Lesson Structure: Horticultural Resource Management BHT203

There are 10 lessons:

1  Horticultural Business Structures

• Introduction
• The Legal Structure of Business
• Business Names
• Points to Watch
• Marketing Guide

2  Management Theories and Procedures

• The Role of Management
• Planning

3  Horticulture & The Law

• Quality Management Systems
• Legislation of Small Businesses
• The Law & Business
• Protection of Consumers
• Stamp Duty

4  Supervision

• Managing Staff
• Interviewing, Recruitment & Staff Induction
• Interviewing Prospective Staff
• The Induction Process
• Staff Training
• Visual Aid Resources for Induction and Training
• Job Descriptions

5  Financial Management

• The Role of the Supervisor
• Supervision
• Communication with Employees
• Communication Barriers
• Improving Leadership Skills

6  Staff Management

• Introduction to Financial Management
• Budgets
• Financial Assistance
• Taxation
• Billing
• Costing Jobs in the Landscape Industry
• Summary of Market for Landscape Services
• The Cost of Employing Labour
• Two Ways to Being in Business: Start to Buy
• Starting Compared to Buying

7  Improving Plant Varieties

• Where Cultivars Come From
• Plant Variety Rights (PVR)
• Owning Plant Names
• Genetics & Plant Breeding

8  Productivity and Risk

• Improving Productivity
• Problem Solving & Decision Making
• Planning Time
• Sensitivity Analysis
• Insuring the Business

9  Managing Physical Resources

• Managing Physical Resources
• Using Flow Charts to Improve Productivity
• Records
• What Sorts of Records do you Need to Keep?
• Record Keeping
• Keeping Records of your Business Activities

10 Developing an Horticultural Business Plan

• Developing a Business
• Manage your Growth
• Example of a Business Plan for a Nursery
• Marketing Guide for Gardening and Landscaping Businesses

Learning Goals: Horticultural Resource Management BHT203

• Compare the organisational structure of different horticultural enterprises.
• Determine the value of a business plan to a specific horticultural business.
• Determine the significance of consumer law to a specified horticultural business.
• Determine the duties of different supervisors, in a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Describe how a budget is applied to managing a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Determine the criteria for selecting staff to work in an horticultural enterprise.
• Explain the system for controlling the collection of royalties on a plant which is covered by plant variety rights.
• Monitor and recommend improvements to a specified work task in a horticultural enterprise.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.

Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.

Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.

Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.

Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.

Enrolment

Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.

Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.

Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.

Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.

Assessment

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.

Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.

Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.

Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.

Qualifications

Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?

A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.

Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.

Excerpt From The Course

MANAGING STAFF

The key to success of any organisation is good management. Management aims to exercise control; and
there are many methods used to achieve control, just as there are many different things which need to be
controlled.

It is important for management to have a workforce that is motivated towards achieving the organisation’s
objectives. To this end, financial reward (from income) is obviously very important for motivating workers,
but so too, are job satisfaction and job security.

Job satisfaction can be achieved in the following ways:

• Improving the work environment – this may include restructuring the organization.
• Job design – matching jobs to people’s skills, so that the right people are doing the jobs they are trained to do.
• Job enrichment – making jobs more interesting and challenging, without being so difficult that the employees are struggling to do them.
• Staff training – to improve the company’s productivity and to give employees better skills for future employment.
• Improving leadership style.
• Staff participation in the decision-making processes.
• Recognition of achievements by individuals and groups in the workplace.

Many companies are looking to new ways to manage staff, some of which are based on successful Japanese management techniques. The concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM), Quality
Assurance Teams and Team Work are increasingly being adopted in Western countries. They operate on a ‘bottom up’ style of management, where initiatives are allowed to emerge from the lower levels of
the organization.

Different managers/supervisors will lead their subordinates in different ways. Here are just a few of the
different styles which might be adopted by a supervisor:

• Domineering: “I am the boss and you do what I say or else!”
• Laissez-faire: “Let’s just roll along, do a reasonable job and don’t rock the boat.”
• Democratic: “Let’s work together and make decisions together.”
• Autocratic but humanistic: “I give the orders, but suggestions are welcome.”

There are of course many other different ways of classifying leadership types.

EBook To Compliment This Course

Management Ebook

Management is the skill of organizing the human resources of an organization to best achieve its ends.  In this e-book, you will learn techniques and skills to help you excel in managing at any level of an organization.  

Management

by the Staff of ACS Distance Learning

Management eBook course online. Management is the process of planning, organising, leading, and controlling an organisation’s human and other resources to achieve business goals.  More importantly though, effective management needs to be a process of human interaction and compassion.

Management is not a simple skill but an art requiring great feats of organisation, financial nouse and people skills. The nature of life is such that you will always come across people who challenge you. They may be your family, friends, managers or employees. The hardest thing might be to admit that you could be part of the problem.

Most bad managers don’t know they are bad. They may well admit that they are a bit erratic, or they are sometimes late to appointments, but it is rare that they will recognise that they are ineffective as managers. Never fear…read here. This book has something to offer even the best of managers.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS MANAGEMENT?

• Changing management practices over time
• Scope of management

CHAPTER 2 MANAGE YOURSELF FIRST 

• Ineffective management
• Health management – mental & physical
• Finances

CHAPTER 3 ORGANISATIONS AND STRUCTURES

• Making decisions
• Meetings

CHAPTER 4 CONTROL

• Maintaining focus and control
• Managing conflict
• How much control?

CHAPTER 5 MANAGING PEOPLE

• Getting the right staff
• Maintaining the workforce
• Giving staff feedback

CHAPTER 6 DOING WHAT IS RIGHT

• What is the right thing to do?

CHAPTER 7 MANAGING IMPROVEMENT

• Productivity/efficiency/risks

CHAPTER 8 MANAGING CHANGE

• Improve the staff you already have

CHAPTER 9 MANAGEMENT CAREERS AND JOBS 

• How important is studying?
• Types of management roles