(http://adage.com/article/news/a-b-inbev-millercoors-losing-share-fix/244178/).
Discussion Question #1: It appears as if Anheuser-Busch and MolsonCoors (which now owns the Miller beer brands in the United States), the two largest beer manufacturers and distributors in the United States, plan on combating the rise of non-beer competition in the alcohol consumption market through aggressive promotional expenditures. Is this a viable option? How much more beer advertisement, whether through mass media or on-site promotions, can be effectively utilized to convince consumers to drink beer? Are there not other options that beer manufacturers can utilize to deal with the increasing competitive pressures from non-beer alcoholic beverage manufacturers? Could changes in product offerings, pricing structures, or distribution play important roles in the beer industries response to this increasing competition?
Discussion Question #2: The above discussion and question highlights one critical challenge facing one industry dealing with one environmental variable (competition). What other environmental challenges can you identify that exist today in the remaining environmental forces? The possibilities are numerous. For example, economically, the United States is becoming a fragmented society. Popular press articles are constantly exploring the widening gap between the “haves” and the “have nots”. How will this impact the methods in which organizations market products? Are certain industries more vulnerable to this widening gap? Are other industries likely to benefit from it? Popular press articles can also be utilized to identify important environmental trends that would fall under the categories of political forces, legal and regulatory forces, technological forces, and socio-cultural forces.
