FNP-21306
Management of Forest and Nature Organizations
Course syllabus
Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group
Wageningen University
February 2011
Profile of the course
The course FNP-21306 Management of Forest and Nature Organizations offers a systematic
introduction into the field of business management and administration in forest and nature
management. The main focus of the course is on forest and nature management organizations and
their performance; the course explores the reasons for, alternatives to, and consequences of the
(business) activities of these organizations.
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to
Describe the context and nature of management within forest and nature management
organizations
explain basic management approaches, methods and tools for forest and nature management
organizations
explain the specific guise and limitations of these management approaches, methods and tools
for forest and nature management and how to deal with this
apply these approaches, methods and tools in situations in which it is appropriate
examine the relevance of these approaches, methods and tools in relation to the management
of forest and nature
Principal themes of the contents
The course exists out of five blocks.
Block 1: Course orientation and introduction to forest and nature business management
(Business) management; economic units as businesses, enterprises and organizations;
levels of management; features distinguishing forest and nature from other industries and
their implications to decision-making; diversity in forest and nature management
organizations; management levels; tools of strategic management
Block 2: Accounting in forest and nature management organizations
What is accounting; role of accounting in forest and nature business management,
double-entry bookkeeping; opening balance, closing balance, and t-accounts; profit & loss
account; problems and challenges of accounting for forest and nature management
organizations; valuation of forest and nature
Block 3: Costing for forest and nature management organizations
What is costing; role of costing in forest and nature business management; challenges of
costing in forest and nature management; cost types; cost centers; Cost Center
calculation; Activity based costing
Block 4: Cash flow statements in forest and nature management organizations
What are cash flows; cash flow statements; operating activities; investing activities;
financing activities; cash flow statements in forest and nature management
Block 5: Forest and nature investment analysis
Valuing investments in forest and nature management over time; interest and discount
rates; time preferences; compounding and discounting; investment criteria
The course will not be limited to a certain region, thus including Dutch/European/global
applications and examples.
Assumed prerequisite knowledge
None
Continuation course
FNP-32306 Economic Aspects of Forest and Nature Conservation
Contact person, lecturer and examiner
Dr. ir. M.A. (Marjanke) Hoogstra (coordinator and lecturer)
Marjanke.Hoogstra@wur.nl, Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, GAIA
Building/room B309, phone: 486206
Ir. M. (Maarten) Punt (lecturer)
Maarten.Punt@wur.nl, Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, GAIA Building/room
B321
Dr. A. (André) Blum (Private Consultant in Forestry and Business Management, guest lecturer
Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group)
Language of instruction and examination
English
Educational activities
The course includes different learning activities:
• preparing for and attendance of lectures on the topics indicated above
• attendance of and participation in practical with small assignments
• attendance of, participation in and reporting of excursion
• self-study and preparation for examination
Communications
In addition to the classes, contact is made by using the website of the course
(https://portal.wur.nl/personal/hoogs001/fnp-21306/index.htm). This website provides access to
various course materials such as PowerPoint presentations, assignments, calendar. This website
should be visited regularly as news and new documents will be added frequently. The student is
responsible to make sure that he or she checks this regularly so that key announcements are not
missed, etc. In case the student has questions and/or remarks (either positive or negative), it is
always possible to contact the course coordinator during the classes, by phone, through e-mail or
visit.
Examination and grading
The extent to which the student reached the learning objectives will be tested by (1) three onehour exams and (2) a group assignment.
Assessment method
Learning objectives
describe the context and nature of management within
forest and nature management organizations
explain basic management approaches, methods and
tools for forest and nature management organizations
explain the specific guise and limitations of these
management approaches, methods and tools for forest
and nature management and how to deal with this
apply these approaches, methods and tools in situations
in which it is appropriate
examine the relevance of these approaches, methods
and tools in relation to the management of forest and
nature
Written
exams
x
Group
assignment
x
x
x
x
x
The three exams each will count 25% and the group assignment 25% towards the final grade.
Item
Exam 1 (block 1&2)
Exam 2 (block 3&4)
Exam 3 (block 5)
Group assignment
TOTAL
Percentage
25%
25%
25%
25%
100%
Students need to have a minimum partial grade of 5.5 for all components. In case the student has a
grade lower than 5.5 for one of the exams, several options exist during the year to take a re-exam.
Only the exam(s) with a grade lower than 5.5 have to be re-taken. A make-up exam might be given
only if absence is due to factors beyond student’s control and if excused by the instructor. The
student will be asked to provide satisfactory evidence to be excused. A missed exam (if not
excused) will result in a score of 1. In case the group assignment is graded lower than 5.5, an
additional assignment has to be carried out to be graded with a 5.5 or higher.
Exams
The exams are open book exams with open questions and will cover all material included in lectures
and assignments. The exams will take place in the 2nd, 3rd en 4th week of the course (see time
schedule). The re-exams are scheduled for week 34 (Thursday, 28th of April, 14:00 – 17:00, C417)
and the total re-exams for week 50 (Thursday, 18th of August, 9:00 – 17:00, C417).
The exam will be graded by one of the lecturers of the course based on a grading key. After the
exams are graded and the grades are published, the student has the possibility to set up a meeting
with the coordinator to check the answers and compare them to the grading key. During this
meeting the student can discuss the grading of the exam with the coordinator.
Group assignment
Next to the exam, a group assignment (in groups of 2 or 3 students) has to be made. In this
assignment the content of the course has to be linked to the (daily) practice of forest and nature
management. Different forest and nature management organizations will be visited during the
excursion in week 4 and the student groups have to reflect on the activities of these organizations
in the frame of the knowledge gained in the course. More information about the assignment will be
given during the course.
Participation in the excursion is obligatory and absence is only allowed in case of factors beyond
student’s control and if excused by the instructor. The student will be asked to provide satisfactory
evidence to be excused. A missed excursion will results in an extra assignment for the absentee.
The reports have to be sent in before Friday 4th of March, 17.15 hours, in pdf-format, to Maarten
Punt. For reports that are handed in after the deadline, points will be deducted.
The report will be evaluated and graded by one of the lecturers of the course based on evaluation
sheet with criteria. The evaluation criteria for the report include:
Description of the organizations visited;
Description of the type of organization;
Strategic management in the organizations;
Cost and costing within the organizations;
Cash flow within the organizations;
Investments and investment analysis in the organizations.
The evaluation sheet will be send to all groups. The groups can discuss their grade with the
coordinator based on this evaluation sheet.
Outline and schedule of the program of the course
Week Date(s) Time
Topic
1
Lectures:
Self-study:
Lectures:
Self-study:
Lectures:
Self-study:
Practical:
Practical:
Lectures:
Self-study:
1
1
1
1
Mon
7/2
Tue
8/2
Wed
9/2
Thu
10/2
Fri
11/2
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.15 – 17.30
Room
Block 1 INTRO
Reader articles block 1
Block 1 INTRO
Reader articles block 1
Block 2 ACCOUNTING
Reader articles block 2
Exercises block 2
Exercises block 2
Block 2 ACCOUNTING
Reader articles block 2
C321
C321
C321
P631
C417
P631
-
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
Mon
14/2
Tue
15/2
Wed
16/2
Thu
17/2
Fri
18/2
Mon
21/2
Tue
22/2
Wed
23/2
Thu
24/2
3
Fri
25/2
4
Mon
28/2
Tue
1/3
Wed
2/3
4
4
4
4
Thu
3/3
Fri
4/3
8.30 –17.30
Self study
Preparation exam
-
8.30 – 9.30
9.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
EXAM
Lectures:
Self study:
Practical:
Practical:
Lectures:
Self study:
Lectures:
Lectures:
BLOCK 1 & 2
Block 3 COSTING
Reader articles block 3
Exercises block 3
Exercises block 3
Block 3 COSTING
Reader articles block 3
Block 4 CASH FLOW
Block 4 CASH FLOW
C321
C321
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 –17.30
Self study:
Self study:
Practical:
Practical:
Self study:
Reader articles block 4
Reader articles block 4
Exercises block 4
Exercises block 4
Preparation exam
C321
C417
-
8.30 – 9.30
9.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
8.30 – 12.30
13.30 – 17.30
EXAM
Lectures:
Lectures
Self study:
Self study:
BLOCK 3 & 4
Block 5 INVESTMENT
Block 5 INVESTMENT
Reader article block 5
Reader article block 5
C321
C321
C417
P631
C417
8.30 – 12.30
13.15 – 17.30
8.30 – 17.30
Practical
Practical
Self study:
Exercises block 5
Exercises block 5
Preparation exam
C417
C417
-
8.30 – 9.30
9.30 – 10.00
10.00 – 17.30
8.00 – 17.30
EXAM
Lectures:
Self study:
EXCURSION
BLOCK 5
Intro assignment
Preparation excursion
C417
C417
Field
8.30 – 17.30
Self study:
Writing excursion report
-
C321
C417
P631
C321
C321
Modifications to the course schedule might be needed during the study period; they will be
announced in a timely manner.
Learning materials and resources
Main learning materials and resources for the course are the lectures, powerpoint presentations,
practicals, and texts/articles/websites. There is currently no book available that gives a good
overview over the topics discussed and good texts and articles on the topics are also scarce.
However, as it is good to have some sort of back up in reading material, a wide range of
articles/internetsites/texts/chapters are collected that will help to deepen the understanding in
the different topics discussed. The powerpoint presentations, the exercises and the
texts/articles/website can all be found on the website of the course.
Block 1 – Introduction
Probos, 2006. SWOT-analysis of the Dutch forest exploitation sector.
http://www.probos.net/biomassa-upstream/pdf/followup05.pdf. Date of access: 2nd of
February, 20011
Krott, M. and M. Stevanov, 2008. Comprehensive comparison of state forest institutions by a
causative benchmark-model. In: Allgemeine Forst und Jagdzeitung, 179 (4), p. 57-64
Block 2 – Accounting
Dave Marshall, 2010. So you want to learn bookkeeping!
http://www.dwmbeancounter.com/tutorial/Tutorial.html. Date of access: 2nd of February,
2011
Association of Consulting Foresters of Australia, 2009. An Australian Standard For Valuing
Commercial Forests: Version 2.0.1 / Chapters 1,2, and 3. P. 9 – 27.
http://www.consultingforesters.org.au/Valuation%20Standard%20V2_0_1_%20090408%20F
inal.pdf. Date of access: 16th of November, 2010
Mazzotta, M.J., 2007. Ecosystem Valuation. In: McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science &
Technology, p. 77-79
Block 3 – Costing
Microeconomics. Topic 6: “Be able to explain and calculate average and marginal cost to
make production decisions.” http://www.csun.edu/bus302/Lab/ReviewMaterial/micro6.pdf.
Date of access: 2nd of February, 2011
QFinance.com. Break-even analysis.
http://www.qfinance.com/contentFiles/QF01/g87ba2m9/10/0/break-even-analysis.pdf. Date
of access: 2nd of February, 2011
QFinance.com. Marginal cost.
http://www.qfinance.com/contentFiles/QF01/g87ba2m9/10/0/marginal-cost.pdf. Date of
access: 2nd of February, 2011
QFinance.com. Contribution margin.
http://www.qfinance.com/contentFiles/QF01/g87ba2m9/10/0/contribution-margin.pdf.
Date of access: 2nd of February, 2011
Boer, P. de, R. Brouwers, and W. Koetzier, 2007. Chapter 11 Cost allocation. An introductory
course in finance, management accounting and financial accounting. Noordhoff Uitgevers
B.V. P. 231-245
Block 4 – Cash flow statements
Boer, P. de, R. Brouwers, and W. Koetzier, 2007. Chapter 17 Other components of the annual
report. In: Basics of Financial Management. An introductory course in finance, management
accounting and financial accounting. Noordhoff Uitgevers B.V. P. 366-369
Hertenstein, J.H. and S.M. McKinnon, 1997. Solving the problem of the cash flow statement.
In: Business Horizons, January - February, p. 69-76
Block 5 – Investment analysis
M.E. McDill [1999] Forest Resource Management. Chapters 2,4 and 6.
https://www.courses.psu.edu/for/for466w_mem14/Handouts.html. Date of access: 2nd of
February, 2011
Guth, J.H. Resolving the Paradoxes of Discounting in Environmental Decisions. In:
Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, vol. 18, p. 95-114.
Filius, A.M. [1992] Chapter 5: Investment criteria. In: Investment analysis in forest
management. Syllabus. Agricultural University Wageningen.