Agri-Business Planning

Code: GES08066M

6 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours

Scientific Area: Management

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English

Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Learning Goals

This course major objective is to provide the students with knowledge and skills about strategic planning process of agri-business and decision making in the long run with respect to business, products and projects, processes and operations. Concepts and planning methods of agri-business firms, namely agricultural firms and food industry, are covered to give students capability to formulate strategies for agri-business. Students are expected to develop capability to understand, examine and evaluate effects and implications of public policies in competitiveness, sustainability and social accountability of agricultural businesses.

1. Context and general issues of agri-business
- Concepts, organizations, firms and agri-business
- Agricultural, food, industry and agri-business management
- Commodity systems, supply chain and value

2. Strategic planning
- Organizational external and internal Environment and behaviour analysis
- Business Plan
- Business portfolio
- Structures and business organizational types

3. Project and product planning and management
- Product and project strategic development and management
- Research and development processes and products
- Logistics and marketing channels

4. Operations management
- Operational planning and production management
- Stocks and logistics of raw-materials and products

5. Future challenges and issues of agri-business
- Territorial, environmental and ecological issues
- Social accountability, ethics and law

Teaching Methods

In the continuous evaluation, students must carry out the following: a. An intermediate exam, weighted with 35% on the final grade; b. Group work, weighted with 30% on the final grade; c. An exam at the end of the semester, weighted with 35% on the final grade. In the final evaluation, students must carry out the following: a. An individual work, weighted with 30% on the final grade; and b. An exam at the end of the semester, weighted with 70% on the final grade. The final grade is the weighted average of all evaluation elements. The get approval the weighted average has to be at least 10 points on 20, and none of the evaluation elements can be classified with less than 7 points on 20.