Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 4 x Forum posts (200 words per post): students to select their 4 best forum posts and submit these to be marked. | 25% |
| Semester Assessment | Presentation: Review and analyse a Farm Business Plan. Presentation recorded by student using free online software and submitted through Aber-dropbox. | 20% |
| Semester Assessment | Develop a business plan for the farm (2,000 words). | 55% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to the failure of the module. | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Evaluate the impacts of policy, economics and markets on farm businesses
2. Analyse a farm business plan
3. Critically assess risk and sensitivity as factors of a farm business management
4. Develop and revise a farm business plan
Brief description
This module forms a part of the Advanced Training Partnership MSc in 'Sustainable and Efficient Food Production'. This module gives students the skills to analyse, carry out and revise farm business plans. The module will look at all aspects of farm planning from the accounts to the physical aspects that anyone dealing with farms should be aware of. The students will be taught how to develop a robust and logical plan, and be given the task of creating a plan of their own through our unique interactive farm business. The module will be run over approximately 14 weeks.
Content
1. Objectives and decision making
2. Integration - policy, economics, markets and the business
3. Business structures
4. Business analysis
5. Risk and Uncertainty
6. Investment
7. Robustness, resilience and sensitivity analysis
8. Dealing with private and personal aspects of a business
9. Drawing up and presenting business plans - methods and practicalities
10. Revising business plans
Formative assessments:
- Case report- external factors impacting on farm businesses (500)
- Forum posts: students will be encouraged to post at least once in each forum and to reply at least once to another student's post (200 words per post)
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | The students need to be able to complete a series of tasks in Excel e.g. create an online accounts workbook and budget workbook. The students need to complete these formative workbooks to a satisfactory level to release the course content. |
| Communication | Students will be expected to be able to express themselves appropriately in their assignments. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Detailed feedback will be given for assignment work. This will be assessed through the feedback providing general guidance towards the student's next assignment. Feedback will be given on all formative assignments to help students with their future summative assignments. |
| Information Technology | Students will be required to source information from a variety of scientific publication data bases and to use Blackboard for all aspects of the module. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | This module will provide the students with the latest research into farm business management to help them provide the most up-to-date information/advice to their colleagues/clients in the agri-food industry. |
| Problem solving | Online forum posts will be used to help develop and improve students' problem solving skills, through use of questions that present theoretical problems for the students to solve. |
| Research skills | Students will be required to undergo directed self-study and so will develop their literature research skills. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Farm business planning and management. |
| Team work | Forums will require students to debate among themselves to develop a consensus of opinion. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7