Workforce Comprehensive Curriculum Study

Research Team:Dr. Mike Brady, College of Business

Dr. Susan S. Fiorito, College of Human SciencesAlexis Allen, Ph.D. candidate, COB

Cinthia Satornino, Ph.D. candidate, COB

Challenge

• The continued success of the retail industry depends on a qualified workforce. The challenge for universities is to determine what knowledge and skills retailers value and then produce graduates that possess these proficiencies.

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Opportunity

• The FRF is in a unique position in that it has relationships with both Florida universities and Florida retailers. By facilitating a dialogue between these groups, a general curriculum framework can be developed that addresses current workforce needs and provides the next generation of retail leadership in Florida.

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PurposeGoal: To develop a framework for a retail curriculum that would assist in providing a qualified retail workforce and the next generation of retail leadership in Florida.

Objective: Determine the knowledge and skills of successful retailers and use this information to develop a curriculum at a University level to promote, enhance, and develop successful retail leadership.

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Study Process

1. Exploratory Research Benchmarking Interviews

2. Pilot Study3. Online Survey Study4. Data Analysis5. Deliverables

Report of Survey Results General Curriculum Framework

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OVERVIEW OF PHASE I & II (PREVIOUSLY REPORTED)

Workforce Study

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Phase I: Benchmarking Programs

• Goal: To examine and assess peer and aspirational retail and merchandising programs throughout the U.S.

• Methodology: Content analysis of 20 university programs in retailing, merchandising, and product development being offered throughout the U.S.

• Results: Programs varied by required coursework, specializations/tracks offered, and targeted careers

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Phase I: Benchmarking Jobs

• Goal: To assess the current employment landscape in the retail industry

• Methodology: Content analysis of 27 job postings from corporate websites and job posting websites (e.g., careerbuilder.com)

• Results: Job postings varied by position, hard line/soft line designation, and desired skills

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Phase II: Exploratory Interviews

• Goal: To determine retail executives’ perceptions of recent college graduates’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as unmet needs of current retail curricula

• Methodology: 13 in-depth phone interviews with FRF members of varying size and type

• Results: Six general themes emerged

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Themes from the Exploratory Study

1. Communication skills are critical2. Need to be able to manage people –

they’re not very good at it3. Classes in accounting and finance are

viewed favorably4. Retail Math is a critical need5. Internship programs are critical6. Students are impatient

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Current State of Retail Education• Respondents were satisfied with the retailing

education of recent college graduates but expressed a desire for more of an integrated, broad-based retail education– “We recruit out of two schools – COB and

Merchandising. In both cases, they have background knowledge that is valuable as they grow in their careers. From the B-school, the students have analytical background (statistics, etc.), so they can help build strategy. From merchandising, they have made the decision to get involved with retail. So they are ready to get involved with the realities of retailing.”

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Current State of Retail Education• Other, similar sentiments.

– “I think the business focus should be more broad so that you’re not limited to merchandising.”

– “I think that a finance class more devoted to retailer finances would be beneficial.”

– “I want to know that they’ve had some financial coursework … I think that’s necessary for people to move up in the organization.”

– “The business/finance/accounting need to have a stronger focus.”

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PHASE III (NEW)

FRF MEMBERSHIP SURVEY

Workforce Study

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• Preliminary draft was reviewed by FRF representatives and RMPD faculty.– Revisions and comments were addressed

and pilot questionnaire was developed• Pilot Study:

– 200 FRF members were randomly selected using a random number generator for each retailer line type

– Survey was sent 10/5 and closed 10/14• A total of 6 responses were received

Survey Development

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• Revisions were made from the pilot study results.

• The final survey draft was extensively reviewed by all of the Workforce Council attendees at the October meeting

Survey Development

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Main Data Collection ProcessSurveys were sent to all emailable FRF members (2,556 members) in two waves. A drawing for an iPad 2 was used as an incentive for respondents. 65 responses were received – a 2.54% response rate.

• First wave sent on 10/25/201146 Responses

• Second wave sent on 10/31/201119 Responses

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FRF Membership by Line Type

Hard Lines39615%

Soft Lines833%

Mixed Lines

522%

Food and Beverage

42317%

Services160263%

Emailable FRF MembershipBy Line Type

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Respondents by Position Type

Owner14%

Executive46%Director

6%

Manager9%

Other9%

Not Reported15%

Most respondents were high level executives or owners of the firm.

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RESULTSWorkforce Study

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• 220 Hires Were Made Within the Last 5 years (roughly one a year)– Store Level Positions: 77

25% Sales 22% Retail Management 20% Store Manager/Asst. Store Manger

– Corporate Level Positions: 143 12% Management Trainee 11% Sales 10% Information Technology 10% Finance 9% Human Resources

• Satisfaction with Hires = 78/100

Respondents Who Hired College Graduates

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Perceptions of Recent College Grads

Needs Improvement (M 3) Meets Expectations ( 3 < M < 3.5 )

• Verbal/written communication

• Presentation skills• Leadership• Team management• Project management• Product knowledge• Entrepreneurship

• Understand financial statements/financial analysis

• Unrealistic expectations• Willing to “pay dues”• Understanding the “big picture”• Knowledge of career paths• Merchandising

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Perceptions of Recent College Grads

Exceeding Expectations (M > 3.5)

• Technology Skills• Innovativeness• Multitasking• Basic Retail Math

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Skills RankingEmployers often desire a blend of hard and soft skills. On average, the ideal blend of hard and soft skills:

Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills 53% vs. 47%

Most Important Soft Skills• Customer Service• Leadership Skills• Verbal Communication

Most Important Hard Skills• Computer Competency• Product Knowledge

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Soft SkillsMost Important Soft Skills % Ranked in

the Top 5/11MedianRanking

Customer Service 78.9% 1Verbal Communication 73.7% 2Leadership 68.4% 3Managing Others 47.4% 2.5Written Communication 42.1% 3Presentation Skills 47.4% 4

* Skills are listed in order of a combination of columns 2 & 3* For rankings: 1 = Most important 28

Hard SkillsMost Important Hard Skills % Ranked in

the Top 5/10MedianRanking

Computer Technology 78.9% 2Product Knowledge 68.4% 2Financial Analysis 44.7% 2Store Merchandising 52.6% 3Retail Math 60.5% 4Forecasting/Trend Analysis 42.1% 3.5Human Resources 26.3% 2.5Project Management 36.8% 4Supply Chain 26.3% 4

* Skills are listed in order of a combination of columns 2 & 3* For rankings: 1 = Most important 29

Desired Professional ExperienceMost Important Experience % Ranked in

the Top 5/13MedianRanking

Leadership 68.4% 2Retail Management 65.8% 2Team Management/training 63.2% 3Store Operations 47.4% 3Marketing 26.3% 2Administrative Support 26.3% 2Data analysis/reporting 34.2% 3Merchandising management 44.7% 4Finance/accounting 31.6% 3.5Strategy Implementation 23.7% 4

* Experiences are listed in order of a combination of columns 2 & 3* For rankings: 1 = Most important 30

Educational CriteriaSpecialized Certificates• Certificates make job

candidates moderately more desirable (M=3.6)

• Most respondents were unfamiliar with specialized certificates (M=2.6)

• Most respondents were neutral on

whether or not certificates indicate higher skill

sets (M=3.1)

Internships• Internships make job

candidates significantly more desirable (M=4.2)

• Internships provide valuable experiences (M=4.4)

• More than one internship was slightly favored (M=3.3)

*Mean response rate shown in parens. Strongly Disagree = 1; Strongly Agree = 531

Desired CourseworkMost Important Coursework % Ranked in

the Top 5/8MedianRanking

Consumer Behavior 78.9% 1Accounting/Finance 76.3% 2Merchandising 71.1% 2Logistics/Supply Chain 55.3% 4Product Development 55.3% 4Other 28.9% 3Sourcing/Global Trade 15.8% 4Textile/Apparel 10.5% 4.5

*Other courses include: Communications(3), Computer, Labor Relations, Managing People, Math, POS computer course, Sales, Work Ethic, Writing

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RESULTS BY PRIMARY PRODUCT CATEGORY

Workforce Study

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Overview of Resultsby Primary Product Offering Category

• Several differences emerged across industries at the corporate level:– Services hired relatively more Finance and Human

Resources positions – Soft Lines made up the majority of Allocator, Buyer, and

Product Development positions– Hard Lines hired primarily for Management Trainee and

Sales positions– Food and Beverage hired more at the Management Trainee

position than any other position• There were far fewer differences at the store level,

as all industries hired primarily for management and sales positions.

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Overview of Resultsby Primary Product Offering Category

• There was not significant variation across industries in the specific hard and soft skills that were valued by respondents

• Similarly, there was little variation across industries with regard to desired professional experiences and activities with a few exceptions:– Hard Lines and Food and Beverage valued students’ having

more than one internship– Soft Lines placed less emphasis on Marketing than other

industries

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Satisfaction and Skill Importanceby Primary Product Offering Category

Services Hard Lines Soft Lines Food and Beverage Unreported

Satisfactionwith Recent Hires 79.5% 74.0% 74.9% 63.3% 80.0%

Hard Skills Importance 52.0% 40.0% 44.4% 44.3% 42.0%

Soft Skills Importance 48.0% 60.0% 55.6% 55.7% 38.0%

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Workforce Study

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Conclusion 1:

Current programs address textile and product development needs for retailers.

To supplement the current supply of graduates from textile/fashion-focused

programs, university retail programs should enhance existing curricula to

emphasize an integrated, broad-based skill set.

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Conclusion 2:While most graduates meet expectations of

entry level retail positions, issues of their awareness of career opportunities in the

retail industry could be expanded.

Unrealistic expectations of what a retail career entails and general unwillingness to “pay their dues” were identified by those

who did not graduate from merchandising or retail certificate programs.

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Conclusion 3:

Hard skills and soft skills are both valued. Curricula should focus on cultivating both

types of skills for all graduates.

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Conclusion 4:

Internships are critical in making graduates more attractive to retail

employers. Preparing students to make the most of their internships is a

necessary part of a comprehensive curriculum.

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Curriculum Framework Recommendations

Framework Features:• Multiple tracks to address diverse needs

of retail employers• Integration of merchandising, retailing,

and business core courses• Cornerstone/Capstone courses and

experiences for career awareness and expectations management

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Cornerstone FundamentalsFocus on• Career path options• Organizational skills• Ethics and legal

Additionally, (for ALL tracks)Communications: Presentation skills, written and electronic communicationAnalytics: Retail math, finance, accounting, trend analysis

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Capstone Fundamentals

Focus on• Internships• Leadership skills• Experiential Learning: Retail simulation• Retail Strategy

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*Special thanks to Rick McAllister, Tom Petrillo, Dean Billie Collier, Dean Caryn Beck-Dudley, and Dr. Mary Ann Moore

Thank You!