The BANANA Discussion (HALF PAGE)
Please choose one question below and answer it in a half page. Thanks!
https://libgen.lc/item/index.php?md5=D97868724C64B967B72047CD69CAA923
A version of the book
The banana industry is truly a global industry, with most banana’s grown in relatively poor countries near the equator, and consumed in relatively rich countries. The industry has been dominated by several large multinational firms that carefully manage their supply chains from the plantations right to store delivery. An article from Bloomberg Business week in May 2020 (“Disease is Ravaging the $25 Billion Banana Industry”) describes some of the history of the industry, and also how the industry is facing its own challenges. A copy of the article is posted below.
- Why is vertical integration so predominant in the banana industry?
- A large portion of the global trade in bananas has been controlled by a few multinational companies (e.g., Fyffe, Chiquita, Dole) that perhaps enjoyed oligopolistic pricing for many years. Why are they now facing downward pressure on prices?
- What are the major challenges currently facing firms in the banana industry?
Start your original post with either the number 1, 2, or 3 and a 3-10 word description of your thinking, which correspond to a question from those above. Please, just focus on one question in your original thread. The syllabus provides further details on what is expected in discussions, and the grading criteria.
