The Food and Beverage Business Environment

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 7
• Convenor and tutor: Dr Thomas Kyritsis
• Assessment: a 1500-word essay (30%) and 2500-word business environment analysis report (70%)

In this module you will be able to identify and analyse the factors that challenge and drive the food and beverage business landscape globally. Tools and models for analysing the environment and modes of international entry will be explored and discussed. You will have the opportunity to explore and evaluate disruptive forces, such as technology, changing demographics, consumer trends, and food and beverage trends in the wider food and beverage environment.

Indicative syllabus

• Structure of the food and beverage environment 
• Globalisation
• The external business environment 
• The internal business environment
• Strategies in a global environment 
• Disruptive forces
• Food and beverage trends   
• Managing risks
• Visit to a commercial organisation

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• critically analyse the competitive nature of the external environment in the food and beverage industry
• evaluate how this influences food and beverage operations
• identify economic, political, technological and socio-cultural forces and their impact on food and beverage operations
• critically understand how internal environmental forces limit or contribute to the growth of an organisation
• apply and use relevant models to analyse the environment in which food and beverage businesses operate
• critically evaluate the risks and opportunities that trends offer to food and beverage businesses.