Course:FOOD515
| Fundamentals of Agri-Food Business | |
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| FOOD 515 | |
| Section: | |
| Instructor: | Ronald Wasik, PhD, MBA, CFS |
| Email: | rwasik@rjwconsultingcanada.com |
| Office: | |
| Office Hours: | In the class room before and after classes or by appointment |
| Class Schedule: | Mon 10:00AM - 1:00PM |
| Classroom: | FNH 30 |
| Important Course Pages | |
| Syllabus | |
| Lecture Notes | |
| Assignments | |
| Course Discussion | |
Course Description
This is an introductory course in agri-food business designed specifically for Masters of Science (MSc) and Masters of Food Science (MFS) students with or without previous business experience who plan to pursue careers in the agri-food industry. Topics covered include accounting, finance, marketing, budgeting, operations management, human resources, leadership, quality assurance, crisis management, ethics, sustainability, entrepreneurship and career planning.
Course Goals and Objectives
This is an introductory course in agri-food business designed specifically for Masters of Science (MSc) and Masters of Food Science (MFS) students with or without previous business experience who plan to pursue careers in the agri-food industry. Topics covered include accounting, finance, marketing, budgeting, operations management, human resources, leadership, quality assurance, crisis management, ethics, sustainability, entrepreneurship and career planning.
Course Format
Specially-selected business cases are used. Most of the materials are from the Western University Ivey School of Business and follow the highly successful Harvard School of Business case-study format. Cases are global in nature and are selected to be appropriate for introductory level students. In addition to the cases, peer-reviewed reference materials are used to provide background information in areas such as accounting, marketing, HR and operations. These materials are "posted" on a controlled-access website (Canvas) accessible only by students, approved faculty and IT support personnel.
Cases and assignment questions are posted a week prior to the class. Students may either download and/or print off the posted materials. Students are required to have read these materials in advance of meeting in assigned small groups to discuss the assignments before class and then come to class prepared to discuss the reference readings and the case(s). Students are randomly assigned to small groups of 3-4 students to work on the case(s). The composition of these groups is shuffled monthly. The small group experience provides students with real-life experience interacting with individuals that they may not know well, presenting and defending their analyses and gaining consensus. They meet weekly before class to discuss the assigned case(s).
In the process they also evaluate the participation quality of their group members using forms provided on Connect. This exercise teaches the concept of performance evaluation, a discipline that anyone in management is required to do annually, if not more frequently.
Small groups are also required to formally present their case analysis at least once in class. Group presentations are followed by instructor-led analysis of the case(s).
The classroom sessions are structured as one three-hour session per week with a 10 minute breaks after each hour. Daily class formats include lectures, instructor-led class discussions, small-group presentations and the occasional guest speaker. Class attendance is tracked. Class participation is tracked and graded.
Participation
Participation is extremely important in this course. Students who struggle to read, to write, to speak in English and to express their insights in small groups and in class have found this course to be very challenging and do not achieve all that this course offers.
Course Outline
Week 1. Introduction and human resource lecture
Week 2. Accounting and finance case(s)
Week 3. Budgeting case(s)
Week 4. Marketing case(s)
Week 5. Purchasing case(s)
Week 6. Operations management/production case(s)
Midterm exam or assignment
Week 7. Entrepreneurship case(s)
Week 8. Sustainability case(s)
Week 9. Quality assurance cases(s)
Week 10. Crisis management and ethics case(s)
Week 11. Leadership case(s)
Week 12. Career planning case(s)
Final exam or assignment
Course Grading
In-class (assessed by instructor) and small-group (assessed by your peer group members) participation each count for 15% of the final mark. Participation mark weighting reflects the harsh reality that your success in the real world is directly proportional to the degree to which you actively and meaningfully interact within your own functional area and with other stake holders. The in-class participation criteria and marking scale is similar to that which the student small groups use.
The midterm and final exams or projects each count for 35% of the final mark.
Exam Formats
To be determined. Options include: a. Small-group teams working to complete a case assignment over a week b. Individually completed case assignment over a week c. Three-hour, in-class and hand-written exams on a case handed out in class
Course Communications
All student communications (oral and written) will be exclusively in English when in class and when working in assigned small groups.
Academic Integrity
The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you, and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.
A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the University’s policies and procedures, may be found in the Academic Calendar
UBC Disability Resource Centre
The Disability Resource Centre ensures educational equity for students with disabilities, injuries or illness. If you are disabled, have an injury or illness and require academic accommodations to meet the course objectives, please contact Access and Diversity
UBC Ombudsman Office
The Ombudsman Office offers independent, impartial, and confidential support to students in navigating UBC policies, processes, and resources, as well as guidance in resolving concerns related to fairness.
email: ombuds.office@ubc.ca
Web: http://ombudsoffice.ubc.ca/
UBC Equity and Inclusion Office
UBC is a place where every student, staff and faculty member should be able to study and work in an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. UBC prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of the following grounds: age, ancestry, colour, family status, marital status, physical or mental disability, place of origin, political belief, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or unrelated criminal conviction. If you require assistance related to an issue of equity, discrimination or harassment, please contact the Equity and Inclusion Office.
Safewalk
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For more information, see: https://www.ams.ubc.ca/services/safewalk/