Interested in participating or just want to stay in the loop?
What is this study about?
This research investigates whether and how challenges and crises move from one organization to another in the wine industry.
It’s well known that a problem in one organization can create challenges for other organizations. For instance, supply chain disruptions during Covid-19 caused material shortages that impacted businesses throughout supply chains.
What’s surprising is that there are almost no studies on this topic.
We simply don’t know the fundamental basics of how challenges can spread from one organization to another – in the wine industry, or in any industry for that matter.
Why does this topic matter?
The challenges and crises of today are more complex than ever before. Many simple business problems have long been solved, leaving only the most unlikely and intertwined challenges.
Organizations have no playbook on how to handle the most complex situations, and researchers have no data on how they spread.
This study aims to change that.
By understanding how externally-caused crises impact organizations in an industry, the complex interactions can be understood.
Someday, this might even uncover counter-intuitive but highly successful strategies, or enable organizations to optimize continuously breaking supply chains.
The possibilities are broad, but it all starts with you…
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the study entail?
It takes less than an hour of your time.
The process consists of a short semi-structured interview, followed by a brief survey.
A few follow-up chats may be needed, but those should take even less time.
What companies are “in the wine industry”?
Any organization that provides products or services in support of the production and distribution of wine. This includes everything from the grape growers to wine producers… but also bottle manufacturers, equipment suppliers, chemical manufacturers, distribution companies, and more.
What is organizational crisis?
That’s for you to determine.
A crisis for one organization might not be a crisis for another, so only the organization itself can determine whether or not it feels that it is in crisis – or if crises even exist in the wine industry.
But academics love definitions, so this study very broadly defines organizational crisis as: A situation that threatens the viability of aspects of an organization. Part of this study is to check this definition against the realities faced by leaders in the wine industry.
What if my organization doesn’t have “crises”?
That’s fine too, there’s still a lot you can contribute to this study.
What is crisis propagation?
Crisis propagation is the concept that crises or challenges can move from one organization to another, either through the direct transfer of the crisis situation, or from a cause-effect relationship between organizations.
What will you ask me?
The interview is only semi structured, but as a baseline, you will be asked:
- General background info of your organization.
- Whether you believe in business crises.
- Whether you have any examples of crises, and what your organization did in response.
- In some cases, you might also be asked what your organization would do in a theoretical situation.
Lastly, the quick survey asks you to categorize a situation using a list of attributes.
What data will you collect?
Interviews will be recorded for the purpose of transcription. Recordings will be permanently deleted once they are transcribed.
How will my data be protected?
This is a major legal requirement for academic research, requiring University Internal Review Board approval, full encryption, and documentation of practices.
The full details of how data will be handled, stored, and eventually deleted are detailed in the informed consent sheet, which you will receive before the study begins.
What if I don’t feel comfortable speaking publicly on this topic?
It will not be possible to identify you or your organization from the final, published dissertation.
Nobody will ever know whether you participated in this study unless you directly tell them yourself.
How can I get involved?
Select the button below to send me a message and I will reach out to you with the next steps.
Questions, comments, or just want to chat?
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About the Researcher
Andrew Ziehm is a program Manager at at Tier-1 Automotive supplier. A pragmatist, and a Mechanical Engineer at heart, his mission is to add Engineering-quality deep analysis to the world of business.
With zero ties to the wine industry, the researcher hopes to add knowledge that can postively impact the operations of businesses within and beyond this industry.
Why conduct this study? What’s in it for the researcher?
This research will become a core part of the dissertation, one of the requirements for obtaining a Doctorate in Business Administration.
University Affiliation
This research is conducted as a part of the Doctoral program at Northwood University.
Located in Midland, Michigan, Northwood’s mission is focused on business and leadership.
