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Course profile

Agribusiness Marketing (MKTG7961)

Study period
Sem 1 2025
Location
External
Attendance mode
Online

Course overview

Study period
Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
Study level
Postgraduate Coursework
Location
External
Attendance mode
Online
Units
2
Administrative campus
Gatton
Coordinating unit
Agriculture and Food Sustainability School

The course provides students with theoretical frameworks and practical examples that will enable them to apply contemporary approaches to marketing in agribusiness situations.

The food and agriculture sector is constantly changing. Changing customer preferences and farming environments are a few drivers of the sector's transformation. A solid understanding of engaging customers, better positioning products, andᅠrecalibrating business models has become increasingly important for agribusinesses to ensure their continued competitiveness andᅠprofitability. This course is about applying the principles of agribusiness marketing to address current and real-world issues in the food and agriculture sector using a whole-of-chain perspective. In addition to fundamental marketing topics such as product positioning, understanding customer behaviours, and pricing decisions, this course also covers emerging topics such as digital marketing, marketing sustainable agriculture, and marketing internationally.ᅠThe application of marketing fundamentalsᅠto the public sector program and policy is also considered. Students in this course will have the opportunity to develop a marketing plan to help the agribusiness industry and stakeholdersᅠmakeᅠinformedᅠmanagementᅠdecisions.ᅠ

Course requirements

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

  • Another instance of the same course

This course is offered in In Person and External modes, meaning that lecture content, readings, and self-directed learning activities are shared via Blackboard. The weekly three-hour scheduled learning activities include lectures and tutorials, both of which are recorded. In-person attendance and participation are essential for internal students and will be monitored and considered for assessment marking. Tutorial activities have been designed to be completed in both external and in-person modes. Subject to facility availability, we endeavour to make the classes and tutorials accessible to external students via Zoom. Note that Zoom access is only provided to external students. External students' attendance and participation in the scheduled learning hours are not required, but you are expected to communicate with the teaching staff regarding the progress of your assessments.

Course contact

Course staff

Lecturer

Demonstrator

Timetable

Additional timetable information

The weekly three-hour scheduled learning activities include lectures and tutorials. In-person attendanceᅠand participation areᅠessential for internal studentsᅠand will be recorded and considered for assessment marking. Note that Zoom access is only provided to external students. Tutorial activities have been designed to be completed in both external and in-person modes. Please refer to the list of weekly learning activities and assessment sections for more details.

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to provide you with an opportunity to examine the principles of agribusiness marketing and apply these to planning and developing effective and efficient marketing strategies for agribusinesses taking into consideration contemporary trends and issues in the food and agriculture sector, sustainability dimensions, local and global perspectives.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

Understand the principles of agribusiness marketing and apply them to agribusiness contexts

LO2.

Analyse characteristics of the food and agriculture market and other components of the marketing environments

LO3.

Develop a marketing plan for an agribusiness firm or a public organisation and communicate it professionally, both orally and in written form

LO4.

Evaluate contemporary issues in agribusiness marketing reflecting both global and local perspectives and make recommendations through a sustainability lens

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project The marketing plan design (draft) #1 10%

31/03/2025 3:00 pm

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project The marketing plan design #2 20%

14/04/2025 3:00 pm

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Project Final marketing plan and presentation
  • Hurdle
40%

19/05/2025 3:00 pm

Examination Final examination
  • Identity Verified
  • In-person
30%

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

The marketing plan design (draft) #1

Mode
Written
Category
Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project
Weight
10%
Due date

31/03/2025 3:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L01

Task description

  • This is an individual assessment. You will submit the first draft of your marketing plan design.
  • First, you must identify an agribusiness product or program that will be the focus of your assessment for the semester. You can select a product/program of interest, but it should be related to the food and agriculture sector. The product/program can be an existing product/program of an existing agribusiness company or public institution or a new product/program that you think an existing agribusiness company/public institution should develop. The product/program can be from any country. You should select a product/program for which there is likely to be a reasonable amount of secondary data. You are strongly encouraged to discuss your selected product/program with the teaching staff before the end of the third week of the semester.
  • Secondly, you can either develop your marketing plan design (within the word limit) or use a template accessible from the course Blackboard site. The suggested word limit is 1,500 for the completed marketing plan design. This will not be strictly imposed, but you should aim to be between 10% below and above this word limit. The word limit excludes the references list, figures and tables. The completed marketing plan design must include the following sections:
  1. An overview of the company profile and the product(s)
  2. The market environment
  3. Identification of problems
  4. The proposed objectives
  5. A proposed table of contents (TOC) for the marketing plan and a brief description of what each section of the TOC will contain
  6. Sources of data and information that you will access to support the development of your marketing plan and your plan to analyse them
  • The first draft - In this assessment task, you must submit at least the following parts: the company profile, the product(s) and the market environment. There is no world limit imposed on this draft submission. You will receive feedback on your first draft. You can, therefore, submit more sections to get more feedback.
  • You should not contact any agribusiness to complete your marketing plan. You should base your work on secondary data and your critical thinking/observations.
  • Throughout this semester, you will only prepare a single marketing plan. You can change the content submitted in this assessment when you submit your next assessment. 
  • Tutorial participation -
  • Subject to facility availability, we endeavour to make the classes and tutorials accessible to external students via Zoom. External students' attendance and participation in the scheduled learning hours are not required, but you are expected to communicate with the teaching staff regarding the progress of your assessments. 
  • You can consult with the teaching staff at all marketing marketing plan development stages by email/in-person consultation.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) - This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
  • A useful link: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/ai-tools-assignments

Submission guidelines

You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit. 

Legal Declaration: 

By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy (https://policies.uq.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=149) and understand its implications. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.

The marketing plan design #2

Mode
Written
Category
Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project
Weight
20%
Due date

14/04/2025 3:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L02

Task description

  • This is an individual assessment. In this assessment, you will finalise the marketing plan design by incorporating feedback you received on your first draft.
  • Secondly, you can either develop your marketing plan design (within the word limit) or use a template accessible from the course Blackboard site. The suggested word limit is 1,500 for the completed marketing plan design. This will not be strictly imposed, but you should aim to be between 10% below and above this word limit. The word limit excludes the references list, figures and tables. The completed marketing plan design must include the following sections:
  1. An overview of the company profile and the product(s)
  2. The market environment
  3. Identification of problems
  4. The proposed objectives
  5. A proposed table of contents (TOC) for the marketing plan and a brief description of what each section of the TOC will contain
  6. Sources of data and information that you will access to support the development of your marketing plan and your plan to analyse them
  • You should not contact any agribusiness to complete your marketing plan. You should base your work on secondary data and your critical thinking/observations.
  • Throughout this semester, you will only prepare a single marketing plan. You can change the content submitted in this assessment when you submit your next assessment. 
  • Tutorial participation -
  • Subject to facility availability, we endeavour to make the classes and tutorials accessible to external students via Zoom. External students' attendance and participation in the scheduled learning hours are not required, but you are expected to communicate with the teaching staff regarding the progress of your assessments. 
  • You can consult with the teaching staff at all marketing marketing plan development stages by email/in-person consultation.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) - This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
  • A useful link: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/ai-tools-assignments

Submission guidelines

You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit. 

Legal Declaration: 

By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy (https://policies.uq.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=149) and understand its implications. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.

Final marketing plan and presentation

  • Hurdle
Mode
Written
Category
Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Project
Weight
40%
Due date

19/05/2025 3:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Description

This is an individual assessment. In this assessment, you will be asked to (i) submit the final version of your marketing plan; and (ii) deliver a five-minute presentation.  

Specific requirements

(i) The marketing plan

  • The marketing plan should demonstrate your deep understanding of agribusiness marketing fundamentals and other issues we cover in classes and tutorials throughout this semester and how you apply them to your focus agribusiness product. You are given the flexibility to structure your marketing plan. However, marketing plans typically include the following sections (business.gov.au 2021) :
  • The business/institution
  • The market and the SWOT analysis
  • The objectives
  • Marketing strategies
  • The finances
  • A limit of 3,000 words is for guidance only. No penalties will be assigned if you go over or under this word limit. However, please keep in mind that brevity and clarity are always preferred.
  • You must consider feedback received on your earlier assessments. 
  • You should not contact any agribusiness to complete your marketing plan. You should base your work on secondary data and your own critical thinking/observations.
  • You must cite all ideas in your marketing plan that are not your own. 
  • All tables and diagrams need to have titles and be numbered and annotated accordingly. Sources of data must be included under each table.
  • You have opportunities to consult with the teaching staff at all stages of the marketing plan development by email/in-person consultation.


(ii) Presentation

  • You will be asked to deliver a five-minute presentation to present your draft marketing plan. This mimics the professional context in which you deliver the main outputs from your project to the relevant audience, e.g., managers, colleagues, clients, etc. You will be assessed on your agribusiness marketing knowledge and ability to communicate results from your marketing plan coherently and effectively.
  • You must prepare and submit presentation slides (in the PDF file) by the due date (regardless of the presentation time). Internal students must deliver their presentations in person (on campus) during the regular scheduled learning hours, while external students will be asked to deliver them via Zoom during the scheduled time (unless otherwise agreed). The list of presentations will be announced by the teaching staff one week prior to the presentation day.
  • Your presentation should follow the structure of your marketing plan. All tables and diagrams included in your slides must have titles and be numbered and annotated accordingly. Sources of data must be included under each table. You must cite all ideas in your presentation slides that are not your own. 


  • Artificial intelligence (AI) - This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
  • A useful link: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/ai-tools-assignments


Hurdle requirements

Students must pass the Project Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation) in order to pass the course. See additional course grading information.

Submission guidelines

Use the link in Blackboard to submit your assessment by the submission due date and time. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.

Legal Declaration: 

By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy (https://policies.uq.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=149) and understand its implications. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.

Final examination

  • Identity Verified
  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Examination
Weight
30%
Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes
L04

Task description

The final exam will consist of short answer questions based on an agribusiness scenario.

Students enrolled in External delivery must attend the exam in-person, either at an approved off-campus exam venue OR on campus, as organised through UQ Examinations and listed on your personalised exam timetable. Have your UQ student ID card available for all your exams. It will be a Closed-Book exam - with One A4 sheet of handwritten or typed notes double-sided permitted. No calculators permitted.

This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Exam details

Planning time 10 minutes
Duration 120 minutes
Calculator options

No calculators permitted

Open/closed book Closed Book examination - specified written materials permitted
Materials

One A4 sheet of handwritten or typed notes, double sided, is permitted

Exam platform Paper based
Invigilation

Invigilated in person

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Description
1 (Low Fail)

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: 0-34%

2 (Fail)

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: 35-46%

3 (Marginal Fail)

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes

Course grade description: A cumulative score of 47% - 49% for all assessment items; OR A cumulative score of 50% or greater for all assessment items AND less than a passing markᅠin theᅠProject Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation).

4 (Pass)

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: A cumulative score of 50-64% for all assessment items AND a passing mark in the Project Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation)

5 (Credit)

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: A cumulative score of 65-74% for all assessment items AND a passing mark in the Project Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation).

6 (Distinction)

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: A cumulative score of 75-84% for all assessment items AND a passing markᅠin the Project Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation).

7 (High Distinction)

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: A cumulative score of 85% - 100% for all assessment items AND a passing markᅠin theᅠProject Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation).

Additional course grading information

Course Grading Rules and Assessment Hurdles

Students must pass the Project Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation)ᅠin order to pass the course. If a student obtains an overall percentage greater than the cut-offs set to achieve a 4 or higher for the course based on marks from a combination of progressive assessment and the Project Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation) and the student does NOT score a passing mark in the Project Report (Final Marketing Plan and Presentation), they are unable to achieve a grade higher than a 3 (failing grade) for the course.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes. 

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Please note the following when writing assignments

You must not re-use past work from previous assessments in your assignments.ᅠ

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

All reported work must be done by the individual student. Assignments that look and sound alike will be reported as plagiarism – a serious offence at UQ. Please note the university’s policy on academic integrity and plagiarism which can be accessed at Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy / Document / Policy and Procedure Library

TurnItIn Assignmentsᅠ

Assignments that are required to be submitted through TurnItIn, must only be uploaded to the assessment specific Turnitin link on the relevant course Blackboard site.ᅠIf you submit any version of your assessment item to any alternative Turnitin link, this is considered cheating and you will be held liable for this action.ᅠ

Results

Unless specifically indicated by the lecturer involved,ᅠevery attempt will be made to haveᅠthe results for progressive assessment tasks available within 3 weeks of submission. For items of assessment submitted in the last 2 weeks of the semester, the results will be available before the day of your end of semester examination in the course, unless otherwise indicated by the Course Coordinator. Results and feedback availability for progressive assessment will be announced via the course Blackboard site.ᅠ

Referencingᅠ

Assessment items should use the APA 7th style. Please see the UQ library site and staff for details and assistance:ᅠhttps://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7

Student Responsibilitiesᅠ

Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning and academic development. This includes:

  • devoting sufficient time and effort to your studies to make and maintain adequate progress,
  • preparing for lectures and tutorials,
  • reading prescribed materials,
  • undertaking such independent study as necessary to reach an understanding of the materials,
  • completion and submission of assessment items on time,
  • compliance with School, Faculty, and University rules.

Feedback in this course

Feedback is welcome in this course as any information on how students find this learning experience is constructive. Please use the evaluation form provided to you at the end of semester.

Re-mark Applicationsᅠ– refer to theᅠUniversity's Re-mark Policyᅠto check your eligibility

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.

Required

Item Description Further Requirement
MKTG7961 Blackboard site http://learn.uq.edu.au/

Additional learning resources information

Please note that the Principles of Marketingᅠtextbook by Armstrong et al (2020) is used as the main reference. Scheduled learning activities and additional readings are provided to apply marketing concepts in the textbook to agribusiness settings and to include emerging topics that are not captured by the textbook in detail. Please carefully check access to library resources before you decide to purchase the required/recommended textbook/reading.



Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Week 1

(24 Feb - 02 Mar)

Lecture

W1: Course overview and marketing fundamentals

Learning outcomes: L01, L04

Week 2

(03 Mar - 09 Mar)

Tutorial

Introduction

Lecture

W2: The marketing plan

Learning outcomes: L03

Week 3

(10 Mar - 16 Mar)

Tutorial

Drafting your marketing plan (1)

Initial business ideas

Learning outcomes: L03

Lecture

W3: The agribusiness marketing environment

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 4

(17 Mar - 23 Mar)

Tutorial

Drafting your marketing plan (2)

Assessing the market environment

Learning outcomes: L03

Lecture

W4: Customer-driven marketing strategies

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 5

(24 Mar - 30 Mar)

Tutorial

Drafting your marketing plan (3)

The SWOT Analysis

Learning outcomes: L03

Lecture

W5: Marketing sustainable agriculture

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 6

(31 Mar - 06 Apr)

Tutorial

Drafting your marketing plan (4)

Clarifying problems and proposed solutions

Learning outcomes: L03

Lecture

W6: Product development

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 7

(07 Apr - 13 Apr)

Tutorial

Drafting your marketing plan (5)

Identifying the target market and the competition

Learning outcomes: L03

Lecture

W7: Pricing decisions and product positioning

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 8

(14 Apr - 20 Apr)

Tutorial

Drafting your marketing plan (6)

Your offerings (product/service, price, place and people)

Learning outcomes: L03

Lecture

W8: Marketing and agri-food supply chains

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Mid-sem break

(21 Apr - 27 Apr)

Not Timetabled

Semester 1 2025 mid-semester break

Mid-semester break commencing Friday 18 April (Good Friday) to Sunday 27 April 2025.

Not Timetabled

ANZAC Day

Friday 25 April - ANZAC Public Holiday

Week 9

(28 Apr - 04 May)

Tutorial

Drafting your marketing plan (7)

Marketing strategies

Learning outcomes: L03

Lecture

W9: Digital marketing

Week 10

(05 May - 11 May)

Tutorial

Presentation preparation

Learning outcomes: L03

Lecture

W10: Marketing internationally

Due to Monday public holiday, an alternative time will be organised.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Not Timetabled

Labour Day

Monday 5 May - Labour Day Public Holiday

Week 11

(12 May - 18 May)

Fieldwork

W11: Agribusiness industry applications

Subject to changes

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 12

(19 May - 25 May)

Lecture

W12: Revision and marketing plan presentations

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 13

(26 May - 01 Jun)

Lecture

W13: Self-directed learning and consultation hours

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.