75616 - International Management for Fashion Companies

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit to student will be able: 1) to analyze a range of macro-environmental factors, which impact upon the business and international management of the global fashion industry; 2) an ability to evaluate the cultural and economic dimensions of the fashion industry in a global context; 3) the identification and analysis of key business operation concepts and theories in the fashion industry; 4) an understanding of the main fashion production, retailing, communication and consumption dynamics impacting on the global fashion industry.

Course contents

This course will explore the major themes of the International Management literature and practice by relating them to the vibrant context of the fashion industry. The principles of marketing management will be discussed by applying them to a number of relevant international case studies of fashion companies, by exploring not only the best practices but also the most common failures in the attempt to effectively design and implement international strategies of development. Emphasis will be placed on the emerging perspectives of sustainability and management of sustainable fashion.

Readings/Bibliography

A thorough list of academic journal and business magazine articles will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

To enable participants to achieve the above objectives, a combination of traditional lectures and more participatory/interactive sessions will be used for this course. The language of instruction for all teaching and learning activities is English.

Lectures

Topics will be introduced during lectures and readings suggested. Students are expected to do some of the prescribed readings before lectures, as the lecturing method for this course is a two-way interactive presentation, including students’ verbal participation in terms of their views/opinions of the information being presented.

Interactive sessions

Interactive sessions provide a means for students to verify their understanding and mastery of information presented in the preceding lecture. To that end, interactive sessions will be conducted in the form of group/class discussions, case study, question and answer sessions, and whenever possible a short project group presentation for classroom evaluation so as to engage all attendees. This will enable the tutor to diagnose students’ challenges and help to focus participants’ efforts on critical ideas and techniques to assimilate lecture content.

Assessment methods

Assessment of participants will be based on the submission of coursework. A detailed assignment brief will be communicated and discussed during the first lecture.

Office hours

See the website of Massimo Giovanardi