There are options for taking up a degree or diploma in retail management,
for those who choose the career. Various institutes offer courses in retail
management such as MBA in retail management, Post Graduate Diploma in
Retail Management and so on. In some institutes, retail management is
offered as a specialised paper with MBA or other subjects. Candidates
having a high school graduation or its equivalent, plus two or degree
can apply for certificate, diploma or bachelors courses in Retail Management.
The MBA in retail Management is more like a specialization than general
MBA. The selection procedure for these courses is as same as that of MBA.
Retailers Association of India (RAI), the first independent body of retailers
in India, conducts a Common Admission Retail Test (CART) on national basis
for admission to Postgraduate Program in Retail Management (PGPRM) offered
in 15 B-Schools across India. Candidates applying for CART must hold a
bachelors degree with 50% marks. Final year students can also apply. The
objective of the test is to assess the candidate's aptitude for retail
management education, including Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning
and Consumer Comprehension. The participating institutes in CART are :
Asian School of Business Management,
Hyderabad
Banglore Management Academy, Banglore
Chennai Business School, Chennai
Chennai Business School, Mumbai
C.T. Group of Institute, Jalandhar
IFIM Business School, Banglore
Institute of Management and Information
Science, Bhubaneswar
International School of Business
& Media, Banglore
KLE Society College of Business
& Administration, Belgaum
MERC School of Business and Retail
Management, Pune
NSHM Center of Management &
Development Studies, Durgapur
NSHM Center of Management &
Development Studies, Kolkata
Rustomjee Business School, Mumbai
Vasavi Institute of Management
& Advanced Studies, Banglore
A course in retail management help one to learn the
concepts of retailing, which would be helpful for future undertakings
as well as practical experiences. Marketing strategies, Accounting,
Business mathematics, ethics and law, Customer relation, business communication
and Retail buying and operations are some of the topics related to Retail
management courses. The courses will also provide information on merchandising,
finance management, electronic retail, supply chain management etc.
Abroad, there are institutes that offer four year
Bachelor of Science courses in Retail Management.
Personal skills
Talented, dedicated people, who possess a wide variety of skills are
needed to effectively run a large retail business. In order to excel
in the retail profession, it is more important to have personal skills
than having professional certificates. The most essential ability needed
is an analytical mind along with good leadership qualities and positive
attitude. They must possess good communication and problem solving skills,
knack for convincing people and the ability to mingle with people at
varied levels. They must be self confident and always be updated with
the changes in the retail market and be familiar with advertising
and merchandising techniques. Enthusiasm and creativity will be
always countable in this career. Apart from these, one should have tact,
patience, an interest in sales work, a neat appearance and the ability
to communicate clearly.
