Syllabus Information

1. General information

This subject is a basic and complementary instrument to all the knowledge and subjects taught in the master's degree. The vast majority of business activities that are developed through the use of natural resources must be complemented with a knowledge of the management mechanisms available to companies competing in the markets to which these goods and products are directed. It is therefore necessary to know what are the key elements, the levers that allow the success of business organizations and the basic tools for the study, development and management of resources and capabilities that differentiate them and should help to establish goals and to study their viability and profitability.

The subject and its expected results respond to the following approaches and objectives: Education, Sustainable Economy, Consumption and Sustainable Products. These approaches and objectives are aligned with some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and certain specific targets(https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/), contributing to some extent to their achievement:

2. Learning results

Upon completion of this subject, the student will be able to:

• Plan, organize, direct and control the production systems and processes developed in the agricultural sector and the agri-food industry, within a framework that guarantees the competitiveness of the companies without forgetting the protection and conservation of the environment and the improvement and sustainable development of the rural environment.
• Obtain an overview of the structure of the agri-food sector and understand the role played by the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors.
• Identify the company's place in the market and its position with respect to competitive forces. Evaluate its resources and differentiating capabilities.
• Apply, in the case of agri-food companies, different tools for financial analysis, production organization and logistics structure design.
• Lead or supervise multidisciplinary and multicultural teams in order to integrate knowledge in complex decision-making processes, with limited information, assuming the social, ethical and environmental responsibility of their professional activity in harmony with the socioeconomic and natural environment in which they act.

This subject serves as a support for all the activities and experiences acquired in the master's program. Its importance is paramount to understand that all development must be linked to the economic sustainability of the activity. The management of entrepreneurship in the rural environment, providing management tools that allow the creation and maintenance of companies, becomes a capital element and of high social values due to the clear positive externality that these actions have on the environment. Thus, the subject provides students with the knowledge and skills to be able to evaluate the impact that their activity has on the market, the elements that can favour their competitiveness, their financing and the value creation process. In addition, it provides them with tools for approaching and presenting themselves to financial and institutional entities that undoubtedly modulate their development and permanence over time, allowing them to achieve the objectives and goals established in their creation and strategic vision.

3. Syllabus

PROGRAM OF THE SUBJECT:

• TOPIC 1: THE COMPANY AND THE ENTREPRENEUR, STRUCTURE, SYSTEM OF OBJECTIVES, RESPONSIBILITY AND STAKEHOLDERS
• TOPIC 2: AGRI-FOOD COMPANIES AND THEIR INTERNATIONALIZATION
• TOPIC 3: ANALYSIS OF COMPETITIVENESS, MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION
• TOPIC 4 SUPPLY CHAIN AND VALUE CHAIN. OPERATIONS AND COSTS. PRODUCTION AND INVENTORY DECISIONS
• TOPIC 5 EVALUATION OF THE PROFITABILITY OF ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS. MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE
• TOPIC 6 ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN, MANAGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING IN UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENTS IN THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

4. Academic activities

The learning process designed for this subject is based on the following:

The combination of participative lectures, cooperative work, problem solving and case studies, as well as discussion and reflection of texts and readings.

Participative lectures that will provide the necessary theoretical knowledge, including practical examples that help to understand and apply the concepts studied. These sessions will address the following contents:

Introduction to the management of agri-food companies
Introduction to the agri-food sector, its differences and its implication in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors
Competitive positioning of the company, levers, resources and capabilities
The value chain, supply chain and logistics of the sector
Financial analysis and estimation of results.
Organizational decisions
Solving and presentation of problems and case studies, preparation and presentation of papers, discussion of current issues, commentary on readings and interactive activities. These activities can be carried out both inside and outside the classroom, as well as individually and/or in groups.

Tutorials a: students' work may be supervised, doubts about the theoretical and practical content of the course may be solved and/or specific practices applied to the theoretical content may be carried out.

Autonomous work: includes activities of study of theoretical and practical contents, solving of practical activities, individual and/or group work, search and analysis of information, among others.

Classes will be held in the first four-month period, the specific dates will be defined by the academic calendar that will be set by the centre, which will be available to students sufficiently in advance. Classes will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays, with one class dedicated to theory and the other to practice. The latter will alternate practical exercises, problems, real cases, readings, and news, a whole series of elements that allow the theoretical knowledge seen to be efficiently transferred to the reality of the real and daily management of the agri-food company.

5. Assessment system

Continuous Assessment: In this case, throughout the semester, there will be a written test to assess the learning achieved by the student on the theoretical and practical contents of the subject (E1, E2). T1 type practices will be delivered. Each of these activities will represent a percentage of the total grade to be achieved as described below:

Evaluation: E1. Consisting of a written test on the first three topics of the subject. It represents 30% of the grade to be achieved (3 points). It will be held during the second half of October.

Evaluation: E2: Consisting of a written test on the last three topics that make up the subject. It represents 30% of the grade to be achieved (3 points) and will be carried out during the last week of December.

The type of test questions may be theoretical, practical and theoretical-practical. Similarly, the test may include short or developmental answers.

Paper 1 (T1): It will consist of the delivery of a paper on a feasibility project of a business idea in the agronomy sector with international character. The results achieved will be presented in written and oral form and discussed in class. This work will be done individually and represents 40% of the grade (4 points).

2.- Global test: students who do not opt for continuous assessment, do not pass the subject through this method or who wish to improve their grade, are entitled to take the global test consisting of a written test to be held on the dates indicated in the calendar approved by each centre and the submission of a T1 type work. Specifically:

Written test on all the topics of the subject. It represents 60% of the grade to be achieved (6 points). Of these 6 points, 4 will deal with the theoretical-practical contents seen in the subject (through short answers and/or development related to real cases or situations), and the remaining 2 points will consist of questions related to readings, exercises and practical cases consisting of relating the theory with real situations or cases. This test will take place on the dates indicated in the calendar approved by the centre where the subject is taught.

Paper 1 (T1):  delivery of a paper on a feasibility project of a business idea in the agronomy sector with international character. The results achieved will be presented in written and oral form and discussed in class. This work will be carried out individually and represents 40% of the grade (4 points).

Those students who have achieved 50% of the grade through continuous assessment are not required to take the global test. However, in the first call and in case the student chooses both evaluation systems, the best of the grades obtained will prevail.

The evaluation in the second call will be carried out exclusively by means of a global evaluation as described above. Again, it will not be necessary to do the T1 type work if the student has already presented it in any of the evaluation systems of the first call and obtained a grade higher than 3 (out of 10).

Success rate in the last 4 years: 100%.