FQD-35906 Food Quality Management Research Principles II

Course

Credits 6.00

Teaching methodContact hours
Individual Paper3
Project learning21
Course coordinator(s)dr. ir. PA Luning
Lecturer(s)dr. ir. PA Luning
dr. JLF Hagelaar
dr. ir. EJH Spelt
Examiner(s)dr. ir. PA Luning
dr. JLF Hagelaar

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

FQD-20306 Food Quality Management.

Contents:

This course broadens and deepens the knowledge and interdisciplinary research skills acquired in FQD-35806. Interdisciplinary thinking and central system analysis are central issues. Students learn to critically analyse as well theories from technological as managerial sciences and to judge and relate insights from both disciplines in view of a complex problem situation. The course builds further on the research instrument as developed inFQD-35806, which will be used for data collection and bottleneck assessment. The course is on development and critical judgment of alternative solution strategies to solve complex food quality problems in a company situation within its chain context. The major topics addressed in this course include:
- food quality management research methodology;
- judgement of collected data using own techno-managerial research instrument;
- in-depth insight in product and process related tools and their mechanisms to solve quality problem(s);
- in-depth insight in tools and approaches to change decision-making behaviour of people in FQM functions in the organisational and chain context, to solve quality problem(s);
- judgement of relevant technologies and organizational measures/tools in the fields of Q-design, Q-control, Q-improvement, Q-assurance and Q-policy & strategy;
- interdependencies of managerial and technological tools in solving quality problems;
- assessment of solution strategies on effectiveness, company policies, and other context factors;
- barriers in multi-methodology and interdisciplinary thinking;
- critical evaluation of research process and role of the researcher.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- explain how implementation of product and process interventions in a typical food company situation can change quality problems;
- explain how implementation of interventions decision-making in Quality-design, Q-control, Q-improvement, Q-assurance, Q-policy & strategy can change quality problems;
- explain the managerial consequences of implementing technological interventions and vice versa;
- apply the research methodology steps to select a best solution for a specific quality problem situation of a virtual food company;
- systematically collect and interpret technological and managerial data using own research instrument and derive key bottlenecks underlying the quality problem;
- identify and describe relevant technological and managerial tools, their intervention mechanisms (i.e. how they affect the problem situation), and their respective managerial and technological consequences;
- develop alternative solution strategies to solve main bottlenecks and assess them on effectiveness, company policy, and other context factors, to propose a best solution;
- gather literature from technological and managerial sciences at each research step, to describe the essence, to judge usefulness (using criteria: relevance, validity, and reliability), and to link insights to the quality problem situation of the virtual company;
- communicate findings and reflections in research in assignment reports, by oral presentations, and by peer feedback;
- critically evaluate the research process on use of techno-managerial approach, usefulness of evidential outcomes, and consistency, and to critically evaluate the researchers' role in this research process.

Activities:

The students work with a virtual food company described in a case. Students work out three assignments in duos which are reported each 1-2 weeks. More over, they have to reflect on their own research process and report this in two learner reports. Students also have to do a group assignment, in which they have to perform a system analysis of a shared quality problem using a game tool and build up a reasoning towards a solution strategy for quality problems. The students get written and oral feedback on assignment reports and presentations by teachers and peers The group presentation will be judged by the teachers.

Examination:

The final mark is based on:
- the final individual report (including all assignments), and the grope report & advice (80:20);
- criteria used for judgement are: a) use of techno-managerial approach in all research phases, b) usefulness of selected literature, and c) consistency of research process. Teachers use rubrics (with descriptions of the marks) to judge the final reports. The presented advice is judged by 3-4 teachers/external people using a form with criteria.

Literature:

Book: Luning, P.A.; Marcelis, W.J. (2009). Food Quality Management: technological & managerial principles and practices. Wageningen Academic Publishers. 426 p. ISBN: 978-90-8686-116-3.
Handbooks about technological and managerial topics will be provided (location will be announced)
Digital library to search literature. A blackboard application is available containing lecture notes, case description, quality problem descriptions, assignments, feedback codes, guiding questions, and some literature.

ProgrammePhaseSpecializationPeriod
Compulsory for: MFQFood Quality ManagementMSc5MO