AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
COURSE OUTLINE
EMBA 27
Facilitator: Dr Kelikume Ikechukwu
Phone No: Ext 1026
Email: ikelikume@[Link]
FACILITATOR’S INFORMATION
Kelikume Ikechukwu will facilitate the sessions with one or two guest facilitators. You can reach
him by email or phone, which is listed above. He is available for consultation at the school
provided you make a request beforehand.
COURSE OBJECTIVE
The course Agribusiness Management Programme (AGMP) is a course that prepares participants
who are interested in understanding the ins and outs of a typical agribusiness value chain in Africa.
The agribusiness programme informs participants about the business aspect of farming and the
related sectors that make up the agribusiness value chain. The elective prepares MBA and
Executive MBA students for careers in agribusiness which include; land management, direct
farming, food processing, distribution, storage, financing, training, logistics, equipment
distribution, animal grazing, green house farming, hydroponics farming and aeroponics farming.
The programme consists of 3 modular blocks to be taught in 14 sessions.
Modular Block One focuses on the critical thinking and introduction to Agribusiness value chain
Modular Block Two focuses on entrepreneurial mind-set in agribusiness while the third Modular
Block focuses on operational excellence in agribusiness value chain.
The course also exposes participants to innovation in agribusiness, new markets, standardization
and local and international operating environment
This course sits on three major learning models-critical and strategic thinking in agribusiness,
entrepreneurial mindset and operational excellence in agribusiness operation. The goal of the
agribusiness course is to provide full time MBA students and Executive MBA students with the
requisite knowledge that will prepare them for positions in agricultural, food processing and/or
food related business.
In order achieve the goals set for this course at the end of the programme, participants are expected
to;
● Understand the agribusiness value chain and the inter-linkages within the sector
● Understand the importance of developing a strategic direction for their domain of influence
within the firm through careful assessment of their domain of influence on the firm’s
overall competitiveness
● Develop a comprehensive analysis of their industry, its customers and its markets, and
develop a strategy map of their firm within its industry
● Identify the sources of value creation (and hence competitive advantage) in their markets
and evaluate the results from their value creation efforts
● Understand the role of entrepreneurial positioning in strategic success in agribusiness
venture
● Acquire multiple decision tools to select among alternative choices to ensure highest return
on investment and highest probability of success
● Understand the dimensions of quality in developing world-class operations and the
importance of pursuing operational excellence as a competitive initiative
● Be capable of transforming qualitative outcomes in the agribusiness sector into tangible,
systematic quantitative outcomes that facilitate clear communication and motivation across
the organization
● Integrate strategy development and entrepreneurial positioning into operations and develop
a holistic perspective about the organization’s activities
Assessment Method
Assessments and student’s performance evaluation in AgMP will take the form of class
participation (which will include both on-campus sessions and pre-module online sessions), class
assignment, practice-based assignment and a final take home action learning reports (ALP).
The grades will be allocated as follows:
S/N Assessments Percentage Required
(%)
1 Class Participation* 30
2 Assignments 20
3 Examination (Final Report)/Take 50
Home Exam
COURSE CONTENT
The course focuses on three major areas:
Part 1: Critical Thinking and Understanding the Agribusiness Value Chain
Part 2: Entrepreneurial Mind-set in Agribusiness sector
Part 3: Operational Excellence in Agribusiness sector
PART I: CRITICAL THINKING AND UNDERSTANDING THE AGRIBUSINESS VALUE
CHAIN
Session 1
Lecture: Introduction to Agribusiness value Chain-1
Agriculture and Agribusiness: Meaning and Importance to the Economy
Facilitator: Dr. Kelikume Ikechukwu
Session 2
Lecture: Introduction to Agribusiness value Chain-2
Lecture: Taming the Traps of Traditional Thinking in Agribusiness Sector
Reading: Observe First Design Second, Taming the Traps of Traditional (Matthew E. May)
Facilitator: Dr. Kelikume Ikechukwu
Session 3
Developing a System’s Mindset in the Agribusiness -Value Chain
Lecture and Class Discussion
Facilitator: Dr. Frank Ojadi
Session 4
System Thinking and System Dynamics
Case: Rynard Farms (Group Presentation)
Facilitator: Dr. Frank Ojadi
Session 5
Overview of Agribusiness Value Chain in Nigeria
Opportunities and Challenges
A System Approach
Facilitator: Dr. Kelikume Ikechukwu
PART II: ENTREPRENEURIAL MIND-SET IN AGRIBUSINESS SECTOR
Session 6
Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Agri-food and Agribusiness
Case: Frabho the Cassavapreneur
Farms (Group case Discussion)
Facilitator: Dr. Kelikume Ikechukwu
Session 7
Investment Options in Nigeria’s Agribusiness-Value Chain
Understanding the Tomato Value Chain-1
Challenges & Opportunities
Guest Facilitator: Dr. Jide Adedeji
Session 8
Investment Options in Nigeria’s Agribusiness-Value Chain
Understanding the Tomato Value Chain-2
Puree & Sauce Production
Guest Facilitator: Dr. Jide Adedeji
Session 9
Vertical Integration in Ecuador:
The Case of Fresh-Cut Pineapples
Case: Carlos F. Piana, Allen M. Featherstone, and Michael A. Boland Review of Agricultural
Economics—Volume 27, Number 4—Pages 593–603
Class Case Discussion
Facilitator: Dr. Kelikume Ikechukwu
PART III: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE -
Session 10
Introduction: Operational Excellence in Agribusiness
Preparing for the Agribusiness Final Report
The Structure of the Agribusiness Report
Facilitator: Dr. Kelikume Ikechukwu
Session 11
Case Discussion Blue Skies Company Ghana
BLUE SKIES: Connecting African Farmers to the Global Markets
(IDE 08) Stanford Business School of Graduate
Facilitator: Dr. Kelikume Ikechukwu
Session 12
Review Session/Field Farm Visit
Textbook & Course Materials
Required Text
1. Amanor-Boadu, V. On the Importance of Systems Thinking and System Dynamics,
Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, 2007.
2. Connelly, A. and K. Phillips-Connelly. 2012. “Can Agribusiness Feed 3 Billion New
People . . . And Save the Planet? A GLMPSDE® Into the Future,” International Food and
Agribusiness Management Review, 15(2012, Special Issue B): 139-152.
3. Timmons, J.A. and S. Spinelli. (2007). New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurship in the 21st
Century. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
4. McGrath, R.G. and I. MacMillan. (2000). The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Strategies for
Continuously Creating Opportunity in the Age of Uncertainty. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
Business School Press.
5. Amanor-Boadu, V. “Diversification Decisions in Agriculture: The Case of Agritourism in
Kansas,” International Food and Agribusiness Review, 16(2013): 57-74
6. Amanor-Boadu, V. (2006). “Putting Entrepreneurship into Agricultural Economics:
Research and Teaching Perspectives – Discussion.” Journal of Agricultural and Applied
Economics, 38(2006): 441-444.
7. Aikens, C.H. (2011). Quality Inspired Management: The Key to Sustainability, Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
8. Cokins, G. (2009). Performance Management: Integrating Strategy Execution,
Methodologies, Risk, and Analytics. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
9. Kim, W.C and R. Mauborgne (2005). Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested
Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business
School.
10. Cokins, G. (2013). A Kite with a Broken String – Balanced Scorecard, Available at
[Link]
11. Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing and Food, Under-secretariat of Agricultural
Policy and Food, National Food Administration. (2007). Quality Protocol for Common
Table Salt, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Alimentos Argentinos.
