Susan S. Fiorito, PhD

Dr. Susan S. Fiorito is the Dean of the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, Jim Moran Professor of Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneur in Residence. Dr. Fiorito has been a faculty member at FSU since 1990. She was an owner of four apparel, leather goods and turquoise jewelry stores in Atlanta, GA and owner of a wholesale leather goods company until 1980. In addition to teaching at FSU she has also taught and conducted research at the University of Iowa, Florida International University and the University of Stirling in Scotland where she taught graduate level courses and developed a module for their Executive MBA program. Dr. Fiorito’s research focuses on retailing, small business management and buying and has been featured in a variety of academic journals, including International Journal of Research and Distribution Management, the Journal of Retailing, and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice. She has received research grants totaling nearly $170K. In addition, she taught summer study abroad courses in Milan, Paris and London for six years and spent one year on sabbatical at the University of Stirling in Scotland. She has received three University teaching awards, and was selected to be one of three inaugural Jim Moran Institute Faculty Fellows in 2010. She was the first female president from 1992-94 of the American Collegiate Retailing Association since the Association’s inception in 1949 and she is currently the treasurer, also a first for a woman, to hold this position for two consecutive terms. She was appointed to the Board for the Florida Retail Federation in 2003 and has served faithfully since that time. Dr. Fiorito contributes to several university, college and department committees.

SELECTED PUBLISHED RESEARCH

Fiorito, S. S., Gable, M. and Conseur, A. (2010). “Technology: advancing Retail Buyer Performance in the 21st Century,” International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 38(11/12). 879-893.

Cho, H. and Fiorito, S. S. (2009) “Consumer Acceptance of Online Customization for Apparel Shopping,” International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 37(5) 389-407.

Kacmar, C. J., Fiorito, S. S., and Carey, J. M. (2009) “The Influence of Attitude on the Acceptance and Use of Information Systems.” Information Resources Management Journal, 22(2), 22-49.

Oh, J., Fiorito, S. S., Cho, H. and Hofacker, C. (2008) “Effects of Design Factors on Store Image and Perceived Merchandise Quality in Web-based Stores” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 15(4), 237-249.

Giunipero, L. C., Fiorito, S. S., Pearcy, D.H. and Dandeo, L. (2001) “The Impact of Vendor Incentives on Quick Response,” The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 11(4), 359-376.

Soldressen, L. S., Fiorito, S. S. and Yan, H. (1998) An Exploration into Home Based Businesses: Data from Textile Artists. Journal of Small Business Management, 36 (2), 33-44.

Fiorito, S. S., May, E.G. and Straughn, K. (1995) Quick Response in Retailing: Components and Implementation. The International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 23 (5), 12-21.

Gable, M., Fiorito, S. S. and Topol, M. T. (1994) The Current Status of Women in Department Store Retailing: 1993. The Journal of Retailing, 70 (1), 65-74.

Fiorito, S. S. and Fairhurst, A. E. (1993) Comparison of Buyer’s Job Content in Large and Small Retail Firms. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 11, (3), 8-15.

Fiorito, S. S. (1990) Testing a Portion of Sheth’s Theory of Merchandise Buying Behavior with Small Apparel Retail Firms. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 14(4), 19-34.

TEXTBOOKS

Fiorito, S.S. (2013), “Retail buying: better purchasing and inventory control”, in Evans, J.R. (ed.), and Implementing a Retail Strategy, The Marketing & Management Collection, Henry Stewart Talks Ltd, London.

Fiorito, S. S. and Gable, M. (2011). Retail Buying: Practices and Policies in a Global Economy. Boston, MA:
Pearson/Prentice Hall.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Selected to be one of three research fellows in the inaugural group of scholars to join the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows in the College of Business, FSU, September 2010.

Awarded a Teaching Awards, Florida State University 2009-2010, 1995-96, and 1993-94.

Named an International Research Fellow and Advisor to the Retail Special Interest Group (SIG) for the British Academy of Management Organization for 2004-2005.

Awarded Literati Club 1996 Award for Excellence for the best article in the International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management “Quick Response in Retailing: Components and Implementation” by Fiorito, May and Straughn.

INTERESTING FACTS

Dr. Susan Fiorito grew up in Miami, Florida and is the second oldest of seven children. She met her husband when she was a graduate student at Oklahoma State University; they have been married for over 30 years. They have 2 children, one who graduated from Florida State University and one who is currently a student at the University of Florida studying Journalism. Dr. Fiorito loves to cook, entertain and used to make all her own clothes for her brothers and sisters.