...The Company Man by Ellen Goodman Ellen Goodman was born in Newton Massachusetts in 1941. She took a B.A. from Radcliffe College in 1963 and attended Harvard University on a Nieman Fellowship. Goodman began her journalistic career with Newsweek, where she was a researcher and reporter. She then moved to the Detroit Free Press as a feature writer. In 1967, she joined the Boston Globe as a feature writer and columnist. Her syndicated column, "At Large, " appears in more than 200 newspaper s across the country. Her first book, Turning Points (1979) was based on interviews she conducted about current changes in society. She has won several awards for her commentary, including 8 Pulitzer Prize in 1980. Many of her columns have been collected i n Close to Home (1979), in which "The Company Man" appeared. Other collections include At Large (1981) Keeping in Touch (1985) Making Sense (1989), and Value Judgments (1993). Her most recent book is I Know Just What You Mean: The Power of Friendship in Women's Lives (2000). "The Company Man" indicts corporate American for fostering the development of individuals who, apparently, have little in the wa y-of-souls: Goodman-paints a-bleak and pronounced portrait of people who have lost touch with their families with their values, and even with themselves. He worked himself to death, finally and precisely , at 3:00 A.M. Sunday morning, The obituary didn't say that, of course. It said that he died of a coronary thrombosis --I think...
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...increasing. Mountain Man Brewing Company was considering whether to launch Mountain Man Light to attract more sales. Problem Mountain Man had a 2% decline in revenue each year while light beer was much more demanding. However, launching a new product was costly. Also, if they launch the new product, they don’t know if it should be under the Mountain Man brand name or using some other names. In all, it’s difficult to predict that if the new product is profitable. Analysis The light beer consumption was 50.4% of the total barrels in 2005 with a 4% 6-yr CAGR, which means the market size would be 22.8 million in 2010. The main consumer of light beer spent aged from 21-27, although they represented only 13% of the U.S adult population, they accounted for more than 27% of total beer consumption. And these numbers were still growing. It would be a huge opportunity to launch Mountain Man light beer and take up some market shares. However, there was another question: should this light beer product be introduced under Mountain Man brand name, or by a different name? If the new product was under Mountain Man, the established company image could help reduce advertising cost, but downside is that it might alienate existing customers and erode brand equity. If the product was introduced by some other names, there would be neither brand dilution nor cannibalization, but the company would have to invest more on advertising and something else. Net revenue for the company was $50,440,000 in 2005...
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...Background * Chris Prangle…. MBA graduate to manage the mountain man beer company * Guntar Prangle founded Mountain beer 1925. * Family owned business – inherited for 5 years. * Initially was called as West Virginia beer. * In 2005 …generating revenues $ 50 million and selling over 520,000 barrels of mountain man lager. * Price was $ 2.25 for 12-ounces serving and $4.99 for 6 pack in local convenience store. * Was priced similar to premium brands such as Miller and Budweiser. * Chris want to launch “Mountain Man Light” a “Light Beer” formulation of Mountain Man Lager. * Hoping to attract younger drinkers to the brand. * dark brown bottle packaging. * Last 6 years the sales of Light beer has been growing at a annual rate of 4% and traditional beer declining. * Mid 20’s were very supportive of this light beer. * Woman in her early twenties….. I like light beer and passé (outdated) . would like to try Mountain Man Light. * Brand played a critical role in the beer-purchasing decision. * Consumer considered taste, price, the occasion being celebrated, perceived quality, brand image, tradition and local authenticity. * Drink was for blue-collar, middle-to-lower income men over age 45. * Won awards for best beer championship. * Was consumed by working class males in the East central region on Chevrolet and John Deere. * Subjective attributes were – smoothness, % of water content, and drinkability. * Had...
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...Mountain Man Brewing Company | To: | Chris Prangel | From: | 001706975 | CC: | David Nasser | Date: | 3/4/2013 | Re: | Bringing the Brand to Light | Comments: | For the first time in the company’s history, Mountain Man Brewing Company is experiencing declining sales in response to changes in beer drinkers’ preferences. Mr. Prangel’s response to this problem is introducing a “light beer” form of the popular Lager. In the past six years, the “light beer” industry as increased at an annual rate of 4% while sales of traditional beer has been declining annually by 4%. Although this seems like a probable solution, there are two major problems Mr. Prangel is facing: 1.) Mountain Man’s current target market will not approve of this new beer, and 2.) bringing in a light version of the Mountain Man Lager could ruin the brand image and ultimately destroy the company. Mountain Man’s biggest target market currently, and pretty much since it started in 1925, is males ages 45-54. Most of these males are blue-collar, hardworking males. It has been known as “West Virginia’s Beer” known for its authenticity, quality and its toughness. To the younger beer drinkers, the market the light beer appeals to, view Mountain Man beer as too strong and a “working man’s” beer. Not only do the younger beer drinkers have their negative thoughts about Mountain Man developed, but the blue-collar customers account for a huge percentage of sales. The brand loyalty rate for Mountain Man Lager is 53% which...
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...A. Competitive Advantage Mountain Man Beer Company has been true to its core customer base and product quality since the company started in 1925. The company focused their production on Mountain Man Lager beer that mainly attracted blue-collar, middle-to-lower income men ages 45-54. Distinctive bitter flavor and higher than average alcohol content contributed to the company’s brand equity. Mountain Man Lager had a reputation of a quality beer throughout the East Central region of the U.S. and also held the top market position among other lagers in West Virginia. “The sole brand loyalty rate for Mountain Man Lager was 53%, which was higher than the rates of competitive products”(i.e., Budweiser 42% and Bud Light 36%). Mountain Man had mainly relied on grass-roots marketing strategies using the word of mouth to spread its beer quality and taste. They valued local marketing activities that allowed them to experience personal connection with customers. By locally and independently producing quality beer, MMBC was able to create a strong brand for its Lager beer. The company was known as “West Virginia’s Beer” because of its quality, authenticity and “toughness”. B. Market Situation The decline in MMBC’s revenue was mainly due to large competition from wine and spirit drinks, an increase in the federal tax, health concerns and initiatives suggesting moderation and personal responsibility. Consumers have also shifted their tastes toward lighter beer, which had been steadily growing...
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...Case: Mountain Man Brewing Company 1. What has made the Mountain Man Brewing Company successful? What is distinctive about MMBC’s product, customers and brand equity? Reasons why MMBC has been successful: * MMBC used their history and status as an independent family owned brewery to enhance the feeling of authenticity of their brand, which resonates with its core drinkers – blue collar, middle to low income men over the age of 45. * MMBC has very high brand awareness – in a recent study, MMBC Lager was rarted as the best known regional beer, unaided response rate of 67% from the state’s (WV) adult population * There is also a high perception of quality with MMBC Lager * MMBC has won multiple awards: * In 2005, won “Best Beer in West Virginia” for the 8th year in a row * In 2005, won “America’s Championship Lager” at the American Beer Championship What is distinctive about MMBC’s: * Product * Smoothness and drinkability * Distinctive bitter flavor * Slight higher than average alcohol content * Bottle also enhance overall image of product * Original 1925 design with coal miners authenticity and history * Brown bottle accentuating the beer’s dark color taste, ‘strong’ * Customers * In stark contrast to other domestic beers, drinkers of Mountain Man Lager skews heavily towards male, 81% compared to 58% for domestic light beers and 68% for domestic premium beers * Drinkers...
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...MOUNTIAN MAN BREWING COMPANY 1. PROBLEM STATEMENT Due to the changes in customer preferences, the company has experienced a decline in annual sales of 2% from 2004-2005 and is struggling to maintain its market share in the premium segment of the beer market, where other companies have disappeared. Chris is concerned if he could reposition the brand to drive sales of Mountain Man Light to young people without eroding the core brand equity of Mountain Man Lager (MM). 2. SITUATION ANALYSIS Company * Independent family business in West Virginia, with 1.4% market share and a well established reputation throughout the East Central region of the United States. * MM beer is recognized as a traditional high quality beer in the region, with high brand loyalty. * MM had not expended its product line beyond its flagship lager product. * Invested in a number of branding activities to build “brand equity” with core customers. * MM sold 70% of its production in off-premise locations through its small sale force. * Although MM is a brand with high awareness, it is not appealing to everyone. Customers * The core consumers are Blue-collar, middle to lower income men over the age of 45 in the East Central Region. * They have high brand awareness and 60% of them purchase their beer in off-promises locations. * They are in strong aging demographic tendency and spend less on alcohol than younger drinkers, between 21 -27 years of age Competition...
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...Mountain Man INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT INDORE Marketing Management–II Case Analysis Mountain Man Brewing Company: Bringing the brand to Light Section C - Group 01 Introduction The case focuses on the concept of Line Extension in the context of Mountain Main Brewing Company. The background emphasizes on the dilemma of the protagonist as to whether or not to introduce a new product line by en-cashing on the existing brand value. Case Facts: Existing Product: Mountain Man Lager Product Features : * Strong bear with a bitter taste due to high alcohol content. * Strong local brand association and high brand loyalty from middle aged men * Popular among low middle class men and blue collar males * Perceived image of a tough rugged drink and popularly known as “working man’s beer’ Problem Incurred * Company is facing declining sales at the rate of 2% annually since its inception * Restricted target market of 45+men Problem Statement analysis: Some of the possible reasons are : Environmental Factors | * Stringent federal excise tax rules * Changing demography into a much younger group | Competition | * Heavy competition from wine and other spirit based drinks * Competition from existing beer market | Consumer | * Increasing health concern * Newly developing personal responsibility | Changing drinking patterns | * With increasing youngsters into the demography...
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...5. Mountain Man Brewing Company identifies itself as a family-owned brewery steeped in the heritage. It prides itself on producing high quality beer that embodies the unique “toughness” culture of West Virginia. Mountain Man brand represents all blue-collar workers across the United States. It symbolizes concepts like honesty, virtue, and hard work. These were the characteristics that enabled the company to hold the top market position among lagers in West Virginia for the past 50 years. The majority of Mountain Man Brewing Company consumers are male, above the age of 45 and typically in the middle-to-lower income brackets. Some small portion of their customers tended to be exceptionally loyal to the Mountain Man brand. This group accounts for a large percentage of company’s sales. Company’s main target market consists of West Virginia and other Eastern regional areas. Furthermore, the main buying location of the target market is off-premise. Despite the high perceived brand image and loyalty, the company experienced a decline in revenue of 2% in 2005. This decline is due to changes in consumers’ drinking preferences, markets, and demographics in the East Central Region, as well as the U.S. in general. Changes in beer drinkers’ preferences could be attributed to increased competition from wine and spirits, health concerns, and new public initiatives advocating moderation of alcohol consumption. As a result, consumers, specially the younger generation have acquired taste for...
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...Peering back into the life of “Phil” after his untimely death, “The Company Man” portrays the lives of thousands of people living the reality of corporate America and the sacrifices they make. The short story questions whether these sacrifices have any worth in the long run with heavy influences from the author’s opinion. The author Ellen Goodman uses stereotyping, repetition, and diction to portray her feelings of distaste for Phil’s lifestyle. Through the heavy use of stereotypes, the author unveils her biases towards Phil and all people similar to him. The author denotes Phil as a cliché workaholic, referring to him as “a perfect type A” and a “classic” at that. With this description, Goodman makes it known that Phil is not unique in...
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...break-even point at 154,685 barrels. Based on 18,744,303 barrels of light beer sold in 2005 in the East Central Region, a market share of 0.37% is needed to break even in 2006 and 0.45% in 2007, which seems in line with the projected 0.25% first year market share and subsequent 0.25% growth. This is reflected in Exhibit 6A, where in 2006 MMBC is not projected that market share and is showing a projected loss, but by 2007, MMBC should have 0.50% of the market and meet the above breakeven unit calculation. The loss of sales of premium beer to the new light beer market is estimated between 5 and 20%. The analysis shown in Exhibit 6B shows possible cannibalization in a best (5%) and worst (20%) case scenario. In both scenarios, the Mountain Man Light product proves to be a favorable addition to MMBC’s declining income statement. With MMBC selling 70% of its product to off premise locations, there is a certain risk that these suppliers would buy the same volume from MMBC, just distributed differently, leading to self-cannibalization. It is also possible that cannibalization could be minimal because often this type of product line expansion helps secure additional shelf-space. The cannibalization rate is dependent on the execution of the light beer positioning and campaign execution. If a 5% cannibalization rate was realized, MMBC might not have to obtain the 60% brand awareness with the initial advertising campaign necessary to realize a net profit in two years. Although there...
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...Summary of “The Company Man” In this article, “The Company Man” by Ellen Goodman, the author’s objective is to give her audience a detailed encounter with a vice president of business, Phil, who is categorized as a “company man”. Ellen Goodman uses Phil as an example to imply her message that a “company man” is someone who puts their job or their company before anything else in their lives. Ms. Goodman begins the article stating Phil’s cause of death and the time of when the death took place. The author states that the cause of death was a heart attack, however Phil’s family and friends knew it was the result of Phil working himself to death. The article states that Phil was a top three candidate to become the top boss of the company. As a result, Phil was consumed by his work. Ellen Goodman states that Phil worked six days a week with most workdays finishing late at night. She goes on to describe Phil as a person who has no hobbies, and only cares about his work. His work consumed his time and his thoughts leaving him eating lunch at his desk and...
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...Case Analysis Mountain Man Brewing Company Case Analysis Mountain Man Brewing Company Executive Summary Started in the year 1925 by Guntar Prangel Mountain Man Brewing Company (MMBC) was a well-entrenched company in the East Central US by 1960. Consecutively the company grew as a legacy brewery, gathering a very strong brand loyalty and positioning. Known for the authenticity, quality and taste the company grew out to be a market leader in the currently matured business. However, off late the company has been witnessing a drop in sales for their core beer product the “Mountain Man Leger” in contrary to the growing beer sales in the US. The following document encapsulates a detailed analysis of the different problems the company started to face, the strategic objectives available and the most viable option that the Protagonist Chris Prangel’s (son of founder Guntar Prangel) should be taking. Further the Document also discusses the competitive challenges that the company phases The document also addresses the dilemma Chris faces whether to making reforms in business strategies or to continue with the existing sale and product line model and explains the tradeoffs that lie therein. Q2. Start by summarizing the chief protagonist’s decision tree. What are the key strategic issues that the firm faces? What are the options in terms of actions and what outcomes need to be enabled? Decision Tree: Chris has a conundrum to address, basically the growth strategy...
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...In “The Company Man,” the main character, Phil, an extremely hard-working middle class man forgets what truly matters in life and literally exhausts himself to death. Ellen Goodman, a columnist, wrote the passage for a newspaper article to demonstrate that hard work doesn’t always lead to happiness and success. Through Goodman’s use of word choice and repetition, imagery, and sarcasm Goodman describes Phil’s life story and discreetly attacks his workaholic ethics and loss of his own values. First of all, the detailed word choice and vivid imagery that Goodman utilizes depicts the lack of empathy that Goodman feels about Phil. Goodman begins the passage by bluntly describing Phil’s death, “He worked himself to death, finally and precisely at 3:00 a.m.” Goodman uses the word “finally” in an unemotional way to describe his death almost as expected. Then the reader can vividly imagine Phil by her description of his physical appearance and lifestyle utilizing words such as “overweight,” “nervous,” “ perfect Type A,” and “workaholic.” These descriptive words...
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...Mountain Man Brewing Company (MMBC) is a single product brewing and local distribution company based in West Virginia. It was founded by Guntar Prangel who reformulated an old family brew recipe, resulting in a flavorful bitter tasting beer that was launched as Mountain Man Lager or West Virginia Beer. This signature product went on to claim a reputable market share for an independent family owned brewery, in the East Central region of United State by 1960s.The company developed a brand image and reputation among its core drinkers; the blue collars and middle to low income men over 45, while upholding the unique and authentic family business model based on quality. In 2005, MMBC was generating revenues of over $50 million and selling over 520,000...
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