PDQ-35806 Advanced Food Quality Management 1

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

PDQ-20306

Contents:

Analysing food quality management issues requires an interdisciplinary approach, because it deals with the complexity of food production systems and variable behaviour of people in food organizations which operate in dynamic environments. This course builds further on the food quality management course (PDQ 20306) and is focused on using the techno-managerial approach in analysing complex food quality management problems. Multi-methodology in food quality management research is a central issue, and students learn to critically analyse as well theories from technological sciences as managerial sciences and to judge and relate insights from both disciplines in view of a problem situation. The major topics addressed in this course include:
- principles of food quality management research;
- use of a techno-managerial approach in problem analysis and conceptual modelling;
- analysis of food quality attributes and technological conditions;
- analysis of concepts and methods of Q-design, Q-control, Q-improvement, Q-assurance and Q-policy & strategy;
- analysis of food quality management problems in an agri-food chain perspective;
The topics will be worked out in the ' problem analysis' assignments and a ' theory analysis' assignment.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this course, students are expected to be able to:
- analyse and solve quality issues by an iterative process using models/concepts from theory and information from practical situations;
- judge technological concepts on consequences for managerial concepts and managerial concepts on consequences for technological concepts;
- analyse and evaluate factors in the agri-food production chain that influence technological product quality using appropriate models;
- apply and evaluate concepts and methods in quality design, quality control, quality improvement and quality assurance from a techno-managerial perspective.

Activities:

In the course students will get familiar with the food quality management research process. This process has four phases: appreciation, analysis, assessment and action/evaluation phase. This course focuses on the first two phases, and is divided into two parts, each part including one of those phases. Part 1 is focused on problem definition and research approach. Part 2 involves development of a research model and hypothesis, and detailed analysis of the problem situation. In the course all activities are focused on analysing quality problems in a chilled ready-to-eat meals chain. Apart from this, a theory analysis must be executed, which includes comparing and analyzing different theories on a certain topic.
The course is mainly based on individual activities, but in the plenary sessions, the teachers and guest lecturers will actively provide feedback on assignments. In the course individual activities are embedded in a team of students, having a joint quality problem to analyse. Each student chooses an individual quality issue as a contribution to the teamwork, but everyone will be individually judged. The main activities include joining lectures and discussions, attending guest lectures, literature analysis, writing reports and giving presentations.

Examination:

Judgement is based on the reports and presentations of different parts, and an individual written exam.

Literature:

A course manual will be available on Blackboard, including assignments, case descriptions and background literature, literature to support assignments.
Book: Luning, P.A. and Marcelis, W.J. (2009). Food Quality Management, technological and managerial principles and practices. Wageningen Academic Publishers.