Eddy Kay’s first book in our Good News About Retailing series, Thriving in the Shadow of Giants: How to Find Success as an Independent Retailer, has been adopted as a classroom text at Northwood University starting this semester. Donna Wagner, chair of the aftermarket management program at the school’s Michigan campus, approached us earlier this year about the book’s availability, and we were happy to oblige. Thrilled, in fact, after reading about the program’s rigorous requirements and Northwood University’s philosophical commitment to producing students who understand not merely the workings of business within their chosen fields — but the advantages of the free-enterprise system and the responsibilities of individuals in a free society.
In addition to the expected courses on marketing, managing, and accounting, Northwood’s four-year aftermarket management degree requires students to take classes in ethics and the philosophy of American entrepreneurialism, to head to the econ department for micro- and macroeconomics, to enroll in English and speech classes, and to complete a business law course. Reading the curriculum, you get the idea there’s not a lot of trendy jargon floating around the Northwood lecture halls, just proven methods for smart business. Much like the advice Eddy Kay offers up in Thriving in the Shadow of Giants and its sequel, Take Charge! A Manager’s Guide to Specialty Retailing (both available in our online bookstore).
