ABM 3203 AGRIBUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND POLICY
2. INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Fredrick Bagamba (BSc Agric, MUK, Uganda; MSc Agric (Agricultural Economic),
MUK, Uganda; PhD, Development Economics, Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
(Lecturer).
3. COURSE TYPE:
CORE for B. Agribusiness Management III
4. COURSE STRUCTURE
3 Credit units: 30 lecture hours (2 contact hours per week for 15 study weeks) and 30 tutorial hours (1 contact hour
per week for 15 study weeks)
5. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Overview of Agribusiness environment and policy; Agribusiness internal environment – business organization,
management and structural changes; Agribusiness external environment – political / government (legislature,
executive and judiciary), political system, pressure groups, legal environment, socio – cultural environment,
technological environment, effect of population growth and composition on agribusiness firms; Agribusiness
immediate environment – suppliers, competitors, customers, labour markets, financial institutions; Agribusiness
policy and regulations from company stand point – ethics and corporate social responsibility, gender considerations
and environmental concerns; policy making structure; Agribusiness policy analysis; Agribusiness policy and
regulations from government stand point– role of infrastructure, flow of information, employment and consumer laws,
macroeconomic policy (fiscal, monetary, trade), redistribution policies, privatization, nationalization; government
policy making structure; the international agribusiness environment – Globalization, commodity agreements, role of
WTO and IMF, economic integration (EAC, COMESA, EEC etc)
6. COURSE OBJECTIVES:



To give students tools to use to analyse government policy interventions
To enable students to appreciate the range of possible government agribusiness sector interventions
To enable students to understand company policy / strategy development, analysis and implementation
7. RECOMMENDED REFERENCES FOR READING
Ellis Frank (1992): Agricultural Policies in Developing Countries, CambridgeUniversity Press
Colman, D. and Young T. (1989): Principles of Agricultural Economics, CambridgeUniversity Press, Pg 284
Krugman P. R. and Obstfeld M. (2003): International Economics, Theory and Policy, Sixth Edition, Addison – Wesley,
Pg 186 – 202
Jauch L. R. and Glueck W. F. (1988): Business Policy and Strategic Management, Fifth Edition, McGraw – Hill
International Editions
Students are encouraged to use the internet to obtain more reading material on Agribusiness policy
8. COURSE CONTENT, METHODS OF INSTRUCTION AND TOOLS AND REQUIRED
TOPIC
CONTENT
METHOD OF
TOOLS/
INSTRUCTION / Time NEEDED
Introduction


Policy Analysis




Policy Analysis
Agribusiness Policy
Agribusiness Policy
Definition of Policy, Market,
Government, State
Role of the State in Economic
Development
Definition of Policy Analysis
The Linear Policy Model
How to Determine the Impact of
Policy Instruments
Partial Equilibrium Analysis
allocated
Lecture (2 hrs)
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Review of partial equilibrium analysis
and other methods used to determine
impact of policy instruments
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts

Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Lecture (1 hr)
Handouts
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Test 1 (1hr)
Paper
Examples of how Partial Equilibrium
Analysis can be used to determine
the impact of selected policy
instruments on social welfare
Use of partial equilibrium analysis to
determine impact of other policies
Overview of Agribusiness environment &
policy
Challenges facing agribusiness sector in
Uganda
Group presentations(2 LCD Projector
hrs)
Types of agribusiness policies (price policy,
marketing policy, credit policy, research
policy, macroeconomic policy (fiscal,
monetary, trade), employment & consumer
laws etc)
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
PMA
Agribusiness Policy
Types of agribusiness policies (price policy,
marketing policy, credit policy, research
policy, macroeconomic policy (fiscal,
monetary, trade), employment & consumer
Group presentations(2 LCD Projector
hrs)
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
laws etc)
Marketing & agro processing strategy
Microfinance outreach plan
Agribusiness Policy
Types of agribusiness policies (price policy,
marketing policy, credit policy, research
policy, macroeconomic policy (fiscal,
monetary, trade), employment & consumer
laws etc)
National agricultural research policy
National agricultural advisory services
Women and Agricultural
Policies


Reasons why gender should be
considered when formulating and
implementing agricultural policies
Determinants of policy impacts on
women
Discussion of negative impacts that
policies/programs have had on women in
Uganda
Business Policy /
Strategy

Definition and Importance of
Business Policy / Strategy
Group presentations(2 LCD Projector
hrs)
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Group presentations(2 LCD Projector
hrs)
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Lecture (1 hr)
Test 2 (1 hr)
Business Policy /
Strategy

Business internal environment
(business organization,
management and structural
changes)
Review and discussion of types of business
organizational structures and structural
changes, giving practical examples
Business Policy /
Strategy

Business external environment
(political environment, legal
environment, technological
environment, socio-cultural
environment etc)
Review & discussion of types of business
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Paper
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Business Policy /
Strategy
external environment & their impacts on
businesses, giving practical examples
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Corporate social responsibilities and
responses to them
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Discussion of types of company social
responses, giving practical examples
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts


Business Policy /
Strategy


Business Policy /
Strategy
Company policy making structure
Company policy making process
Company policy making process
policy implementation process
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Review of company policy making process
The international
agribusiness
environment
Globalization
Commodity agreements
Economic integration
Tutorial (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Lecture (2 hrs)
Chalk / BB or
Markers / Flip
charts
Test 3 (1 hr)
Paper
Tutorial (1 hr)
16-17


Revision Time
Final Examination
9. SUMMARY OF TIME NEEDED
Lectures
Tutorials
Group presentations
Tests
28 hrs
21 hrs
8 hrs
3 hrs
10. COURSE ASSESSMENT:
Continuous assessment
There will be 3 tests
(Tests):
Continuous assessment
Students will present on the topics mentioned in the description of
(Group presentations):
course content above, in groups and will be awarded marks based
30%
10%
University Examination:
on the presentations
Final examination during week 16-17 of the semester
60%