Academy Helps Ag Retail Managers Tackle Shifts In Marketplace
Challenges such as supplier consolidation, tight margins, changing consumer preferences regarding food production and demand for increased price transparency have affected the agricultural retail supply chain for some time now. Facing these obstacles has forced ag retail leaders to adapt, adjust and make continuous improvements to operations and supply chain management. Although it has always been critically important for ag retail leaders to harbor the tools and skills necessary to maintain a competitive position and create value for growers, these tools and skills have become even more invaluable in the past couple of years.
As our competitive landscape shifts, ag retail leaders can aid in effectively seeing their organizations through the current environment and into the future by sharpening their business acumen and honing their leadership skills. At the 2023 ARA Management Academy from Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona, ag retail managers, agronomists and sales professionals will come together to examine current issues facing their organizations and customers and discuss how they can contribute to organizational and customer success in this ever-evolving industry.
The academy is led by Purdue University’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business in partnership with the Agricultural Retailers Association and the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
The Changing Marketplace
As the rules of the marketplace change every day—perhaps even more rapidly now than ever before—marketplace disruptions have influenced the industry on a global scale. These disruptions can be seen in business areas ranging from supply chains to technology and even human talent. Although supply chains previously focused on delivering standardized commodities at the lowest possible cost in an efficient manner, they’re now focused on reconfiguring in order to deliver value for differentiated customer needs. Similarly, technology has been and will continue altering the way farmers and suppliers interact. For these reasons and many more, using long-term, strategic thinking is essential to stay ahead of rapid-fire changes and disruptions.
As the agriculture and food industries inevitably continue to experience an increasing number of disruptions from all angles and magnitudes, managers need to become more adept at assessing the balancing act of when and how to react. These challenges create obstacles, but successful ag retailers and organizations understand how to transition these challenges into opportunities to reposition, gain competitive advantage and analyze their organizations’ abilities to be innovative.
To discuss the industry’s current environment and how ag retailers can prepare and respond to these events both now and in the future, Allan Gray, professor, executive director of Purdue’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business and executive director of the Digital Innovation in Agri-food Systems Lab, will lead a session on drivers of change and implications for business strategy. Additionally, Gray will discuss action steps to take after the academy. During these sessions, participants will analyze changing markets, study consumers and customers and determine what actions agribusinesses should consider in response to these trends.
Your Services from the Customer Point of View
With disruptions such as changing consumer preferences and technology advancements happening around us, understanding your services from the customer point of view is a must in effectively meeting customers’ needs. Although the concept of understanding your customers’ needs isn’t new, this doesn’t mean it’s not a continuous challenge.
Service blueprinting is designed to make this task easier and allow organizations to more clearly visualize service processes from their customers’ perspective. During the academy, Doug Olsen, associate professor at the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU, will lead a service blueprinting session on how participants can use this tool to understand the customer viewpoint, define excellence and establish a blueprint to meet or exceed specific customer expectations in their own organizations.
The Academy
A key benefit of the academy is that it brings together retailers from various segments of agricultural production from commodities to produce. It also allows attendees to interact with a diverse group of industry peers. Hearing the different experiences and perspectives of others will serve as a valuable opportunity for participants to learn more about the industry, challenges others are facing and strategies to help set up their organizations for success.
In addition to Gray and Olsen, participants will engage with Joan Brett, associate professor of management and entrepreneurship at the W.P. Carey School of Business; Scott Downey, professor of agricultural economics and director of the Purdue University Center for Food and Agricultural Business; and Mark Manfredo, professor and director of the Morrison School of Agribusiness at ASU. Aside from disruptions, future drivers of change and service blueprinting, the academy will also cover profitability, creating customer value and implementing organizational leadership strategies.
