
Online office hours: Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 PM (via Skype
at jlyurchi)
Other times by appointment
Catalog Description: Advancing the strategies of inventory acquisition and control.
Application of retail math to excel spreadsheets in planning the assortment plan, six month
merchandise plan, and model stock plans.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course, both undergraduate and graduate students should be able to:
1. Apply basic principles of merchandising theory to manage and control inventory in an
apparel and textiles context.
2. Calculate figures employed within the retail environment for profit maximization.
3. Predict future sales figures for apparel and textiles merchandise by examining current
trends and previous sales figures.
4. Develop and analyze a simulated retail merchandising plan for an apparel and textiles
company.
5. Utilize computer software to obtain key information and prepare useful reports
concerning inventory management.
At the end of this course, graduate students should be able to:
1. Evaluate and critique an apparel and textiles company’s merchandising strategy.
2. Prepare and present a revised retail merchandising plan for an apparel and textiles
company.
TEACHING METHODS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR ACHIEVING LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
This course will be a combination of online lectures, homework assignments involving problemsolving and the use of computer software, and a financial assignment involving critical thinking
skills, problem solving skills, and computer software skills. Online lectures will be used to
introduce key concepts and to provide information from the outside readings. Homework
assignments and the financial assignment will be used to master analysis skills and to gain
experience using the computer software. Graduate students enrolled in the course will also be
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expected to complete one additional assignment, which is a written analysis and revision of an
apparel and textiles company’s merchandising strategy.
Assignments will include:
1. Examination (50% for undergraduates; 35% for graduates). There will be one final
examination. The exam questions will be based upon class lectures, the text, class
discussion, assignments, and other materials covered in class. The exam will consist of
multiple choice and essay questions, as well as problem-solving questions. The final
exam will be completed online during the final examination week.
2. Homework assignments (15% for undergraduates; 10% for graduates). There will be
several assignments to complete during the semester. Assignments include, but are not
limited to, problem-solving activities and written responses to questions. These
assignments will be completed as you work through the corresponding chapters online.
They will be due at the time that you complete the chapter module by the due date listed
on the syllabus. They will focus on the key concepts introduced in each chapter.
3. Financial assignment (35% for undergraduates; 30% for graduates). The financial
assignment will consist of a six-month merchandise plan for a simulated apparel and
textiles company. Students will plan a fashion category for the upcoming season for
multiple store locations. They will determine initial allocation quantities to order for each
store location through analysis of historical data. Once orders have been placed and
arrive, students will follow in-season selling using simulated data and allocate back to
stores based on store need. The six-month merchandise plan will be completed by each
student on his or her own time, and it will be due as indicated on the syllabus.
4. Graduate students only--Written analysis and revision of merchandising strategy project
(25%). Graduate students enrolled in the course will complete one additional assignment.
For this assignment, graduate students will be given information provided by a local
apparel retailer concerning the company’s merchandising strategy. Graduate students will
analyze and critique the strategy currently being employed by the retailer. The graduate
students will then make suggestions and revise the strategy for the retailer. Students will
be required to write a paper that will be presented to both the instructor of the course as
well as the local retailer. The paper will be completed on the students’ own time, and it
will be due as indicated on the syllabus.
EVALUATION AND GRADING:
All students will be graded on 1) the final examination; 2) completion and submission of the
homework assignments; and 3) completion and submission of the financial assignment. Graduate
students’ grades will also be based on completion and submission of the written analysis and
revision of merchandising strategy project. More specific evaluative criteria for each element
will be posted on Blackboard and discussed at the beginning of the semester.
Final Grading Scale:
A = 93 – 100%
B = 83 – 86 %
C = 73 – 76%
A- = 90 – 92%
B- = 80 – 82%
F < 73%
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B+ = 87 – 89%
C+ = 77 – 79%
REQUIRED TEXTS/READINGS/REFERENCES:
The primary texts will be:
Daimond, J. & Pintel, G. (2013). Retail buying (9th Edition). Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall.
The CARS Student Handbook
Additional readings will be made available through Blackboard.
TOPICAL OUTLINE/CALENDAR:
WEEK
TOPIC:
1
An Introduction to Advanced Retailing Buying and Merchandising
2
The Buyer’s Role (Chapter #2) & Buying Practices for the Different Retail
Classifications (Chapter #3) & Profit & Loss Statements—Homework #1 due by
Thursday, September 5 at 5:00 PM
3
Merchandise Pricing (Chapter #15) & Markup and Inventory Control Part 1–
Homework Assignment #2 due by Thursday, September 12 at 5:00 PM
4
Markup and Inventory Control Part 2 – Homework Assignment #3 due by
Thursday, September 19 at 5:00 PM
5
The Market Specialists and How They Service Retailers (Chapter #4); Consumer
Analysis (Chapter #5); & Multiculturalism: Assessing the Product Needs of
America’s Major Ethnicities (Chapter #6) – Homework Assignment #4 due by
Thursday, September 26 at 5:00 PM
6
What to Buy (Chapter #7) & How Much to Buy (Chapter #8) & The Six-Month
Merchandise Plan (Chapter #15)—Homework Assignment #5 due by Thursday,
October 3 at 5:00 PM
7
The Six-Month Merchandise Plan (Continued)—Homework Assignment #6 due
by Thursday, October 10 at 5:00 PM
8
The Six-Month Merchandise Plan (Continued)—Homework Assignment #7 due
by Thursday, October 17 at 5:00 PM
9
The Six-Month Merchandise Plan (Continued) & Open-to-Buy – Homework
Assignment #8 due by Thursday, October 24 at 5:00 PM
10
Merchandise Sourcing and Timing the Purchase (Chapter #9); Purchasing in the
Domestic Marketplace (Chapter #10) & Wholesale Purchasing on the Internet
(Chapter #13)
11
Foreign Market Purchasing (Chapter #11) & The Importance of Business
Etiquette When Purchasing in Global Markets (Chapter #12) – Homework
Assignment #9 due by Thursday, November 7 at 5:00 PM
12
Negotiating the Purchase and Writing the Order (Chapter #14) –Homework
Assignment #10 due by Thursday, November 14 at 5:00 PM
13
The Development of Private-Label Programs (Chapter #16)
14
Financial Assignment (All Students) due by Thursday, November 21 at 5:00 PM
& Written Analysis and Revision of Merchandising Strategy Project due
(Graduate Students Only) by Thursday, November 21 at 5:00 PM
15
Final Exam due by Thursday, December 5 at 5:00 PM
ACADEMIC HONOR CODE:
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Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the UNCG policy on issues such as
cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification and facilitation of dishonest
conduct. Procedures and penalties related to these and other violations of the Academic Honor
Policy are found in the undergraduate bulletin as well as via the following web site:
http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/. Any violation of the Honor Policy may result in failure of the
assignment and subsequently the entire course.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Students are expected to complete all modules in a timely fashion. Attendance in the modules
will be recorded via completion and submission of the homework assignments which are
embedded in the modules.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
None.
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