Business class: Glass bottle shortage leaves US distillers high and dry

This article picked by a teacher with suggested questions is part of the Financial Times free schools access programme. Details/registration here.

Specification:

• Operations 

Click to read the article below and then answer the questions:

Glass bottle shortage leaves US distillers high and dry

• Assess the importance of packaging for a product to businesses such as St Augustine Distillery 

• Using a supply and demand diagram, assess the potential operational and financial impacts on St Augustine of glass shortages 

• Explain one reason why a glass manufacturer would relocate from the USA to India 

• Calculate the percentage increase in Cedar Ridge’s shipping costs

• Bottlenecks to global supply chains will encourage more producers of perishable goods to source materials such as glass bottles from local, rather than international suppliers. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Peter McGinn, Harton Academy