Overview
You will be introduced to the principles and practices of developing an emerging business opportunity in agriculture. You will explore and evaluate the elements of entrepreneurship required to successfully analyse and develop business opportunities in the agricultural context. This unit provides you with an understanding of business planning and management, providing you with tools to test the feasibility of a business idea or opportunity and then establish strategies to guide its development.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite AGRI11005 Agricultural Business Planning
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2021
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Moodle "Have Your Say" Feedback.
Group Assessment Participation
Students remarked that there was not equitable participation in the group assessment. In future, a possible mechanism to address this, beyond Self and Peer Assessment tools, is to have students conduct their peer-to-peer evaluation via Microsoft Teams or Moodle Discussion Boards as a portion of assessment. This will allow the unit coordinator to better assess the quality and equity of student participation in group assessments.
- Analyse the viability of an agricultural business
- Review commercially viable agricultural business ideas and opportunities
- Formulate strategies to develop a new agricultural business opportunity.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||
| 2 - Presentation - 20% | |||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Presentation - 20% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Wordprocessing, spreadsheeting and powerpoint software
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
s.sinai@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Entrepreneurship and Business Opportunities in Agriculture
Chapter
Readings for each week will be provided via Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Feasibility Analysis
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Industry and Competitor Analysis
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Planning For New and Emerging Opportunities
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Developing a Creative and Innovative Team
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Commercialisation of Agricultural Products & Innovations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Accessing Investment and Finance
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Collaboration and Competition
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
International Markets and Free Trade Agreements
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Marketing New Opportunities
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Supports For Agribusiness Development: Government Agencies, Peak Bodies and Development Corporations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
In Assessment 1: Agricultural Business Investment Report, you will take on the role of an investor and be presented with proposals for three new agricultural business opportunities. You will be required to analyse these business proposals and make an investment decision based on their viability. To assist you with this assessment you will be assigned one-thousand units of DEBOCoin, a localized AGRI12011 currency. After analysing each respective business using the First Screen Feasibility Analysis tool (which will be introduced in the Week 2 lecture and tutorial) you must state how much DEBOCoin you will invest in each proposed business.
For each proposed business you will prepare a First Screen Feasibility Analysis accompanied by a 500-word justification. The total word limit will therefore not exceed 1500 words (excluding tables, captions, headings and references). You must support your report with evidence from reputable sources including government publications, industry reports and academic journal articles. You must include at least twelve (12) references.
Week 4 Thursday (1 Apr 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 6 Thursday (22 Apr 2021)
You will be marked on:
- Your use of clear and professional communication
- Your analysis of the feasibility of each business
- Your use of evidence and references to support your claims
- The correct use of the First Screen Feasibility Analysis tool
-
Referencing and formatting
A marking rubric will be available via Moodle
- Analyse the viability of an agricultural business.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
2 Presentation
Assessment 2: Farm Diversity Profile Presentation has an individual and a group component. Both components are due on 07/05/2021 and a marking rubric will be available on Moodle.
In the Group Component, your group of 3 to 4 students will review one of the five agricultural products listed below and critique the Agrifutures Farm Diversity Profile associated with that product. Agrifutures Farm Diversity Profiles are information sheets on plants or animals that can be used in agribusinesses in Australia. See https://www.agrifutures.com.au/farm-diversity for more. After selecting one of the five product options your group should assess the relevant Agrifutures Farm Diversity Profile and, using evidence from a variety of reputable sources, critique and “fact-check” the claims made throughout the profile, identify discrepancies and, if applicable, offer alternative information in light of your findings.
Farm Diversity Profiles:
- Crocodiles
- Jojoba
- Red Cedar
- Saffron
- Snails
For the Group Component, you are required to submit a 15-minute PowerPoint or similar presentation with audio (not a video). Presentations should be no shorter than 14 minutes and no longer than 16 minutes. You should include at least 10 references. The group component is worth 15/20 for Assessment 2.
The individual component requires you to individually develop a 5-minute presentation reflecting on one of the videos in the “Entrepreneur Video Series”. Here, you should present the aspects that contributed to the success of one of the entrepreneurs featured in the video series. These presentations should be no shorter than 4 minutes and no longer than 6 minutes. The individual component is worth 5/20 for Assessment 2.
Week 8 Friday (7 May 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (21 May 2021)
For the group component you will be marked on your:
· Clear, professional and appropriate oral communication
· Critique of the selected Farm Diversity Profile
· Use of evidence from reputable and referenced sources to support your claims
· Formatting and Presentation
For the individual assessment you will be marked on your:
· Clear, professional and appropriate oral communication
· Reflections on the selected video from the Entrepreneur Video Series
· Formatting and Presentation
- Review commercially viable agricultural business ideas and opportunities.
- Communication
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
3 Written Assessment
In Assessment 3, New Agricultural Business Opportunity Pitch, you must write a 3000-word report in the form of a business pitch for a new agricultural business opportunity. You must gain approval for your new business idea from the unit coordinator before 26/04/2021. The pitch should be addressed to prospective investors and should be written in the following format, for which more details will be provided on Moodle (recommended word limits for each section in parentheses):
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Overview of the Pitch (250 words)
• The Product/Business Idea (400 words)
• Industry Analysis (300 words)
• Market Analysis (300 words)
• Production Requirements: e.g. Infrastructure, Personnel, Harvesting, Processing (500 words)
• Marketing Plan (300 words)
• Risks and Risk Mitigation Strategy (250 words)
• Regulations and Laws (150 words)
• Financial Plan (300 words)
• Relevant Industry Bodies (150 words)
• Conclusion (100 words)
• References
Titles and other headings, figure legends, tables and references are exempt from the word limit. You must include at least 15 references from a range of reputable sources. A marking rubric will be available on Moodle.
Week 12 Wednesday (2 June 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Wednesday (16 June 2021)
You will be marked on:
· Clear and professional communication
· Ability to identify a new agricultural business opportunity
· Ability to analyse risks, opportunities, strengths, weaknesses, marketing opportunities and other relative factors
· Ability to adhere to the format provided
· Clearly explain the elements of the business opportunity including uses, production processes and harvesting requirements
· Ability to consistently and persuasively link available literature with the information in the pitch
· Use of recent evidence to support the report
· References and formatting
- Develop a business plan for a new agricultural business opportunity.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
