M. Jatib et al. / The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review Vol 5 Iss 3 2003
course was conceived at the beginning of 2003. Attendees to this monthly Course
are mostly professionals, entrepreneurs and farmers providing consulting services
or owning a farm who are aware of the flaws in trade and agribusiness in the
agrifood sector, particularly within the farms.
The figures presented show that the truly successful course is the face-to-face
Executive Management Postgraduate Course in Food and Agribusinessconducted at
the FAUBA venue. So much so that the monthly modality had to be introduced in
order to cater for inland candidates. The full dedication and continuous concern of
the Coordinating Team to meet the demands and expectations of the market has
proved highly successful. Today, around 75 students attend either training
modalities following the failure of other Postgraduate Courses -particularly that of
Pergamino-. Likewise, the limited number of candidates from Pergamino and Mar
del Plata was of great concern to the Coordinating Team.
The Team responsible for coordinating the Executive Management Postgraduate
Course in Food and Agribusinessoffered by FAUBA is fully committed to academic
excellence and continuous improvement. The Team is permanently in touch with
the students and has introduced a system for teacher evaluation. By means of this
system, teachers get feedback at the end of each class and have the chance of
improving their performance. The Coordinating Team is responsible for
implementing the necessary changes at once to satisfy the demand in a sustained
manner. Since the culture of claim is not installed among the students, many are
unaware of the benefits to be obtained through their involvement. In order to solve
the problem of lack of participation the Coordinating Team appoints one or two
assistants to attend the course as students. This is an opportunity to hear first hand
to what students have to say about the Course and to take the necessary steps to
improve on the system.
However, the Coordinating Team has failed to engage students in R&D, consulting,
and other activities either with their peers, the professors or the members of the
Coordinating Team..
Finally, given that the Executive Management Postgraduate Course in Food and
Agribusiness is perceived in the market as being one of the most prestigious in the
country, private and public organisations in the agrifood sector have channelled
their search for specialists through this Postgraduate Course. Many postgraduates
have been hired as expert managers in origin and quality assurance systems of the
food chain, or as consultants, while others have become successful agribusiness
entrepreneurs with a new and fresh insight to the business.