AGS405 Consultancy for Farming Systems (8)

In this subject, students will take their problem-solving skills to a higher level. Students will learn to analyse the farm manager's personal attributes, their considerations in decision making, and incorporate these features into their analysis of real-world farm management scenarios. Students will also develop project management skills and be exposed to the professional community of Agricultural consultants to ensure high relevance of consultancy skills upon entering the workforce.

No offerings have been identified for this subject in 2020.

Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.

Subject Information

Grading System

HD/FL

Duration

One session

School

School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences

Enrolment Restrictions

This subject is specific to the Bachelor of Agricultural Science students. Students who have not successfully completed all of the first 3 years of this course cannot enrol into this subject. If studying at the postgraduate level, students require a Bachelor degree in a similar field of study or to gain approval from the Course Director.

Assumed Knowledge

AGR220

Subject Relationships

AGS401 AGS405 will be replacing AGS401 in the new BAS course design

Incompatible Subjects

AGS401

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
  • be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with those expected of the profession;
  • be able to integrate agricultural knowledge to address real-world problems;
  • be able to demonstrate skills in project management, situation enquiry, systems analysis, problem identification and analysis, time management, holistic evaluation of management options, recommendation formulation and communication as consistent with professional consultancy practice;
  • be able to appraise farm management and decision-making styles and evaluate its impact on the consultancy process; and
  • be able to reflect up their development of consultancy skills for practice.

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:
  • The consultancy environment in Australian Agriculture
  • Applying a whole of farm approach to farm problem investigation
  • The commercial side of consultancy
  • Decision making on farms
  • People - personality, beliefs, values, emotion, goals and managing change
  • Decision making in the context of the farm business
  • Risk
  • Consulting methodologies
  • Project management
  • Entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial mindset.

Residential School

This subject contains a 4 day Compulsory Residential School.

The 4 day residential school will provide the opportunity to immerse students in a community of practice by introducing them to people working in the consultancy field in agriculture.  It will also be an opportunity for students to be supported in the completion of their minor and major case studies.

Special Resources

Students will need exposure to Agricultural consultants as part of this subject, whether this be travel to visit consultants in action or transporting consultants to the University to meet with students.

Travel to and accommodation at a CSU campus may be required for distance education students attending the compulsory residential school.

The information contained in the CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: October 2020. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.

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