AAEC 3980 - Course Overview

Managerial concepts, procedures, and techniques in agribusiness management. Techniques of planning, organization, staffing, directing, and controlling functions of management.

Instructor: Richard W. Shermerhorn, Ph.D., Professor, The University of Georgia.

Texts and Materials: Beierlein, Schneeberger, and Osburn, Principles of Agribusiness Management, 3rd ed., Waveland Press, Inc., 2003.

Course Overview

Introduction

This course is designed to provide students with a broad overview of the basic skills needed to be effective managers of agribusinesses. More specifically, the three objectives of the course are 1. to acquaint the student with the general area of business management with application to agriculturally related businesses; 2. to create an interest in the workings of agribusinesses, problems of management, and the basic principles of management; 3. to help the student gain an understanding of how to use some specific tools and techniques of analysis for solving management problems. The course is structured around the study of four interrelated functions of management: planning, organizing, controlling, and directing.

Lesson Organization

Each of the ten lessons is divided into four basic parts: 1) the reading assignment; 2) the lesson objectives (information and skills you are expected to acquire through the reading assignments, lesson discussions, and written assignments); 3) the discussion (a brief summary of the material covered in the reading assignments); and 4) the written assignment (discussion questions and/or problems to be solved). From time to time, you will be asked to complete a special project designed to give you first-hand exposure to agribusiness management situations.

Submission of Written Assignments

In distance learning, you are expected to set your own pace; however, you should avoid the temptation to rush through the course. You will benefit more by doing a thorough job of reading the assigned materials and giving adequate thought to completing your written assignments. Thus, I recommend that you take a full week to complete each lesson, but you will be allowed to complete a maximum of two lessons per week if you so choose.

I also recommend that you do not submit a completed written assignment until your previous assignment has been graded and returned to you; this is especially true of the first two or three lessons. The reason is obvious: any errors will be brought to your attention so that you do not repeat them in future lessons. All written assignments must be legible, either typed or printed in ink. If your lessons are not legible they will be returned to you ungraded. Obviously, all of your work must be your own. If I detect otherwise, an automatic grade of “F” will be given to that assignment. You should also give special attention to spelling and grammar. Your best approach in preparing your written assignments is to read the assignment in the textbook and/or reference materials, then attempt to answer the questions, referring to the textbook only for those answers that you cannot recall. Remember to read and respond to all parts of each question (some questions have more than one part and/or may ask for examples). The questions will vary as to what length the answer should be in order to be complete. One page or less is a good guideline, but use your best judgment. I will provide some feedback in this regard when I grade your assignment.

Grading System

Your written assignments will each count for five percent of your course grade (50 percent of the total). The final examination will make up the other fifty percent. The examination will cover lessons 1 through 10 and will consist of multiple choice, true/false, selected problems, and/or subjective essay questions regarding the material covered in the entire course. You will have three hours to complete the exam. (You must pass the final examination to pass the course, regardless of grades earned on lessons.) You are responsible for becoming familiar with Independent Study examination policies and procedures.