Agribusiness international capstone research project: University of Queensland, Australia

Student as Producer

Agribusiness international capstone research
project: University of Queensland, Australia
Allana McIntyre (allana.mcintyre@live.com) and Emma Oke (emma.oke@daff.gov.au)

Biographies
Allana McIntyre and Emma Oke both studied at the University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia. Allana
completed a Bachelor of Agribusiness and Emma a dual Bachelor of Agribusiness/Bachelor of Applied Science.
    Graduating in 2011, both authors have gone on to work in the public sector. Allana achieved a place in the
state graduate programme with the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, while
Emma achieved a place in the federal graduate programme with the Australian Department of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries.

Abstract
The authors were involved in an international capstone project in their final year in the agribusiness
undergraduate programme at the University of Queensland (UQ). The capstone experience required them to
conduct a commercial research project for a fee-paying agribusiness client in an overseas market. The
students were mentored by experienced academic researchers to provide guidance, acting only as ‘safety
nets’. The major components of the project involved conducting market research in China, analysing desktop
and field data, preparing a report and presenting findings to the client. During the project the authors
developed skills in project management, working to deadlines, communication, teamwork, conflict
management, and researching in an international setting. The capstone experience equipped the authors with
a broad range of skills, applicable to any job or industry, and a wealth of real-world experience, which is
seldom available in other business degrees.

Key words: agribusiness, student-producers

Context
Each year the agribusiness undergraduate programme at the University of Queensland (UQ) offers
agribusiness companies a unique market research opportunity. As the capstone experience of the Bachelor of
Agribusiness, final-semester undergraduates are required to conduct a commercial research project for a fee-
paying agribusiness client in an overseas market. This project, listed in the programme as Food and Fibre Case
Studies III, constitutes half of each student's work in the final semester. Due to the demanding timeframe and
workload required, this course carries double the weighting of other courses.
     For this research project, our client was a New Zealand-based agribusiness known as a global leader in the
field. Our research team consisted of five undergraduate students studying either a Bachelor of Agribusiness
or a dual Bachelor of Agribusiness/Bachelor of Applied Science, a four-year programme that combines
agribusiness and applied sciences (agronomy, animal production, equine management and horticulture). The
major components of the project involved conducting market research in China, analysing desktop and field
data, preparing a report and presenting our findings to the client. Further details of the project remain
commercial-in-confidence. The timeframe for the project was approximately 13 weeks, including a ten-day
trip in-market to conduct the vital primary research. Each team was mentored by an experienced academic
researcher. However, it was made clear to us that we (the students) 'owned' the project and that our
mentors were there only to provide guidance and act as 'safety nets'. Finally, the project was graded not only
by the group's mentor but also by the client and by group members assigning marks to each other's work.
    From the commencement of the Bachelor of Agribusiness degree, this overseas project was a highly
anticipated element of the programme. Past project experiences were shared among graduates, lecturers and
undergraduates, detailing the many challenges and accomplishments. Emphasis was placed on the demanding
requirements and time pressures on students to perform. Using ‘real-world’ research topics and commercial
clients which invested financial resources and time in the project created a type of pressure that is generally
not experienced in classroom-based courses. On the other hand, knowing that the research findings would
potentially benefit the client and would reflect on our individual abilities and the reputation of the university
created a sense of willingness and desire to achieve the best result possible. This helped us to develop skills in
effective communication and delivering to strict deadlines.
    At the beginning of the project, there was uncertainty relating to our team's ability to deliver the research
purpose and create the most value for the client. We had to rely on the experience of our mentors in
matching our individual skills, personalities and strengths to form groups that would perform well and deliver
on expectations. Previous courses completed during the Bachelor of Agribusiness programme also prepared
us for the overseas project. For example, Food and Fibre Case Studies I and II helped us to develop skills in
data collection and analysis, report writing, and verbal communication with commercial clients. Applied
Market Research equipped us with technical knowledge of research methodologies. Other foundation
business courses, such as Group Dynamics, Strategy and Competitiveness, and Supply Chain Management, also
contributed to our ability to successfully undertake the capstone research.

Research and reporting
Once we were provided with a brief from the client, we defined the research question and developed the
research objectives. Our project had two main objectives. The first was investigating the opportunities for our
client to invest in an undisclosed project in a target country by exploring policy, approval and implementation
and monitoring considerations. The second involved gaining insight into consumer perceptions of such a

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project and the potential influence it would have on our client’s brand image and associated consumer
purchasing behaviour.
    The development of these objectives was achieved collaboratively between the team and client, with
guidance from our mentor. This was imperative in laying the foundations and guiding the direction of the
project. Having clear objectives during the desktop and exploratory research stage enabled the team to
review and redirect the research as needed, particularly as, at this stage, there was a major change to the
focus of our in-market research due to a significant policy-related discovery. Communication between the
team and our New Zealand-based client was conducted via teleconference and email, and was organised and
managed by the team. Although these media were not ideal, especially when discussing the research focus and
objectives, they were effective in gaining direction from the client.
    We were responsible for the preparation of our project performance criteria, as well as the development
of project milestones and in-market itinerary. This involved liaising with the client and establishing domestic
and international contacts that would contribute to the research process. The research process involved
project planning and preparation, conducting secondary and primary research, collecting and collating data and
conducting data analysis, along with preparing a final report and presentation to the client. This required us to
use our skills in areas such as interpersonal communication and teamwork, while drawing on what previous
courses had taught us in relation to the research process.
    Our mentor and client approved or disapproved our work at the various stages, unlike a regular
assignment where the requirements are known prior to commencement of the task and feedback is provided.
Also, our team did not have a great deal of prior knowledge of our research topic. As a result, extensive
secondary research was conducted to gain the technical and regulatory background required. While this was
time-consuming, it allowed us to acquire an in-depth understanding of the topic, strengthened our primary
research questioning, and ensured that we did not overlook important technical, socio-economic or policy-
related issues.
    Primary research was conducted both domestically and in-market to gather qualitative information and
explore the attitudes and knowledge of participants. The in-market visit to China was demanding, with some
days involving over 12 hours of travelling and interviewing. This primary research was conducted through two
focus groups and 15 semi-structured and unstructured interviews. In these interviews, we engaged with
associated companies, consultants, various levels of government, farmers and local community members. All
primary research conducted was invaluable in enabling us to further develop our communication and
teamwork abilities.
    All of the in-market interviews were conducted by our team and our native-born Chinese mentor, with
roles such as questioning and note-taking shared among the group. Due to the evident language barrier, the
gathering of accurate information was challenging, although this was overcome by the use of our mentor who
acted as the group interpreter. After each meeting, we collated notes to ensure that our data collection was
accurate and identified any information gaps that we needed to close.
    Analysis and critical evaluation of the data were conducted after the in-market visit. Brainstorming the ‘so
what?’ points allowed us to draw initial conclusions from the data, with the report then written to address the
research objectives and make suggestions for future action. This stage was critical as it showcased the depth
of our research and formed the basis of our presentation. Overall, our data analysis and critical evaluation
suggested that opportunities for the client to invest in the undisclosed project were significantly limited, with
our data backing the recommendation to postpone any immediate investment. Using the data and our analysis,

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we offered alternatives for future action and highlighted potential policy changes which would influence these
suggestions.

Difficulties
A range of group projects are conducted during the Bachelor of Agribusiness programme which allow
students to develop their team-working skills. Despite this preparation, our group had limited interaction with
each other as a team prior to this project. As a result of the intensity and pressures of the project workload,
some team management issues therefore arose and had to be managed without affecting the quality of the
final product for the client. Although, arguably, this is a common occurrence with group work, it added an
unexpected element to the project workload and proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the
course. For example, differences in teamwork and learning styles meant that, without a designated team
leader, there was conflict over the management and direction of the project. In addition, time management
was a major obstacle for our team as internal project deadlines (not directly related to the client) were not
always met by all group members. This resulted in an increased workload for the whole team and meant that
further demands were placed on individual members to address any inadequacies. Had the team designated a
team leader from the start, the project may have been managed better and certain pressures avoided.
However, experiencing and overcoming this situation led to the enrichment of our teamwork capabilities and
taught us valuable lessons in project management.

Achievements
The research project was used as an initial feasibility study for the client and resulted in identifying major
factors that would influence their business decisions. It also offered insights that would otherwise have been
overlooked. In addition to the identified limitations, we found that by investing in the undisclosed project the
client could possibly improve its brand image. However, it was unclear whether this would have influenced
consumer purchasing behaviour to increase the client’s market share.
    On a personal level, our greatest achievement was realising the value of the research to the client and
meeting the research objectives despite various challenges. A sense of pride in and ownership of the final
report was gained because the quality of our findings and recommendations for the client were of a high
standard, as shown by our client's feedback and the grades awarded for the course (the client awards 30 per
cent of the total marks). Furthermore, maintaining professionalism in an unfamiliar culture and dealing with
long days, a language barrier and illness was challenging. Having overcome these challenges to produce a
product which exceeded the client's expectations was the highlight of the project and gave us a great sense of
accomplishment.

Further discussion
During the in-market research, more novel observations were made. One of these related to the difference in
business culture between China and Australia. For example, the Chinese have certain traditions in business
settings which must be acknowledged to avoid being seen as rude or leaving a bad impression. Furthermore,
the project highlighted the differences between the developing (China) and developed (Australia) world's
climate-change mitigation strategies. Ironically, certain climate-change mitigation technologies were well
established and more commonly applied in Chinese businesses, while in Australia and New Zealand they were
considered to be emerging technologies. This observation led us to encourage greater investment in research,
development and implementation of climate-change mitigation technologies to address the need for a cleaner

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environment, alternative energy sources and continued or greater access to nutritious food for future
generations globally.
    Our experience of the project and the entire programme has also led us to develop concerns about the
future of our children. Not only do we face an unprecedented rise in the global population, demand for finite
resources and consequent fluctuations in commodity prices but we also face an increasingly challenging
environment in which to address these ‘wicked problems’ (Australian Public Service Commission 2007).
Challenging climate uncertainties and political and social unrest will only add to the complexities of these
problems. Travelling to China and actually experiencing what a developing country is like, with an exponential
growth rate and intense pollution issues, has helped to validate our concerns. Although these concerns are
shared with many others, we do not believe that there is enough emphasis on or investment in this
worldwide. It is up to us, as emerging leaders, to address these issues and encourage the education of future
generations.

Conclusion
Since 1993, more than 60 Australian and New Zealand agribusiness clients have taken advantage of the
opportunity to engage with UQ agribusiness undergraduates on international research projects. It is credit to
the programme’s co-ordinators that graduates from this degree speak highly of what it offers students. The
Food and Fibre Case Studies III capstone project was an invaluable experience and we strongly recommend
that students considering a career in business take on the challenge that is the UQ Bachelor of Agribusiness
programme. Not only will it equip them with a broad range of skills, which we believe are applicable to any
job or industry, they will also graduate with a wealth of real-world experience which is seldom available in
other business degrees.
     Although delivering the final product of our capstone project posed many challenges, it ultimately
developed and strengthened our individual abilities to deal with real-world challenges such as team conflict,
difference in cultures and working to strict deadlines. Overall, we believe what we gained from this
experience and our degree, both professionally and personally, far outweighed any pressures or challenges we
faced. As graduates of the Bachelor of Agribusiness programme, we can look back on our time at UQ with
pride and know that through the opportunity we were given by this degree we were able to produce a
product which was of value to a real agribusiness.

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr Ximing Sun of the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of
Queensland for his support and guidance throughout the project and our client for enabling us to take the
opportunity of a lifetime to conduct real and rewarding research in an international setting. We would also
like to thank Professor Ray Collins and Associate Professor Anthony Dunne of the School of Agriculture and
Food Sciences, University of Queensland for their support and guidance throughout our time at UQ and for
developing such a challenging and rewarding university programme in the field of agribusiness.

References
Australian Public Service Commission (2007). Tackling wicked problems: a public policy perspective [online].
Available at: www.apsc.gov.au/publications07/wickedproblems.pdf (accessed 9 May 2012).

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