If the basics of the job of a horticultural farm manager have remained the same, because by nature a farmer is an entrepreneur used to taking and managing risks, the need to strengthen his skills in all areas of management is at the heart of our concerns. Whatever the size of the business, in order to evolve, it is necessary to be able to sell by accessing markets that are increasingly competitive due to the globalisation of trade. And to manage sales, you need to have a good capacity to analyse your customers' needs, to manage and negotiate sales. Indeed, it is management that allows you, for example, to know your production costs, to set a selling price, to follow the evolution of your stocks or to quickly access information from a customer or a supplier. Like sustainable development, which is a process of continuous improvement, in the sustainable management of a horticultural enterprise, all dimensions must be taken into account in an integrated manner: governance, resource and skill management, customer relations, productivity and innovation aspects, labour and succession, health and safety, training and skill acquisition and community relations, as well as business practices and ethics.
Managing and developing a company is therefore a global approach that requires many skills and is based on several major generic functions such as: innovating, anticipating, steering (setting objectives and controlling results), controlling, organising, delegating, leading and communicating. It is a job that requires mastery of disciplines as varied as accounting and financial management, business development, marketing, financing, human resources management and risk management. The "Management and Business Development" theme is a synthesis subject which aims to link all this knowledge together. To address all these very different but complementary aspects, the course in "Management and Business Development" has been structured into 9 tracks.
The first course, which includes 7 activities presented in two levels of complexity, is a general introduction that will first present the company as an entity built on the basis of an entrepreneur's vision. It will then briefly address the key elements that should be mastered by any company manager who wishes to implement policies (financial, HR, risk management, health and safety, etc.) or refine his or her strategies, particularly in terms of innovation and business development. Course 1 is divided into two parts: a "Welcome Module", intended for those who want to be informed in a very general way about the company, its organization and its management methods, and an "Advanced Module" intended for those who wish to have more extensive information on each of the disciplines covered in the specialized courses. Course 1 is an obligatory step towards the other courses. It ends with a test which, if passed, will give you access to the other courses.
The other tracks (tracks 2 to 9, which are specialized in one discipline) can be followed independently and according to the learner's interests, needs and objectives. Each aspect of business management and development, which has been briefly covered in the introductory course, is developed in depth in a series of activities illustrated with practical examples (from 3 to 6 activities, depending on the course).
Each activity includes exercises and tests to measure your level of understanding of the content covered. And each course ends with a summary test, the successful completion of which leads to a Certificate of Achievement. Although the 8 specialised courses together provide a very broad level of information on "Business Management and Development", each course is a complete package and can stand alone.
Management of organisations and business development
