Manager for an Efficient and Innovative Footwear Industry

Explore the footwear environmental footprint across the product life cycle, learn about carbon footprint and eco-efficiency, and apply circular economy concepts to reduce emissions and waste.

Lead eco-design for footwear by guiding multidisciplinary teams and implementing sustainable packaging, logistics, and product-use strategies. Extend and diversify the footwear life cycle with end-of-life options and design for longevity.

Explore eco-design and sustainable materials for footwear, including renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable options, with emphasis on labelling and certifications, eco-labels, and fair production that supports communities.

Explore total quality management, its principles, and how waste reduction drives tangible and intangible benefits. Learn the seven wastes, right first time, and Deming’s chain reaction to improve processes.

Explore how leadership, employee involvement, and customer focus in total quality management drive quality improvement and enhance organizational performance in the footwear sector.

Trace the history of ISO 9000 and the 2008–2015 ISO 9001 revisions, and explore TQM elements and PDCA, ISO certification, and major quality awards such as Deming Prize, MBNQA, EFQM.

Explore the circular economy definition, its shift from linear take‑make‑dispose, and the barriers to adoption, including design for recycling, remanufacturing, and collaboration.

Explore the EU circular economy strategy, policies, and business models driving resource efficiency and sustainable growth in the footwear industry, including the ReSOLVE framework.

Explore the EU's environmental framework, including circular economy actions and REACH regulation, and assess environmental policy, corporate environmental responsibility, and sustainable practices in footwear manufacturing.

Explore how creativity drives innovation in the footwear industry through stages of the creative process—preparation, incubation, illumination, evaluation, and implementation—covering product, process, marketing, and organizational innovations.

Explore research programs and funding options for the footwear industry, including Horizon 2020, Innosup, and Eurostars, and learn how to prepare compelling research proposals.

Explore the road map for technology transfer and strategies for managing research and innovation transfer, including models, networks, and best practices that link labs to markets.

Explore computer aided design (CAD), rapid and virtual prototyping, 3D printing, augmented reality (AR), self-lacing technology, and color control systems for innovations in the footwear industry.

Develop proactive understanding of customers' needs and analyze market trends to inform market research, market analysis, and fashion trend-driven product strategy.

Explore web marketing and branding in fashion, comparing traditional and digital strategies, and learn how content, SEO, email marketing, social media, and branding create brand equity.

Explore product placement and the marketing mix for footwear, detailing product design and branding, pricing strategies, promotion tactics, and distribution decisions, with a Nike case study illustrating the 4ps.

Define globalization and internationalization, and explain how footwear companies can grow by entering international markets, evaluating markets, and leveraging production, distribution, and brand opportunities.

Enter the international market by comparing global, transnational, multi-domestic, and international strategies. Explore product concept versus marketing concept, and assess risks with SWOT and environmental analysis.

Outline the roles and competencies of global managers, detailing information gathering, SWOT analysis, market entry planning, personnel selection, and sustaining competitive, compliant, customer-centric global operations.

Define enterprise objective and management roles, and explore alternatives to managers such as coach, mentor, facilitator, enabler, and sponsor who empower decision making and resource use to maximize market value.

Study how planning sets the vision and targets, organize resources and structures, lead with motivation and communication, and control with audits and corrective actions to achieve strategic goals.

Master the strategic management process from selecting strategists to evaluation and control. Build vision, mission, and objectives while analyzing the macro and internal environment to form and implement competitive strategies.

Explore the definition of financial management, apply capital budgeting and capital structure ideas, and master working capital, receivables management, accounting, and the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statements.

Explore human resources management, from its evolution and HR planning to job description, recruiting, motivation, performance management, and strategic laying off.

Define risk management and apply the risk management cycle to identify and address risks in footwear operations, while understanding risk categories, tips for success, and why risk management may fail.

Explore leadership as an empowering, context-dependent process distinct from management, empowering followers, and analyze entrepreneurial leadership through key models and skills across early and later stages.

Discover the five stages of entrepreneurial activity—from ideation to scale up—defining viable business models through mvp testing to achieve product market fit, with growth strategies.

Examine how SMEs use dynamic capabilities to recognize and explore opportunities, classify them into four categories, and apply leadership to transition between them and build viable business models.