Wine Business

Industry Co-operative Research Projects

An Active Research Program is constantly being undertaken - always for the direct benefit of the wine industry that is regarded as a stakeholder in the process. This is achieved through focused research projects executed by academic staff, doctorate, masters and honours-bachelor students. Postgraduate research projects currently underway include topics such as:

• Australian domestic wine consumer market segmentation,
• Risk management strategies in the wine industry,
• E-Commerce utilisation in boutique, small and medium-size wineries,
• Wine tourism and festival event demographics and consumer satisfaction surveys,
• Online wine consumption patterns and buyer behaviour,
• Food-related cross-cultural consumer lifestyle studies,
• Relationship between product pricing, packaging, labeling and buyer behaviour.

All postgraduate projects are closely supervised by experienced academic staff who maintain constant links with, and therefore ensure that all outputs remain relevant to the needs of the wine industry.

Several other projects are undertaken through undergraduate student projects. These projects are always wine industry-based and often conducted in partnership with a specific winery or wine industry association.

Academic staff also engage in applied research by forming research teams across disciplines, for example wine consumer behaviour linked with sensory studies to conduct flavour preference testing among wine consumers, in the process providing new perspectives and consequently increasing the knowledge base.

Industry Training

Industry Training Courses are offered both in Australia and globally, by the Wine Business Group. For example, in November 2001 Assoc Prof Johan Bruwer and Mr Bob Gilliver conducted short courses in Capetown for the South African Wine Industry, and in July 2002 Assoc Prof Johan Bruwer and Mr Rob van Zanten did the same for the Finger Lakes Wine Region of New York State USA. Some of the courses currently provided are:

• "Wine on the Net" - introducing wineries to the issues associated with adding an e-commerce marketing strategy into the business.
• "Wine Tourism" - creating and building a wine tourism brand identity.
• "Brand Building" - including the strategic aspects of brand building, positioning and brand maintenance.
• "Integrated Marketing Communications" - with either a winery or a wine region focus.

These, and other courses under development, are offered in a wide combination of half-day, full day or two-day modules. Consultancy Projects may also be carried out by members of the Wine Business Group, in areas as diverse as:

• wine business planning (including export development)
• planning for introduction of e-commerce strategies,
• market research surveys (design planning and implementation),
• development of customised marketing strategies,
• including brand building and export strategies,
• wine tourism and event planning.

For information about studying in this field please visit our Student Services page.