Class:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 11:30-12:20, HORT 210

Laboratory:

Tuesdays 11:30 to 1:20 in HORT 210.

Text:

Classnote Packet - Hort 435 Principles of Marketing and Management of Horticulture Businesses

Web Site:

Information pertinent to this class can be accessed through the Department of Horticulture's Web Site (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/). Follow the links through Horticulture Courses to HORT 435.

Course Objective:

This course is structured to introduce students to the principles of market research, market planning, and business development with focus in the horticultural sectors. The objectives of the course are to conduct a thorough market analysis and document the business opportunity assessment; and to develop a defensible market-driven business plan based on marketplace data and assessment. Students are required to implement basic principles of business management, including: market share estimation, financial planning, ownership structure, product line considerations, sales forecasting, pro forma income statement development, risk assessment, cash flow assessment, etc.

Class Performance:

Final grades will be calculated on the following basis:

Quizzes (Best 6 of 7)	20%
Cases 1) Industry Review (10%) 2) Demographic Analysis (10%) 3) Competition Analysis (10%) 4) Financial Planning (10%)	40 %
Business Plan 1) Student Plan (10%) 2) Student Review (5%) 3) Student Presentation (10%)	25%
Final Exam	15 %

 

Grade Scale:

100% - 90%	A
89% - 80%	B
79% - 70%	C
69% - 60%	D
Below 60%	F

Quizzes:

Seven (7) quizzes are scheduled periodically throughout the semester, and the date of each quiz is indicated on the lecture schedule. Quizzes will be given at the end of the lecture period. The scores of your best six (6) quizzes will be counted toward your final grade. Make-up quizzes are only available if you are excused due to a university sponsored function (example: field trip, athletic competition, etc.). In such instances, you must contact the instructor at least 48 hours in advance to arrange an alternate time for taking the quiz.

We encourage you to work with your classmates in laboratory, and study together in groups. However, exams and quizzes must be done independently. We expect you to maintain academic honesty.

Special Needs:

Students having a disability that requires special accommodations should contact the instructor us during the first three weeks of the semester. During this meeting, we will utilize guidelines provided by the Dean of Students office to develop appropriate alternative instructional and testing methods.

Assistance:

If you find you are having difficulties, please come to see me early in the semester. I am generally available before and after lecture and laboratory sessions for consultation. In addition, I can be contacted via email (Julian@hort.purdue.edu). My office is room 203b in the Horticulture Building. Although you are welcome to drop-in, my schedule is often busy. Therefore, it is recommend that you schedule an appointment.

Lecture Schedule

Date		Topic
Jan.	13	Introduction to Hort 435
Week 1	15	Planning for Business Success - Strategic Planning
	17	Planning for Business Success – Market Analysis
	20	Martin Luther King Day- NO CLASS
Week 2	22	Planning for Business Success – Business and Financial Planning
	24	Quiz 1
	27	Hort Congress - NO CLASS
Week 3	29	Case 1 - Industry Overview and Analysis
	31	Market Structure
Feb.	3	Customer Profiles / Targeting Customers
Week 4	5	Consumer Demographics
	7	Case 2 - Market Area Demographic Analysis
	10	Market Growth
Week 5	12	Quiz 2
	14	Market Potential
	17	Case 3 - Market Area Competition Analysis
Week 6	19	Assessing the Competition
	21	Estimating Market Share
Week 7	24	Developing a Sales Forecast and the Market Plan
	26	Case 4 - Financial Planning
	28	Quiz 3 - Case analysis (Greenhouse Vegetable Industry)
Mar.	3	Income Statements
Week 8	5	Cash Flow Financial Plans
	7	Balance Sheet
	10	Breakeven Point and Profitability
Week 9	12	Financial Plans - Typing them together / Capital Requirements
	14	Quiz 4
	17	Spring Break
Week 10	19	Spring Break
	21	Spring Break
	24	Business Plan: Industry, Company, and Products / Market Analysis / Marketing Plan
Week 11	26	Business Plan: Operations Plan / Financial Plan / Management Team / Overall Schedule
	28	Ownership Considerations
Week 12	31	Business Plan: Critical Risks / Proposed Company Offering / Executive Summary
Apr.	2	Critical Risk Assessment
	4	Financing: Sources of Capital
	7	Market Developement and Market Penetration
Week 13	9	Quiz 5
	11	Product Line Considerations
	14	Product Lines and Inventory
Week 14	16	Pricing
	18	Quiz 6
	21	TBA
Week 15	23	Case Analysis (Garden.com)
	25	Quiz 7 Case Analysis (Garden.com)
	28	Student Presentations
Week 16	30	TBA
May	2	Review for Exam
	5-10	Final Exam during Finals Week

Lab Schedule

Date		Topic
Jan.	14	Library Resource Day - Hal Kirkwood
Jan.	21	No Lab
Jan.	28	Case 1 - Industry Research
Feb.	4	Case 1 Due - Case 2: Market Research - Consumer Demographics
Feb.	11	Work on Case 2
Feb.	18	Case 2 Due - Case 3: Market Research - Competition Assessment
Feb.	25	Case 3 Due - Case 4: Financial Planning
Mar.	4	Work on Case 4
Mar.	11	Case 4 Due
Mar.	18	No Lab - Spring Break
Mar.	25	Business Plan Development
Apr.	1	Work on Business Plan
Apr.	8	Business Plan Due - Student Review of Business Plan
Apr.	15	Business Plan Review Due - Student Business Plan Presentations
Apr.	22	Student Business Plan Presentations
Apr.	29	Student Business Plan Presentations