Managing Human Capital in Retail (Coursera)

Managing Human Capital in Retail (Coursera)

In this course, you will cover the fundamentals of human capital management with a focus on the retail industry. Professor Matthew Bidwell will start by examining the critical role that people play in creating value within any business, and will then assess how that value is fostered by various organizational practices. Professor Bidwell then does a deep-dive into some of the practices that drive organizational success: how to hire effectively; how to develop and retain a skilled workforce; and to motivate employees to contribute to organizational success.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

By the end of this course, you will have a better understanding of how human capital contributes to the success of the business, a critical role in shaping your organizational capacity.

Course 2 of 3 in the Omnichannel Retail Strategy Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Human Capital and Performance
In this module, you will begin to assess the links between managing people and organizational performance and how human capital can drive value. You will examine methods of managing people in ways that create value. using the ability-motivation-opportunities framework. By the end of this module, you will have a clearer understanding of how human capital management operates as a system, the ways these systems interrelate across a company, and how it all relates to a broader organizational strategy.

WEEK 2
High Performance Staffing
In this module, you will examine various elements of high performance staffing, an important concept in effective human capital management. You will delve into specific best practices for making the right decision in your hiring process and how the internal hiring pipeline plays a role in this decision making process. By the end of this module, you will be able to identify the benefits of adopting effective hiring practices and understand how this contributes to to well-established internal hiring channels in the future.

WEEK 3
Development and Retention
In this module, you will consider the best ways to develop and retain current employees. You'll think critically about job skills as well as the the drawbacks and benefits of job training depending on your approach. You'll examine the impact of turnover, and the loss of organizational investment in an employee associated with attrition. By the end of this module, you'll be able to identify reasons why an employee leaves an organization and develop a plan for retaining valuable members of your team.

WEEK 4
Motivating the Frontline Workforce
In this module, you will continue examining human capital in the organizational workforce. You'll utilize your knowledge about employee retention to now focus on employee motivation, identifying multiple factors that play a role in employee satisfaction. You'll discuss how to pay employees effectively and how to design a job so that employees feel motivated on a day-to-day basis. By the end of this module, you will possess a wide array of tools to incentivize employees to work effectively over longer periods of time with a company.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Fundamentals of Management, with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women (Coursera) Coursera
Goldman Sachs

Fundamentals of Management, with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women (Coursera)

This free online course is one of 10 courses available in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women collection, designed for entrepreneurs ready to take their business to the next level. This course focuses on the most critical resource for growth in your business – your employees. Understanding of human resource management covers topics from employee recruitment and selection to performance management and training and development.

Aug 31st 2026
1 Week
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity (Coursera)

You will be able to gain and apply your knowledge and understanding of personal and professional awareness, organization and commitment, and use the tools, methods and techniques that you have learned in goal setting, prioritization, scheduling, and delegation to overcome time management challenges and enhance productivity.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Agile Organization (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado System

Agile Organization (Coursera)

The theory of Agile is simple. However, it takes experience, knowledge, and expertise to scale it successfully. In this course, you will focus on leading change at an organizational level and scaling Agile appropriately. When studying Agile application success stories and theory, it's easy to think in terms of adopting "best practices." However, what's best for one industry, company, and most importantly, culture is not always the best for another. Not every aspect of the business is suitable for the application of Agile. Not every organization will benefit from adopting Agile, and not every leader will facilitate yet another change to success.

Aug 31st 2026
3 Weeks
Retail Digital Supply Chain Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Retail Digital Supply Chain

In this course, you will focus on understanding the main challenges and opportunities that the Retailer’s supply chains are seeing today. You will start by revisiting the supply chain fundamentals, concentrating on the impact that the digital transformation is having on these fundamentals. You'll then learn how meaningful retail analytics can generate value for retailers and their supply chains. By the end of this course, you will be able to identify what traditional retailers are doing to successfully navigate the digital transformation.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Removing Barriers to Change (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Removing Barriers to Change (Coursera)

What does it mean to truly change something? How does one persuade others to change? How do we reduce roadblocks to change? In this course, you’ll learn about the barriers to change and how to become more effective in inspiring change within others and your organization.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace (Coursera) Coursera
ESSEC Business School

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace (Coursera)

Diversity is a fact. It is also paradoxical. We need to be capable of seeing and hearing differences in order to reap the benefits of diversity. But seeing and hearing differences hone our discriminating reflexes and can also lead to discrimination. If you take this MOOC, you will: 1. understand this paradox, 2. understand its dynamics, and 3. identify ways to manage it, so that you can better channel the diversity potential in the workplace for greater performance and innovation.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Innovating with the Business Model Canvas (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Innovating with the Business Model Canvas (Coursera)

Have you ever gotten really excited about reading or writing a business plan? You might have started out excited, but I’m going to bet you didn’t stay that way. Let’s be honest- business plans are boring and mostly ignored. In this course, you’ll learn key tools from the worlds of design thinking and Lean Startup to approach the Canvas with thoughtfulness, focus, and above all a test-driven approach to business model innovation.

Aug 31st 2026
2 Weeks
Power Onboarding (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Power Onboarding (Coursera)

Power Onboarding provides practical, easy-to-use tools to guide an individual who is transitioning to a new job. Students will prepare an actionable personal onboarding plan that will set them up for success in their new role. Research has shown that an actively followed power onboarding plan will allow an individual to reach proficiency in a new position up to 30% faster than the typical transitioning manager. In this course, students will develop their own onboarding plan, allowing them to contribute sooner and be eligible for promotion earlier.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks