The Agriculture Business Planning Portfolio is worth 60% of your overall unit grade and is composed of 3 parts (and apportioned as follows: Portfolio Part A: 15%, Part B: 15%, Part C: 30%). The assessment tasks assess your comprehension of the lecture, tutorial and practical activities associated with the unit. More specific details associated with each of these tasks and the assessment criteria for all parts will be available on the Moodle site.

Part A Business Plan Proposal (20%): (800 – 1000 words, excluding figures, tables, reference list and appendices). In this report you are required to prepare a business plan proposal for a rural business including; a brief description of the proposed business, the purpose of the business plan, a detailed outline of the business plan and identification of a range of resources required to develop a business plan.

Part B Financial Planning Quiz (20%): The topics in this quiz relate to the lecture, tutorial and practical activities in weeks 6 & 7 including cash flow management, budgeting and preparation of financial statements.

The questions in the Quiz will be a combination of multiple choice, short answer responses and will include financial calculations and preparation and interpretation of financial reports. The quizzes will be open for three days and the time allowed to complete them will be one hour. Each part will be assessed for presentation, content, referencing, and written expression as appropriate.

Each part will be assessed for presentation, content, referencing, and spoken or written expression as appropriate. Detailed marking rubrics for each part will be available on the moodle site two weeks before the start of term.

Part A Agricultural Business Plan (30%)

The purpose of this assessment task is to develop and review a business plan for an agricultural business of your choice (1500 - 2000 words, excluding figures, tables, reference list and appendices). Throughout this task you will:

• set strategic goals;
• set targets and directions for the business;
• develop appropriate operational plans;
• determine clear and measurable indicators of operational performance;
• identify and design risk management and mitigation strategies;
• assess the business plan to identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement.
• Monitor and Review of Business Performance: You are required to develop plans to monitor and review business performance.

Ensure all sections of the business plan as posted on the Moodle unit page are completed in detail and that the plan represents all the relevant aspects of your business.

This assessment is expected to be presented in the following format:

• Title Page (Unit, Report /Assessment Title, Student Name and Number, Unit coordinator Name, Date Due)
• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Business Environment
• Strategic Business Goals
• Operational Planning
• Financial Plan & Analysis
• Legal Obligations & Risk Management
• Performance Management
• Implementation Strategies & Review
• Conclusion & Summary
• References
• Appendix

Note: You are encouraged to incorporate feed-back from your Business Plan Proposal (Business Portfolio Part A) when completing this Agricultural Business Plan. However, there is no requirement for this assessment to be completed on the same business as the Business Portfolio Part A.

Part B

In this assessment, you are required to select either Option 1 or Option 2.

Option 1: Agricultural Business Plan Presentation Video (10%)

For this assessment, you are required to provide a pre-recorded video of an oral presentation in which you effectively highlight the key elements of your business plan as if you were presenting to a potential investor or financier. Your presentation needs to be between 8-10 minutes in duration. You will need to include the following:

• Introduction – including introducing yourself, your reason for providing the oral presentation, an outline of the content to be presented, and an overview of each section that will be included in your presentation;
• Main body of your report: make sure that you highlight the key elements of your business plan in a convincing manner to effectively promote the strengths of your business plan in each of the key areas;
• Summary – present the key messages of your presentation.

Option 2: Group Business Marketing & Promotional Plan (10%)

In this group task (2 – 4 people/group) you will:

1) Develop a business marketing and promotional plan, including promotional materials (500 – 800 words); and

2) Prepare an oral presentation covering your marketing and promotional plan and developed promotional materials (8 – 10 minute group oral presentation).

Note:

• Option 2 of Part B in the Written and Presentation Assessment item is a group presentation. All other assessment items are to be completed individually.
• For this option, students are required to self-select group members and notify the Unit Coordinator two weeks prior to the due date for the assessment. Each member of the group needs to contribute equally to the presentation within the 8-10 minutes total presentation time.

For Part B assessment task (Option 1 or Option 2), you will be assessed on the content of your presentation, the method of presentation and use of visual aids, your personal presentation, time management and use of reference material.

Please take note of the following:

• Your ability to pronounce all of your words is important and your ability to persuade the audience that you know their meaning and have a full understanding of the content that you are presenting. To the audience it is quite obvious if you are not familiar with the meaning and pronunciation of your words. If you do not understand words, use a dictionary and/or replace with words with which you are familiar;
• You will need to speak clearly and confidently, and be loud enough to enable your presentation to be heard clearly;
• You will need to maintain eye contact with the camera;
• The language you use must be appropriate to the task (i.e. no swearing).

Please take note of the following:

• Your ability to pronounce all of your words is important and your ability to persuade the audience that you know their meaning and have a full understanding of the content that you are presenting. To the audience it is quite obvious if you are not familiar with the meaning and pronunciation of your words. If you do not understand words, use a dictionary and/or replace with words with which you are familiar;
• You will need to speak clearly and confidently, and be loud enough to enable your presentation to be heard clearly;
• You will need to maintain eye contact with the camera;
• The language you use must be appropriate to the task (i.e. no swearing).