GMT Individual Role Play GMT Individual Role Play Good
Good Beer: Beer: Version Version 2 2 11
GLOBAL MANAGEMENT TRAINEE
GLOBAL MANAGEMENT TRAINEE
Individual Role Play Exercise
Individual Role Play Exercise
GOOD BEER
GOOD BEER
During this role play simulation, you will be in the
During this role play simulation, you will be in the role of the manager responsible forrole of the manager responsible for
Good Beer Brewing Company’s
Good Beer Brewing Company’s craft beer product craft beer product line. line. The Company The Company has beenhas been
considering the introduction of new craft beer products to the current craft beer product considering the introduction of new craft beer products to the current craft beer product portfolio. Your team has been testing marketing a number of craft beers, with the
portfolio. Your team has been testing marketing a number of craft beers, with the ultimate goal of identifying two craft products to the curre
ultimate goal of identifying two craft products to the current product portfolio.nt product portfolio.
The COO of Good Beer has asked to meet with you today to discuss your The COO of Good Beer has asked to meet with you today to discuss your
recommendations regarding the two new craft products to be added to the current recommendations regarding the two new craft products to be added to the current portfolio, as well as your plans for a marketing campaign to introduce those two new portfolio, as well as your plans for a marketing campaign to introduce those two new products.
products. You have 20 minutes You have 20 minutes to review the attached to review the attached materials related to this materials related to this issue.issue. Following that 20-minute preparation period, you will have
Following that 20-minute preparation period, you will have 7 minutes to present your7 minutes to present your recommendations and plans to the COO, and 8 minutes to respond to questions from recommendations and plans to the COO, and 8 minutes to respond to questions from the COO.
the COO.
Today is May 6
Today is May 6thth of this year. of this year.
PARTICIPANT MATERIALS
PARTICIPANT MATERIALS
GMT Individual Role Play
Good Beer: Version 2 2
Date: May 4th, This Year
Subject: Craft Products
To: You, Craft Beer Product Portfolio Manager
CC:
From: Pat Gordon, COO Good Beer Brewing Co.
I know that you and your team have been test marketing a number of new craft beer products with the idea of introducing two new craft beers to our current craft product portfolio. I would like
to meet with you on May 6th to discuss your new product recommendations. In preparation for
that meeting, please review the current competitive landscape, data on test market results and internal operational issues that may impact the new product introduction. During our discussion, I would also like you to present proposals on a marketing plan to introduce the two new craft products.
The goal of this new product introduction is to increase the total net revenue of our craft product line by 25% during this next fiscal year. In achieving this goal, you should focus on three
important elements of our business: increasing product volume of craft products without
exceeding the maximum monthly capacity of our brewery, increasing market share of the craft products from the anticipated 24% of the craft beer market to a 30% market share, and
increasing profitability. Your performance will be measured based on your ability to positively impact these three elements.
GMT Individual Role Play
Good Beer: Version 2 3
Date: May 4th, This Year
Subject: Summary of Current Products
To: You, Craft Beer Product Portfolio Manager
CC:
From: Jan Winters, General Manager, Smithfield Brewery
Per your request, attached is data related to the craft products in our current product portfolio. As you know, the Smithfield brewery, the brewery where all our craft products are produced,
can brew up to 12,000 Hectoliters (HL) of product per month. At the current time we have excess capacity to add craft products, as long as we do not exceed our current limit of 12,000 HL per month. In the attached data charts, I have provided Sales and Costs for the last 12 months and Projected Net Revenue for the next 12 months for the current portfolio of craft beer products. I have also provided our anticipated production volumes for the next 12 months, by product and season.
I am pulling together data on the craft products we test marketed, and will be following up with that information shortly.
GMT Individual Role Play
Good Beer: Version 2 4
Data
Uploaded: May 4th, This Year
Subject: Data on Current Products
Access: You, Craft Beer Product Portfolio Manager Access:
From: Jan Winter, General Manager, Smithfield Brewery
Current Craft Beer Products
Sales, Costs and Projected Net Revenue by Product
Current Products Sales
(Last 12 Months)
Cost
(Last 12 Months)
Projected Net Revenue (Next 12 Months)
Spring Fever Lime $819,300 $305,000 $491,461
Harvest Light $2,702,850 $1,335,000 $1,435,992
Boulder Brown Ale $707,350 $181,000 $504,404
White Ale $1,185,000 $495,000 $639,100
Anticipated Production in Hectoliters (HL) By Season and Product, Next 12 Months
Current Product Fall Winter Spring Summer
Spring Fever Lime 3,000 2,500 7,000 9,000 Harvest Light 8,000 9,000 13,500 15,000 Boulder Brown Ale 6,000 6,000 3,000 3,000 White Ale 8,000 7,000 4,000 3,000
GMT Individual Role Play
Good Beer: Version 2 5
Date: May 5th, This Year
Subject: Increasing Ingredient Costs
To: You, Craft Beer Product Portfolio Manager
CC:
From: Paula Tobin, Purchasing Manager, Good Beer
I understand that you are considering a number of new craft products for inclusion in our portfolio of products. Therefore, I wanted you to be aware of upcoming increases in some ingredient costs. These increased costs will impact the net revenue associated with some of the new craft products. I have just received word of these cost increases from our vendors, so they have not been figured into the anticipated revenue (next 12 months) for any of our test marketed products.
The prices associated with roasted malt will be increasing over and above the amount we anticipated when we did our cost projections for the next 12 months. The same is true of a variety of hops known as Saaz hops. The increases of these two ingredients will impact the following products:
Boulder Pilsner (which uses Saaz hops to produce a traditional style pilsner beer)
Boulder Oatmeal Stout (which uses roasted malt to produce a dark color and rich flavor) The increase in these ingredients will result in a 1.5 percent increase in projected costs for Boulder Oatmeal Stout, and a 1 percent increase in projected costs for Boulder Pilsner. When making decisions about the craft products to add to our product portfolio, I would encourage you to consider the impact of these cost increases on the overall cost of the product.
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Good Beer: Version 2 6
Date: May 5th, This Year
Subject: Test Marketed Products – Results
To: You, Craft Beer Product Portfolio Manager
CC:
From: Jan Winters, General Manager, Smithfield Brewery
As a follow-up to my email from yesterday, I have provided information (in the attached data tables) regarding the craft products that we have been test marketing. The attached data
includes target age groups, projected sales, and projected net revenue by product over the next 12 months. I have also included a projection of volume, in HL, that would need to be brewed each season for each product. Keep in mind, our total brewing capacity is 12,000 HL per month. So, when selecting new craft products, it important to select those products that maximize the volume being produced by the brewery, while ensuring that our total product portfolio does not exceed our production capacity at any time during the year. I hope this information is helpful as you prepare for your meeting with Chris.
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Good Beer: Version 2 7
Data
Uploaded: May 5th, This Year
Subject: Data on Test Marketed Products
Access: You, Craft Beer Product Portfolio Manager Access:
From: Jan Winters, General Manager, Smithfield Brewery
Target Marketed Products: Anticipated Sales and Revenue by Product Test Marketed Seasonal
Product
Target Age Group
Projected Sales (Next 12 Months)
Projected Net Revenue (Next 12 Months)
Home Brew 56+ $950,000 $395,000
Might Micro 35-55 $820,000 $495,000
Crisp Craft 25-35 $1,550,000 $682,000
Turtle Lager 35-55 $717,000 $497,000
Boulder Oatmeal Stout 56+ $986,000 $502,000
Harvest Honey Wheat 21-25 $613,000 $306,000
Boulder Pilsner 21-25 $401,000 $215,000
Harvest Pale Ale 25-35 $838,000 $410,000
Anticipated Volumes (in Hectoliters) Next 12 Months By Product and Season
Test Marketed Seasonal Product
Fall Winter Spring Summer
Home Brew 5,750 5,500 5,750 5,750
Might Micro 4,500 4,500 4,750 4,750
Crisp Craft 4,000 5,000 6,500 7,500
Turtle Lager 2,500 2,000 3,000 3,000
Boulder Oatmeal Stout 6,500 6,500 3,500 2,000
Harvest Honey Wheat 4,500 4,500 3,000 3,000
Boulder Pilsner 2,500 2,500 3,000 3,000
GMT Individual Role Play
Good Beer: Version 2 8
Date: May 5th, This Year
Subject: Customer Base By Age Group
To: You, Craft Beer Product Portfolio Manager
CC:
From: Lana Curren, Manager, Sales
Per your request, below I have summarized Good Beer’s current customer base by age group
56+ years old: 19% 35 – 55 years old: 27% 25 - 35 years old: 30% 21 – 25 years old 24%
As you can see from the above data, the 56+ year olds represent the smallest percentage of our customer base (19%). As a result, Sales has implemented a major push to increase sales in the 56+ age group. As you are considering craft products to add to our portfolio, I hope you will give careful review to the products that target this age group.
For next year, based on our anticipated volume of current product sales, we anticipate
controlling 24% of the craft beer market. Based on beer sales throughout the industry, each 4,458 Hectoliters of beer sold represents 1% of the current beer market.
GMT Individual Role Play
Good Beer: Version 2 9
Date: May 6th, This Year
Subject: Marketing Budget
To: You, Manager Product Portfolio
CC:
From: Randall Westbrook, Manager, Marketing
As you think about your plans for introducing two new craft products into our portfolio of products, pleasedon’t limit your ideas to our traditional methods of marketing products (e.g., radio and TV spots, print advertising, and billboard and bus stop ads). I want you to develop an innovative approach to the marketing of these two new craft products. I believe that in order to keep up with changes in media and the delivery of advertising content, we need to find new ways of promoting our products. I believe that applying new innovative approaches to
marketing these products is the only way to ensure we achieve our target of 25% net revenue growth over last year.
I am working with the Marketing Director to develop a marketing budget for these two new craft products, but at this point I do not want our creativity to be limited by a specific budget number. When you meet with the COO today, you should have multiple innovative, yet practical, ideas for marketing the two new craft products. Your creative ideas will help us determine the appropriate budget for these two products.
GMT Individual Role Play
Good Beer: Version 2 10
Date: May 6th, This Year
Subject: Competitor Insights RE: Craft Beers
To: You, Manager Product Portfolio
CC:
From: Ricki Mendoza, Manager, Marketing
Since you have been asked to recommend two new craft products for our portfolio, I thought that some information on the competition’s actions related to craft products might be of interest. I have provided information on our four largest competitors.
1) In recent months, all four of our competitors have tended to focus their product development and their marketing on beers that sell more in the Spring and Summer.
Rocky Mountain Brewing Company recently introduced 2 new craft products that we
believe are likely to appeal to consumers during the spring and summer months: ,
Pike’s Peak Wit Beer and Front Range Ginger.
Johansen Brewery have targeted their radio and TV spend on Spring and Summer
holidays and are promoting existing products that are popular in summer months.
Alberta Brewing Company has followed an approach similar to Johansen and is
specifically targeting spring and summer events and activities.
Southwest Brewing has created two new products that seem geared toward Spring
and Summer Consumption: Southwest Pilsner, a slightly sweet, malty and hoppy tasting larger, and Southwest Cactus & Lime a crisp light beer with cactus and lime flavors.
2) There is greater emphasis on sweet andflavored beers, in addition to Southwest’s new
product, Johansen has introduced fruit flavor beers and Alberta Brewing Company has
introduced a Vanilla Ale. Johansen’s and Alberta’s new products are part of the portfolio
featured inthese competitors’ Spring/Summer radio and TV spends.
3) There seems to be some reduction in the production of heavier beers (porters, stouts, etc.) particularly those products that are targeted at the Winter holiday season.
Johansen Brewery eliminated their Holiday Spiced Porter product
Southwest Brewing has ceased production of Pumpkin Brown Ale
Rocky Mountain Brewing Company has eliminated marketing funds for their Honey
Stout and there are rumors that they will soon be eliminating that product.
On the other hand, Alberta Brewing Company recently introduced Old Irish Stout and
GMT Individual Role Play
Good Beer: Version 2 11
4) There seems to be an increased focus on consumers who are 56 years or older.
Rocky Mountain Brewing Company’s Pike’s Peak Wit Beer and Front Range Ginger
are both geared toward the 35 to 55 and the 56+ market.
Johansen Brewery has targeted their print advertisement to magazines favored by
readers 56 or older.
Alberta Brewing Company’srecent introduction, Old Irish Stout, is targeted toward