Category: Beverages

The Impact of Quality Scheme Regulation on the Italian Wine Supply Chain

By Gunnar Litz, supervised by Robert A. Novack📧 (Thesis Supervisor) and John C. Spychalski📧 (Honors Advisor) (2021)

The modern Italian wine industry is characterized by high fractionalization and small-to-medium enterprises which make up the global exporting empire Italy has become. This industry is highly regulated allowing producers to receive quality certifications for abiding by a plethora of restrictions. The evolution of regulation in the Italian wine industry has culminated with the establishment of the quality classification system. This system was formed through three major pieces of legislation which were passed in 1963, 1980, and 1992 establishing DOC, DOCG, and IGT certifications, respectively. Each has had deep ramifications on the industry and its supply chain. By reviewing the literature, analyzing key statistics, and the interviews of two individuals highly experienced in the wine industry, the effects of these regulations are ascertained, Italy’s global competitiveness is reviewed, and recommendations are made on how to improve Italy’s ability to dominate the world market while not jeopardizing the fragile economy of small firms.

Access the paper at Electronic Theses for Schreyer Honors College (ETDA) website here.

Analyzing the Sustainable Procurement Practices of Leading Companies in Food, Beverage, an Consumer Goods Industries

By Angelica Borda, supervised by Robert A. Novack📧 (Thesis Supervisor) and John C. Spychalski📧 (Honors Advisor) (2020)

The purpose of this research is to discover and recognize the areas where procurement professionals and corporations may be falling short in terms of sustainability measures and efforts. While it is easy for a company to put out an Annual Consumer or Sustainability Report, it is not so easy to actually implement and actively incorporate sustainability into decisions during the first step of a company’s supply chain. This research is meant to highlight the sourcing practices of companies that are taking the right steps and acknowledge where others could stand to improve. This knowledge is attained through research of the current sourcing practices of certain companies through interviews conducted with procurement professionals to learn about 1) how procurement managers consider sustainability against other important factors of price, quality and time; 2) what types of Key Performance Indicators are used to track general procurement progress as well as sustainable initiatives; and 3) whether or not companies are tracking past their first-tier suppliers. Based on the analysis from the interviews, there are wide discrepancies and variety in how procurement managers handle sustainability in the sourcing departments across big businesses in America.

Access the paper at Electronic Theses for Schreyer Honors College (ETDA) website here.