Special Topics in Food Business Administration

Type: Postgraduate course / Compulsory

Direction: Agricultural Economics and Food Business

Moderator: E.Zafeiriou

Semester: 2^st

ECTS: 7.5

Instructors: E. Zafeiriou / Κ. Galanopoulos / invited speakers

E-mail: ezafeir@agro.duth.gr / kgalanop@agro.duth.gr

Tel. office: 2552041185 / 25520 41114

Webpage: https://eclass.duth.gr/courses/OPE01191/

Contact with students: upon request (via email))

Course description:

This course will analyze key elements of management as a means for the proper functioning of the food businesses. Main elements will include the role of directors CEOs, the micro- and macro-environment in which businesses operate, the organizational structure and the importance of the efficient use of available resources. In addition, the role of the organizational environment will be analyzed, along with the process of decision-making in a company. The course includes also special modules in agribusiness management, such as the concept of international management, the role of globalization and the concept of multinational enterprises. Moreover, key financial indicators that describe the performance of a business and the notion of corporate social responsibility will also be analyzed. Particular reference is made to the pricing of food products and the issue of price discrimination. Finally, the course covers issues in inventory analysis theory with particular reference to the food industry.

Web Course venue:
https://eclass.duth.gr/courses/OPE01191/

Indicative teaching material:

Microeconomic Theory Principles. Volume I – Microeconomics. G.N. Mankiw, M.P.Taylor. 978-960-01-1328-0
Corporate Finance. Hillier, D. J., Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J., & Jordan, B. D. McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Economics and Management of the Food Industry. Dorfman, J. H. Routledge 2014.
Handbook of Innovation in the Food and Drink Industry. Rama, R. (2008). The Hayworth Press, Taylor & Francis Group, New York, 2008. ISBN 978-1-56022-298-9
International Business Strategy. Alain Verbeke. Cambridge University Press; 2nd edition, 2013.

Additional bibliographic sources are available to students who participate in this course through the website of the course (e-class).

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course students should:

• Understand the basic principles of business organization and management as well as the specifics of the food industry.
• Become familiar with decision making processes in a food firm under different internal and external environment conditions
• Deal with human resource management principles
• Work with aspects of financial management, investment principles and evaluation methods
• Understand how innovation can be used as a competitive advantage for a business as well as an economy.
• Have gained knowledge and experience in financial analysis, presentation of the results of their research with the use of appropriate economic theories, terminology and methods.
• Have acquired empirical knowledge in the organization and management of food business through lectures by specialized managers.

Assessment:

·       Written exam at end of semester

·       Submit written work during the semester and an oral presentation.

Overall Grade Distribution: 100 units (maximum):

1. Final Exam: 70 units
2. Project: 30 units

Academic Calendar of the course “Special Topics in Food Business Administration”