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Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the composition, scope, and dynamics of the agriculture business industry.
2. Evaluate the factors that are important to consider in selecting a particular form of business ownership.
3. Describe the major uses of management information records.
4. Analyze basic financial statements and describe the process and products of financial planning.
5. Evaluate ways to finance an agriculture business and differentiate between equity and debt capital.
6. Make investment decisions involving capital items.
7. Evaluate strategic marketing approaches to determine effectiveness and profitability.
8. Analyze personal selling strategies and approaches.
9. Describe the broad concept of operations management and how operating systems function in a company.
10. Discuss the primary functions of management and the importance of each function in an agriculture business organization.
11. Analyze the components of a successful human resources management plan.
12. Evaluate contemporary issues in Sonoma County agriculture business.
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I. Introduction
A. Development of the food, fiber and agribusiness system
B. Input supply sector
C. Production sector
D. Processing and distribution section
E. Emerging trends and challenges for food, wine and agriculture business managers
II. Business Ownership
A. Forms of business ownership
1. General partnership
2. Limited partnership
3. Limited liability partnership
4. Corporations
5. Limited liability company
B. Relationships between businesses
C. Cooperatives
III. Budgeting
A. Purpose of budgets
B. Types of budgets
C. Applications of budgeting
D. Benefits and limitations of budgeting
IV. Overview of Financial Analysis and Planning Methods Commonly Used in Agriculture Businesses
A. Uses of financial analysis
B. Financial statement analysis
C. Ratio analysis
D. Applying ratio analysis
E. Break-even analysis and contribution to overload
F. Financial planning and budgeting
G. Using budgets as financial controls
V. Financing the Business
A. Defining the term financing
B. Equity versus debt capital
C. Leasing: definitions, advantages, and disadvantages
D. The concept of leveraging
E. Determining the appropriate financial structure
F. Sources of financing
G. Financing new companies
H. Financing cooperatives
VI. Strategic Marketing
A. Definition of marketing
B. Marketing management
C. Target marketing
D. Niches
E. Customer-level marketing
F. Product positioning
G. Marketing opportunities
H. Branding
I. Consumer and buying behavior
J. Business buyer behavior
K. Marketing to wholesalers and retailers
VII. Regulatory Standards
A. Law
B. Regulations
C. Regulatory Agencies
VIII. Operations Management
A. Definitions and examples
B. Production processes
C. Plant / business location and design
D. Production planning and control
E. Procurement systems
F. Purchasing
IX. Personal Selling
A. Selling as an internal and external activity
B. Elements of successful personal selling
C. Analyzing a firm's values, purpose and objectives
X. Managing Agriculture and Wine Business Organizations
A. Role and importance of planning
B. Formal organizations
C. Responsibility and authority
D. Departmentalization
E. Role of informal organizations
F. Implementing the coordination function of management
G. Staffing
XI. Human Resources Management
A. Introduction
B. Human resources planning
C. Recruiting
D. Selecting new employees
E. Orienting new employees
F. Training and development
G. Managing employees
H. Handling grievances
I. Performance appraisals
J. Determining compensation
K. Promoting employees
L. Handling terminations
M. Challenges faced by agriculture business firms
N. Health and Safety in California
O. Employee handbooks
P. Resumes and cover letters
XII. Contemporary Issues in Food Agriculture Business
A. U.S., California, and Sonoma County
B. Planning a field trip to a Sonoma County business
XIII. Agribusiness Plans
A. Marketing plan components
B. Sales plan components
C. Business plan components
D. Role of marketing, sales and business plans in agribusiness
XiV. Forecasting
A. Basics of forecasting
B. Forecasting procedures
C. Using forecasts in Agribusiness
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Representative Assignments:
1. Working in a group, coordinate a field trip to a local agriculture business or operation. There will be 4-6 field trips during the semester, one organized by each group.
2. Field trip journal, 1-2 pages of reflection and observation per field trip.
3. Write a research paper on (3-5 pages) on any of the following topics; Sonoma County agribusiness, farming systmes and agribusiness in California, California water, agricultural trade and labor issues in agribusiness
4. Write a resume and cover letter and evaluate another student's resume and cover letter from a prospective employer's perspective.
5. Conduct Internet research and compile a list of Internet resources for a selected business.
6. Analyze agribusiness case studies.
7. Homework problems: business operations problem sets.
8. Track investment decisions involving capital items and write a 1-2 pages summary.
9. Midterm and final exam.
10. Reading: 25 -30 pages per week.
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Principles of Agribusiness Management, Beierlein, J., Schneeberger, K., Osborn, D.,Waveland Press, 5th Ed., 2013
Agribusiness: Principles of Management, Van Fleet, D., Van Fleet, E., Seperich G.J., Cengage Learning, 1st Ed. 2013