29367 - Economics and Management of a Food Company

Learning outcomes

The student will be provided a basic knowledge of the supply and demand of goods and the main market forms. He will be able to understand and describe the basic aspects related ot the business organization and management, with a focus on the business and supply chain governance.

Course contents

- Food Business

a. Goals and Strategies : Business goals and strategy : Definition of vision and mission, strategic business area. The different business strategies: contents and main factors influencing their implementation

b. Business structure and organization: institutional, tecnichal and economic structure; main organizative models, managing the organizational change

c. Management: control and mangement tools: balance sheets, financial and economic indicators

- The Food business and its relation with the economic system

a. Business models and relations : determinants of business vertical and horizontal coordination

b. Definition, management and organization of the food value chains, supply chains and agro-food districts and network

c. The market: Brief reminder of the demand and supply theory and of the main market forms; relevant national and international agri-food markets and the main drivers influencing their dynamics

- Seminars, workshops and visits

a. Visit to different types of private and public businesses and associations in the food sector

b. Workshops on simulations of business and supply chain management

Readings/Bibliography

- Teacher's notes
- Airoldi G., Brunetti G., Coda V. (1989): Lezioni di economia aziendale Il Mulino, Bologna

Teaching methods

Traditional lessons providing the basic knowledge on which to build the student capacity to develop autonomous analysis and decision making skills.
Workshops, where the students process the basic information received and train their capacity to understand the agro-food business structure and dynamics and also to take decisions.
Visits to real-life examples of food business and other associations involved in the food systems management and organization; this will develop the critical sense of the students which should be able to understand what type of business they are visiting, what is their structure and, through quesitons to the staff, their level of technical, economic and organizational efficiency , influencing the business competitiveness.

Assessment methods

- Final written test including both open ended and closed questions

- The test involves the attribution of marks

- Attending the lessons will support the learning process as a consuence of a constant interaction with the students and between students (work groups)

Teaching tools

- Traditional lessons supported by Slides
- Web-based informative and business management simulation tools
- Role playing-based simulations of supply chain management

Office hours

See the website of Cesare Zanasi