Agribusiness Seminar
What You Will Learn
Through faculty-led classroom discussions, case studies, small-group work, and insights from guest speakers, you will explore agribusiness trends and best practices covering an array of organizational, strategic, competitive, economic, and societal issues.
The curriculum is based on the world-renowned HBS case method—a highly interactive approach that engages participants in a dynamic exchange of ideas as they identify and test possible actions. The seminar will feature new cases incorporating the latest trends, evolving business models, competitive strategies, and novel thinking about industry opportunities and challenges. Each case focuses on a particular food or agriculture-related firm and the key decisions its leaders face. We enhance the learning with the unique opportunity to meet and hear from top executives featured in the cases.
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What You Will Learn
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Through faculty-led classroom discussions, case studies, small-group work, and insights from guest speakers, you will explore agribusiness trends and best practices covering an array of organizational, strategic, competitive, economic, and societal issues.
The curriculum is based on the world-renowned HBS case method—a highly interactive approach that engages participants in a dynamic exchange of ideas as they identify and test possible actions. The seminar will feature new cases incorporating the latest trends, evolving business models, competitive strategies, and novel thinking about industry opportunities and challenges. Each case focuses on a particular food or agriculture-related firm and the key decisions its leaders face. We enhance the learning with the unique opportunity to meet and hear from top executives featured in the cases.
Key TopicsCollapse All
Creating more resilient, sustainable supply chainsCreating more resilient, sustainable supply chains
- How can business leaders anticipate and respond to trade disruptions, weather events, and other forces affecting their supply chains? How can they make their supply chains more reliable?
- How can firms strengthen compliance and transparency in supply chains over which they lack full control?
- How should companies balance short-term and long-term considerations as they seek to operate more sustainably?
- How can companies address the different priorities of various stakeholders?
- Which companies will benefit from integrating vertically, and why?
- What kinds of partnerships will be most successful in the future?
Addressing the needs and demands of consumers around the worldAddressing the needs and demands of consumers around the world
- How can firms modernize while preserving their essential strengths, brand value, and longstanding customer and supplier relationships?
- How can businesses develop an effective strategy for serving consumers with diverse expectations, preferences, and definitions of value?
- How can firms meet the needs of budget-conscious customers at a time of high inflation?
- How can consumer demand for protein—whether meat, dairy, or plant-based—be met efficiently and sustainably?
- How should food and agriculture business leaders think about—and deliver on—their responsibility to consumers and other stakeholders when a crisis arises?
Harnessing innovationHarnessing innovation
- How can firms nurture innovation in science, technology, business models, and partnerships to address challenges such as food safety, perishability, nutrition, and labor shortages?
- How can companies innovate to reposition and reinvigorate old brands and products?
- What strategies should firms use to stimulate adoption of novel products, such as lab-grown meat?
- How can firms recruit and retain top innovation talent?
- How are leading companies increasing their capacity to bring new products to market?
Navigating a volatile landscapeNavigating a volatile landscape
- How can companies maintain momentum in the face of climate change, regulatory and policy uncertainty, global logistical bottlenecks, inflation, and unstable commodity markets?
- What other kinds of volatility may force companies to adapt their strategies and operations in the years to come?
- How has Russia's invasion of Ukraine affected the global food system, and how are firms responding?
- What are the key steps to anticipating change, managing risk, and responding effectively?
Supporting farms of the futureSupporting farms of the future
- What is the future of farming in developing and mature markets?
- How are unpredictable trade and immigration policies creating new challenges for farmers?
- How will the agribusiness industry manage the challenges arising from increasing water scarcity?
- Who will constitute the next generation of farmers, and how will farmers access the agricultural labor necessary to operate farms?
- How will technological advances evolve the practice of farming and bring important efficiencies?
