September 3 through September 12, 2019

Renée Y. Cooper is a full-time Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) of the State University of New York (SUNY).  She was granted a Fulbright scholarship by the U.S. State Department, the Fulbright Commission of Denmark and the American Chamber of Commerce of Denmark in Copenhagen.  She lectured at the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology (KEA) on marketing, business development, leadership, visual merchandising and sales. While there, she represented KEA as a panelist at the conference, “A Fast Track to Global Mindset.”  Before returning to the States Cooper presented “Omni-Channel Retailing in the U.S.” at the Deloitte headquarters to the Danish business community. Cooper has been on the faculty of FIT’s Fashion Business Management (FBM) department since 2000. Professor Cooper  is the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service from SUNY for consistently superior service. She teaches face-to-face, online and hybrid versions of courses in Contemporary Retail Management, Leadership Development for Retailing and Fashion Merchandising. She has taught in Mexico in collaboration with the Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) as part of the SUNY Collaborative International Online Learning (COIL) program and is an active member of the Fulbright Association. She is also a member of the National Retail Federation and the non-profit BRAG (Black Retail Action Group). As International Coordinator, Professor Cooper has lectured at and facilitated student exchange programs in Italy, England, Australia, and France. She also designed and coordinated  FIT’s collaborative summer programs with Moscow State University. Before joining FIT, Cooper was a retail buyer and sourcing manager for a manufacturing firm.  She has approved factories for production standards in the U.S. as well as Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific region.  Cooper earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. and a Master of Professional Studies degree in Global Fashion Management at FIT.

Today, the fashion industry’s value chain extends throughout the world.  The concept of management must adapt and align with the concept of leadership in the intercultural context. The aim of this seminar is to highlight current leadership challenges and illustrate basic approaches to practical dealings with intercultural employees.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Methodological skills to assess the role of leadership in different intercultural environments
  • Knowledge of employee and intercultural management
  • Ability to reflect on own concept of leadership

Course Content:

  • Basic principles of perception, radical constructivism
  • Management perspective: Reflection on a modern concept of leadership
  • Employee perspective: The different roles and tasks of employees
  • Intercultural perspective: Heterogeneity, contrast global leadership styles (Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions)
  • Changing the context: Virtual management
  • Changing management challenges: Resilience and work/life balance

Required Previous Knowledge:

  • AMD courses in “Vertical Processes and Product Management”
  • General and Organizational Management

Assessment Criteria:

3 Assignments and a Presentation

Recommended Reading:

  • Covey, Stephen, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” Simon and Schuster, 2013, ISBN: 9781476740058
  • Hillery, Julie L., Paulins, V. Ann, “Ethics in the Fashion Industry” Fairchild Books, 2009, ISBN: 9781 56367533I
  • Kotter, John P., “Leading Change” Harvard Business Review Press, 2012, ISBN: 978-1-4221-8643-5 (alk.paper)
    • Organizational change
    • Leadership
    • Industrial Organization
    • Strategic planning
  • Martin, Roger, “The Design of Business,” First eBook Edition: October 2009 ISBN: 978-1-422-17780-8
  • Website: Www.smartbrief.com 
  • Website: http://www.theretailbulletin.com
  • Forbes online
  • INC magazine online