AGRIBUS 7056 - Management and Performance of Global Food Chains

North Terrace Campus - Trimester 3 - 2015

Food, fibre and beverage value chains are examined using an economic framework and an international perspective. Students develop a solid understanding of the nature of agricultural and food industries, the techniques applicable to value chain mapping and the measurement of performance and related drivers. They will develop the skills and working knowledge necessary to make strategic decisions about the whole value chain and to assess options for improvement in component areas such as logistics, inventory management, location, distribution networks, channel relationships and chain governance. Basic economic theoretical concepts and analytical tools are used to deal with the issues being discussed. Also, the importance of sustainability in a value chain is emphasised with the need to account for chain externalities as well as chain goods.

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Course Details

Course Code	AGRIBUS 7056
Course	Management and Performance of Global Food Chains
Coordinating Unit	Centre for Global Food & Resources
Term	Trimester 3
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Garry Griffiths

Name:	Professor Garry Griffith, PhD
Role:	Course Coordinator
Location:	TBA
Telephone:	0459 806 148
Email:	ggriffith@unimelb.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Monday 28 September to Friday 2 October, 09:30 to 17:00
Marjoribanks, 126, SANTOS Theatre, Nexus 10 Building

Course Learning Outcomes

This course will demonstrate how economists tackle a range of business issues that are relevant to food, fibre and beverage value chains. We use microeconomic principles to do this. Microeconomics deals with how individuals and firms choose to allocate scarce resources, how markets work and how government intervention may affect market processes and firms in the market.

Economic principles and concepts are useful for analysing and comparing the pros and cons of alternate ways of organising and operating value chains. Basic theoretical tools are introduced as required to deal with the issues being discussed. In the process students are exposed to a large number of economic concepts and analytical tools, and to the “language” of economists. After learning the “basics”, these new skills are utilized to examine the potential economic impacts of different options that might be considered to improve the performance of food, fibre and beverage value chains. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to professionally communicate with other economists in a variety of situations, for example when they are working with government officials, as consultants, or as participants in these value chains.

The specific aims of this course are to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the main concepts of value chain analysis and apply relevant tools for mapping and analysing value chains;

2. Differentiate supply chain and value chain concepts;

3. Demonstrate the relationship between value chain decisions and strategic fit to overall firm success;

4. Identify and explain the drivers of value chain performance including measurement;

5. Understand the whole-of-chain concept including chain goods and chain externalities as underpinning long-term sustainable value chain development;

6. Enhance students’ conceptual and problem solving skills so they are able to analyse how value chain decisions impact agribusinesses, markets and society;

7. Increase students’ capacity to recognize and clarify value chain related problems and to anticipate opportunities available in the market;

8. Enable students to effectively identify and evaluate options for agri-business firms when faced with changing external environment, and to provide an analysis of options to inform managers and other decision-makers;

9. Improve students’ written and oral communication skills, enabling them to work effectively in an agribusiness environment.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1-8
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	1-8
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	1-9
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	8-9
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	8
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	1-9
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	5-9
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	1-9

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Lecture notes, reports and related materials will be posted on the course MyUni website.

There will be no alternative resources for students who are absent (e.g. taping lectures, wireless network, pod-casts, etc. will not be used).

No textbook is required for this course. However, use will be made of a particular text: Chopra, S. and Meindl, P. (2013), Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning and Operations, (5th edition), Pearson Global Edition, New Jersey.

Recommended Resources

Journal articles, newspaper articles and research centre working papers are excellent sources of information. We plan to draw on these sources extensively. Suggested readings will be provided on MyUni, and citations will be given for other related materials.

Study/essay writing/referencing guides that may be available at the Discipline/School/Faculty level. There are often particular Discipline-related conventions for the presentation of work.

MyUni will be used to post all class materials, and any announcements.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The class will consist of a set of structured lectures that will expose students to all of the basic economic concepts with examples and case studies of real situations in which the knowledge acquired during the lecture can be applied. Some class time will also be allocated to discussion of case studies, question and answer sessions and issues and problems relating to the assignment.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The course consists of 6 contact hours per day for the 5 days of the intensive week, an estimated 20 hours of pre-course reading, an estimated 6 hours of homework during the intensive week, and an estimated 25 hours per week for another 4 weeks outside the classroom during the preparation of the assignment. Students are encouraged to discuss their homework assignments with classmates.

Learning Activities Summary

Monday September 28, Session 1	Session 1: Course overview, introduction to value chain concepts and terms, why value chains develop, revision of some microeconomic concepts, demand and supply relationships, elasticities, link between value chain concepts and agricultural price analysis.
Tuesday September 29, Session 2	Session 2: Value chain mapping and value chain performance, concepts examples and case studies.
Wednesday September 30, Session 3	Session 3: Strategic management, component functions of value chains such as logistics, inventory, demand and supply forecasting and revenue management, overall planning and coordination.
Thursday October 1, Session 4	Session 4: Chain failure, chain extemalities and chain goods, some examples of chain goods, relationship to chain coordination, funding of chain goods.
Friday October 2, Session 5	Session 5: Sustainability of value chains, individual discussions (possibly presentations and critiques) of assignment question and proposed method.
Friday October 30	ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED

Specific Course Requirements

There are no specific requirements for this course.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment for this subject is in the form of homework during the intensive week, assignment presentation and a final written assignment. We will discuss assignment aims and assessment criteria during the intensive week. There will not be any exemption from any of these assessment components on account of previous studies or under any circumstances. In other words, you are required to submit all assessments by the specified due date or you will not receive full credit for the assignment.

Assessment Detail

Assessment Task	Due Date	Type of Assessment	Weighting
Written homework Assessment 1: Assessment 2: Assessment 3: Assessment 4:	28 Sept 29 Sept 30 Sept 1 Oct	Assessing knowledge gained in Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4	40% of course points
Discussion (possible presentation) of your assignment idea and critique of someone else	2 Oct		10%
Written assignment	By 30 October		50%

Submission

You are required to submit all homework assessments in class on the due date or the morning after. You are required to attend the sessions, and students are expected to actively participate in the sessions. Those who fail to attend the sessions will miss in-class exercises, and consequently will receive zero points for any missed in-class exercises.

Details of the assessment criteria will be discussed in class.

All homeworks are to be handed in by the end of class on the date due or the morning after.
Submission may be hand written.
Cover sheets are not required for these assessments, however, please insure you include your name and University identification number.
Late submission will result in penalties (reduction of points earned) unless there is a special case, this will depend on the situation. To obtain an extension you will have to provide supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate) as required by the Assessment for Coursework Programs policy.

The major assignment must be submitted in:

1. Softcopy through Turnitin on MyUni

Your assignment MUST include the GF assignment cover sheet which can be downloaded from MyUni under “Assignments”. Each page must be numbered with your student ID and name.

All assignments must be presented professionally with clear headings, appropriate referencing and using one and a half spacing.

Extensions will only be granted if requests are received in writing to the course coordinator at least 24 hours before the final due date unless they are requested on medical or compassionate grounds and are supported by appropriate documents.

Please contact the course coordinator, preferably by email, at any time to make an appointment for assistance or guidance in relation to course work, assignments or any concerns that may arise. Assignments will normally be returned two weeks after they have been submitted.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

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Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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