| Department of Agricultural Sciences | |||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | |||||||||||||
| Duration | 1 semester | ||||||||||||
| Credits | 10 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||
| Course Level | BSc | ||||||||||||
| Examination | evaluation of project report Aid allowed Description of Examination: pass/fail, internal examiner 50% of mark Description of Examination: 50% of mark | ||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Spring (14/2-05 - 1/4-05) | ||||||||||||
| Block Placement | outside schedule | ||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English may be conducted in Danish/Swedish | ||||||||||||
| Course Objectives | |||||||||||||
| This course aims at giving the students knowledge about economic models describing and explaining the function of the market and the conditions for the firms operating on this market.Theories and methods concerning management of individual firms.The course will give an understanding the economic conditions facing horticultural firms. Especially, the significance of competition for different types of firms is covered. | |||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||
| The starting point of the course is basic economic theory of production and costs. The horticultural firm is described as a physical system with an input of factors of production and an output of products. By introducing prices on means of productions and products in the analysis, economic optimal volumes can be calculated.The connections between producing firms and other types of firms in the horticultural business are considered. Management of individual firms is an important part of the course. Topics such as business concept, goal formulation, strategic planning, organisation and financing are covered. Firm revenues, budgeting and investments are discussed in the light of gross margin ant total costs calculations.An Internet based management game, Hortgame, is used to illustrate the theoretical concepts treated in the course. The students acts as manager of nurseries working on a local market. During the play, decisions have to be taken about production, investments, financing, marketing expenditures and use of profits for each growing season. A simplified accounting and budgeting is made as basis for these decisions. Sales prices are calculated by the market simulator of the game for each season. The success of the firms are evaluated by weighing accumulated profits and wages of the owner together.The following main topics are covered by the course· production- and cost theory · cost- and income analysis · investment calculation · budgeting · strategic planning · organisation theory | |||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||
| The course is build up around lectures and exercises. Some of these excercises are computer based. Excel and a budgeting system for horticultural firms are used. Internet is used throughout the course for communication, discussion and for playing Hortgame, the management game. The use of IT will make it possible to limit the number of times when the students have to be present on campus.(10 ECTS Business Economics) | |||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||
| Casavant, K.L., C.L. Infanger and D.E. Bridges (1999): Agricultural Economics and Management. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. | |||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||
| Jesper Mazanti Aaslyng, jmaa@life.ku.dk, Department of Agricultural Sciences/Crop Science, Phone: 3528 Bengt Håkansson, Bengt.Hakansson@vv.slu.se, Department of Agricultural Sciences/DSH guests, Phone: 40415000 | |||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||
| Study Committee DSH | |||||||||||||
| Course Scope | |||||||||||||
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