Are US Wineries Prepared for the Next ‘Black Swan’ Event?

Abstract

Increasingly destructive natural disasters and human-created crises together have thrust the topic of strategic preparedness to the forefront of managerial conversations around the globe. Stakeholders increasingly expect firms to have plans in place to mitigate disasters and sustain, or quickly resume production and sales. Regional economic vitality relies upon the strategic preparedness of the firms, which operate within their communities. Following recent fire, flood, and earthquake disasters, we investigate perceived organisational preparedness and resilience within the western US wine industry via field research. Four constructs are presented that reveal organisational preparedness, i.e. realising a need, building stakeholder support, securing resources and capabilities, and exemplifying best practices. Comparative case studies and a model for active planning are analysed.