Unit MANAGEMENT OF LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISES

Course
Animal science
Study-unit Code
GP000820
Curriculum
In all curricula
Teacher
Biancamaria Torquati
Teachers
  • Biancamaria Torquati
Hours
  • 54 ore - Biancamaria Torquati
CFU
6
Course Regulation
Coorte 2022
Offered
2022/23
Learning activities
Caratterizzante
Area
Discipline gestionali e di sostenibilità
Academic discipline
AGR/01
Type of study-unit
Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities
Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction
Italiano
Contents
LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISES AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISE AS A SYSTEM. LIVESTOCK PRODUCTIONS AND INPUTS. FARM MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (1 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
FARM TYPOLOGY. WORK ORGANIZATION. LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS (1 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
GENERAL ACCOUNTING AND CONTROL MANAGEMENT (1,5 FORMATIVE CREDITS)
NEW FORMS OF AGRICULTURE, STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION, PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING (1 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
BUSINESS PLAN (1,5 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
Reference texts
Torquati B. - Economia e gestione dell'impresa agraria. Sole24Ore Ed agricole, Bologna, 2003.
Messori F. – L’azienda agraria. Clueb, Bologna, 2007 [capp. 13 e 14]
Fontana F., Caroli M. – Economia e gestione delle imprese. McGraw-Hill, Milano, 2009 [cap. 3]
Osterward A., Pigneur Y. – Creare modelli di business. Edizioni FAG, Milano, 2012
Educational objectives
The course has the main objective to provide students with the necessary theoretical and methodological knowledge to set up the management of livestock enterprise which is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
The main knowledge gained will be:
¿ knowledge of the relationships between the factors of livestock production and the production of goods and services including the positive and negative externalities;
¿ knowledge of the forms of management in agriculture/livestock and technical evaluation of the financial results related to them;
¿ knowledge of the production processes in agriculture/livestock and technical evaluation of the financial results related to them;
¿ knowledge about general accounting and analysis of financial accounting;
¿ knowledge of the strategies that can be activated by the farm according to the local context and the level of competition / cooperation with other livestock enterprises;
¿ knowledge to build a business plan starting from a business idea innovative.

The main skills are:
¿ analyzing the financial results of the livestock enterprise as a whole agricultural context in connection with the competitive environment and territorial location, and to national and European Agricultural Policy;
¿ identify issues related to the management of livestock enterprise proposing solutions for removing the obstacles that prevent the survival and / or growth;
¿ build and evaluate innovative business models to meet the needs and demands of consumers and society as a whole;
¿ use data processing models elaborate on the Excel program.
Prerequisites
In order to be able to obtain maximum benefit from the course you must have acquired adequate knowledge of microeconomics and of agricultural policy. These prerequisites are valid both for students attending and for those not attending.
Teaching methods
The course is organized as follows:
Lectures on all the topics of the course.
Exercises at computer lab for the implementation of: 1) an enterprise's computer system; 2) the design and development of an enterprise audit; 3) general accounting and financial statement analysis; 4) development of a Business Plan. Each student will work with a PC and can download from Unistudium the tools required for exercises including data and calculation models on Excel spreadsheet.
The exercises completed of the students must be uploaded to Unistudium at least one week before the date of the oral exam.
Farm visits and seminars. There are planned one/ two visits at Umbrian successful livestock enterprises and one / two seminars with experts to investigate operational aspects related to the most topical issues in relation to innovation and / or forms of contract and / or business ideas.
Other information
The course allows, through exercises and livestock enterprises visits / seminars with entrepreneurs and professionals, active learning in order to stimulate social skills, decision-making and negotiation to the client, as well as to acquire the technical language necessary to interact with specific expertise in the economic sector.
Attendance is recommended
Learning verification modality
The exam consists of a written test and a presentation of a technical composition realized individually.
The written test consists of answering at eighteen (10) questions with open answers on all topics of the course. All the questions concern theoretical content. The test has a maximum duration of two hours and is designed to test the ability to understand the issues raised and the ability to communicate in written form using appropriate terms in a concisely and rigorous.
The oral exam consists of the discussion of about 30 minutes of the two technical composition produced independently. The first one focus on the formulation of a comprehensive financial accounting and financial statement analysis using company data provided during the course. The discussion of this composition will take 10 minutes and it is designed to test the ability to apply correctlyl knowledge regarding the construction and interpretation of financial statements and the financial position of the farm. The second technical report concern on the development of an innovative business idea in order to implement a business model with the check of the economic and financial sustainability of the investment required. The discussion of this second elaborate will last about 20 minutes and it is designed to test both the ability to develop a business idea independently, and to support it with conviction through proper economic and financial indicators. The business idea has to be exposed in a clear, structured and convincing form.
Extended program
LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISES AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISE AS A SYSTEM. LIVESTOCK PRODUCTIONS AND INPUTS. FARM MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (1 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
LESSONS. The farm system and the enterprise system. Economic analysis of the farm. Enterprise as a system. Agricultural production and inputs. Management operations and dynamics of the values. Farm management information system. [Torquati, chapters.1, 2, 3, 4, 7 e 9]
EXERCISES. Construction of a farm management information system. Elaborations and analysis of farm data


FARM TYPOLOGY. WORK ORGANIZATION. LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS (1 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
LESSONS. Farm size and growth. The farm’s conduction forms. The network contract. Supply and use of agricultural labor. Planning labor needs. Labor organization. Farm and socio-economic aspects. Macro socio-economic analysis. Micro socio-economic analysis. Stakeholder analysis. Agricultural productions and exeternalities. Environmental impact of farm decisions. Enhancing enterprise-wide positive externalities. Environmental Life Cycle Costing (LCC). [Torquati, chapters 5 e 6; Messori, chapters 13 e 14; Katz et al., chapter 18]
EXERCISES. Setting up and developing of a company audit.

GENERAL ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS (1,5 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
LESSONS. The accounting analytics and reporting. The general accounting. Models of accounting records. Opening balance sheet. Closing balance sheet. Budget and balance sheet simulations. Direct and indirect taxation of the agricultural system. Economic and financial analysis: reclassification and budget analysis. The measurement of economic efficiency. The measurement of organizational efficiency. Balance sheet indexs. [Torquati, chapters 10, 11; Agricultural fiscal guide]
EXERCISES. Complete accounting records. Accounting Iva. Calculation of the budget indicators and
Business and enterprise analysis
SEMINAR. Meeting with a an expert of an agricultural professional organization on direct and indirect tax system in agriculture

NEW FORMS OF AGRICULTURE, STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION, PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING (1 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
LESSONS. Agricultural enterprises and new forms of agriculture. Multifunctional farms. Business strategies. The competitive advantage. Cost leadership. The differentiation. The focalization. Collaboration strategies. Innovation and agricultural enterprises. Marketing in livestock enterprises [Fontana e Caroli, chapter 3, Lecture notes]
EXERCISES. Case studies
SEMINAR. Seminar with a farmer who has obtained competitive advantages through differentiation strategies

BUSINESS PLAN (1,5 FORMATIVE CREDIT)
LESSONS. Entrepreneurial ideas. Building of business models. The Business Model Canvas (BCM). SWOT analysis for the identification of business strategies.The construction of a Business Plan: marketing plan, production plan, sales plan, financial plan. Evaluating and managing risk. [Torquati, chapter 13]
EXERCISES. The construction of a Business Plan and analysis of the results
Condividi su