AGB577 Agribusiness Planning (16)

AGB577 Agribusiness Planning is a subject for students wishing to finish their Masters of Agricultural Business Management studies along the professional agribusiness management pathway. It is a 16 point capstone subject in which students prepare an indepth business plan for an agribusiness. It is a project-based study where students will analyse an existing agribusiness and create a strategy for its improvement or develop and evaluate a new agribusiness proposal through to a steady state position. In each case, the focus will be on the achievement of pre-defined goals. Analysis and planning will be strategic and holistic, taking account of the multiple contexts in which the business will operate. Students will also critically analyse and explore deeper engagement of agribusiness planning as part of their development relative to agribusiness planning strategies and personal development.

Availability

* Offering has a residential school. Please view following information for further details.

Year-long Period 1 (31)
Online *
Wagga Wagga Campus

Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: AGB577. 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, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences

Enrolment Restrictions

Not available to students who have successfully completed AGB575.

Assumed Knowledge

It is assumed that students have already completed the majority of the Masters program and are nearing the end of the course, thus enabling students to examine the following areas:
" strategic and human resource management
" marketing research and planning
" agricultural production systems
" financial planning and performance assessment
" environmental, legal, political and social factors.
If students have not previously studied one or more of these areas they may find, during their study of Agribusiness Planning, that they will have to devote additional time through independent study to acquire appropriate knowledge in one or more of the areas.

Prior to enrolling in Agribusiness Planning students should have successfully completed the equivalent of:
" AGB533 Agribusiness Management
" AGR475 Sustainable Agriculture: Issues and Viewpoints
" MGT501 Management Theory and Practice
" MGT510 Strategic Management
" AGB450 Agricultural Business Risk and Investment
" AGB410 Agricultural Marketing

Subject Relationships

AGB575 replaced by AGB577
AGR375 replaced by AGR377
AGR377 .

Incompatible Subjects

AGB575, AGR375, AGR377

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
  • be able to demonstrate the use of an holistic model to analyse financial, human; environmental; and marketing and production issues that need to be factored into holistic and strategic business planning;
  • be able to review, analyse and document the strategic direction of an agribusiness and assess opportunities that can achieve improved financial; human; environmental; and marketing and production outcomes;
  • be able to undertake a situation analysis examining the feasibility of the revised strategic direction by conducting an audit of the external and internal environments;
  • be able to analyse, explain and review the mission, goals and outcomes by undertaking an issues analysis based on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats ('SWOT');
  • be able to explain and review the project outcomes relative to the business mission and goals and suggest changes to the business plan in the light of this review;
  • be able to design, prepare and present a business plan;
  • be able to discuss, analyse and report on the development of their capabilities and using integrated engagement prepare a plan for personal development;
  • be able to design and develop marketing, operational and organisational/human resource plans based on new opportunities that are tailored to the specific industry context of the agribusiness;
  • be able to prepare and analyse production and financial forecasts of enterprise and business performance and compare the outcomes to internal and industry key performance indicators; and
  • be able to conduct a risk assessment of financial; human; environmental; and marketing and production factors and plan contingency strategies for risk events nominated by the students project supervisor.

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:
  • Review of strategic directions of an existing agribusiness
  • Evaluation of potential opportunities including the opportunity of setting up a new agribusiness
  • Mission, goals and objectives
  • Auditing of internal environment of the agribusiness including natural resources
  • Auditing of external environment that will impact on the achievement of goals and objectives
  • Managing change
  • Benchmarking
  • Marketing plans
  • Physical management plans
  • Financial management plans
  • Financial, environmental, marketing and production, and human performance indicators
  • Risk assessment and contingency planning
  • Scenario comparison on whole business performance
  • Formatting of the agribusiness plan
  • Capability reflection and personal development relative to the agribusiness planning process

Residential School

This subject contains a 2 day Compulsory Residential School.

The residential school is of a 2 day duration. The purpose of this residential school is to guide and assist students with the development of their business plan, meet face-to-face with their business plan mentor and engage in peer-to-peer learning and support not possible in an on-line forum due to confidentiality associated with their individual business co-operators. Students will also be assisted with the complexity of financial modelling which they will need to undertake following the residential school.

Special Resources

Students attending compulsory residential schools on CSU campuses will incur costs associated with travel, accommodation and required resources.

The information contained in the CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: June 2022. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.

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