Case study questions: E & J Gallo Winery and dessert wines.
Case Questions:
1. How important is the dessert wine segment to the industry? to E. & J. Gallo Winery? How do these products fit with Gallo's stated position on the quality of its products? Do brands like Thunderbird and Night Train have any redeeming features as a product, even if they are in demand by a segment of the population?
2. What are the key success factors in the dessert wine segment? Is there strategic fit between Galloââ?¬â?¢s fortified wines and its other wines?
3. Is Gallo being socially responsible by supplying dessert wines? What responsibility does Gallo have to consumers in furnishing dessert wines? Does the Gallo family have any personal responsibility to speak out against alcohol abuse? Should they be doing more than speaking out? Should production and sale of Thunderbird and Night Train be discontinued? How does ethical relativism factor into this scenario?
4. Which approach to managing a company's ethical conduct (see chap. 9, table 9.2) would you say Gallo seems to be applying? What are the challenges associated with this approach?
5. If Gallo Winery decides to abandon the Thunderbird and Night Train brands, what will be the impact on those individuals who abuse the dessert wine products?
6. What responsibility does Gallo have to the employees in its dessert wine operations should the company elect to abandon the production of Thunderbird and Night Train?
7. What actions would you recommend the company take, especially with regard to its cheap fortified wine product offerings?