Case Study Questions 1-10

"The cork industry, the wine industry, and the need for closure."Questions

1) To what extent is the cork industry guilty of complacency and a lack of innovation?

Quite frankly the cork industry has a lack of innovation, due to the fact they failed to recognize the changes in the wine industry. The wine industry was experiencing a revolution where new producers from Australia, California and Chile had new and different requirements. The cork industry did not evolve with the changing times, the corporation could have gotten involved in the competition and allow change to keep an edge on the competitors.

2) If consumers love corks, why are the producers not providing what their customers want?

Over the past 20 years the industry has changed significantly, the new producer have developed international wine brands which have changed the wine market. The dominate wine producers of Europe, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are being challenged by new wine producers such as in the U.S. in California and in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile Etc... Unlike the traditional wine product which had a degree of variety dependent on the grape, the climate and production, along with the buyer changing the demand for any type of wine with in a supermarket.

3) Is it wine quality or costs that have driven producers to synthetic?

I think it is a little of both, with the way times change it seems that it is mostly driven by cost. The average person that buys a bottle of wine is a supermarket shopper, shopping by price savvy techniques, which in turn the supermarkets are driven by price and many producers are competing to penetrate the market.

4) How could technology forecasting have helped the cork industry?

If the cork industry would have evolved with vast changing times and possibility forecasted early this could have helped them with investing in an innovative technology to improve the corks. Which could have lowered prices and kept the competition from flooding the market?

5) What level of R&D investment would be required to help the industry diversify and develop new opportunities for its materials?

According to the text, because the cork forests are facing environmental stress, it would require high levels of R&D investment to open new opportunities for cork materials. I think that flooring and going green materials would be a good opportunity for new items to improve and help diversify the development for cork materials.

6) What portfolio of R&D projects would you establish for the cork industry?

7) What role have the wine buyers (end users