Honors Program
Document Type
Thesis
Date of this Version
Spring 4-14-2019
Citation
Lindvall, J. (2019). A strategic audit of Boston Beer. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Abstract
The Boston Beer Company ("Boston Beer") is an American brewery founded in 1984 whose mission is "to seek long-term profitable growth by offering the highest quality product to the U.S. beer drinker." Headquartered in Boston, the company is well-known for its flagship brand bearing the name of founding father Samuel Adams. This and other Boston Beer products have become popular across the United States in the past few decades; the Brewers Association ranks Boston Beer as the sixth largest brewery nationally. However, when subsetting to breweries defined as "craft," Boston Beer ranks even higher as the second largest brewery nationally. Maintaining high beer sales volume alongside a craft beer image puts the company in a fascinating balancing act between quality and quantity of product. This strategic audit provides an analysis of Boston Beer past and present. While several valid strategic alternatives exist, the recommendation for Boston Beer is to establish its image as an innovative brewery on all fronts, with an increased focus on new regional taprooms and brands to push cutting-edge brews. To follow, implementation and contingency plans are provided in detail.
Comments
Copyright Jake Lindvall 2019.