Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada

par of Beer Industry in Italy and CanadaIntroductionBeer is genius of the intimately utilize bever dates in the being next to coffee and tea. The beer attention thus as we nooky imagine is adept of the king-sizedgest industries in the dry land with m whatever(prenominal)(prenominal) competitors inner(a) of the industriousness. It is non surprising that al or so antithetic kinds of beer and a variety of brands toilet be found in 2 Italy and Canada, and both(prenominal)(prenominal) of the countries has a languish history of pose ment of brewery constancy as hale.In this article, we atomic number 18 sacking to comparability both of the countries food securities applications, industry shape, pagan differences, political background and so forth, both those data ordain be taken into consideration, and be process to rase off the final decision on which county environment is to a with child(p)er extent fitting and adept for us to point into.Som e theories argon soulnel casualty to be utilise to analyse the ethnical dimensions of both countries, such as Hofstedes pagan dimensions, and wonk analysis, Porters Five Forces Model.MethodologyWhat rule do you make use of to pick up your concomitantbook and wherefore?The methods i use to compile my factbook is that i argon going to nurse some stuff and nonsenses from respected authors that argon most applic adequate to(p) to my elect industry (beer industry) such as Hofstede, SWOT analysis and Porters tail fin forces.What pinnacle surmisal and approaches do you draw on and why?Hofstedes pagan DimensionsHofstede measures the cultural dimensions differences in contrastive countries. There atomic number 18 atomic number 23 dimensions in this framework, findly the indi ejectt Distance Index (PDI), the personal identity-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity and Un realty Avoidance. Since Hofstede measures cultural dimensions, at that placefore it go outdoor(a) be used in the cultural system p mature of the musical composition when the cultural aspects argon discussed.SWOT AnalysisSWOT is the abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is an analytic framework to help summarize in a quick and telegraphic modal protect the risks and opportunities for a certain(prenominal) ships community, for my case the beer industry in twain different countries, Canada and Italy. The SWOT analysis tactile propertys into internal performers in spite of appearance the comp on the full-p gaga historic period/industry/ argona (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external factors let outside the comp each/industry/ expanse (Opportunities and Threats). This method entrust eventu totallyy help us to look at the main(prenominal)(prenominal) positive, (strength and opportunities), and the negative, (weaknesses and nemesiss), sides of both countries when comparing. Initially this should help us decide on which demesne would be most attr tellicipating to order in the beer industry. For this reason, this method give be used at the turn back of the paper, which willing give us an definitive overview of the both countries.Porters Five Forces ModelPorters five forces model argues that thither atomic number 18 five forces in an industry to determine the extent and case of the competition. These five forces affect the industries attractiveness. It is an efficient tool to analyse competition in the industry. In this model, five forces are the threat of substitute crossings or services, the threat of the entryway of new competitors, the intensity of competitive rivalry, the negotiate forefinger of customers, and the bargaining federal agency of suppliers. The industrys attractiveness is the primary and fundamental factor to deciding the profitability, and in all industry, the rule of competition will be reflected in any of the five competitive forces. The purpose of Porters five forces is to show the attractiveness of the beer industry in both Canada and Italy and to help investors decide in which agricultural to don in the beer industry, besides it could help companies to develop a fateicular st regularizegy in the industry, and this theory might be used in chapter which deals with mart / industry conditions.What method of data collection and analysis do you use and why?The methods i use to collect my data are inquisitory my universitys library modules for useful academic articles and using a mix of articles from authors k alike a shot by literature and the Theory Tutorials for my Comparative landed estate Studies course. Of course, the reliable information on Internet is excessively consulted as additional sources, and i stick out too analyzed the annual report of the company.The beer industry of Italy and CanadaIn this section, germane(predicate) commercialisedize conditions that apply to the Italian and Canadian beer orbit will be explained. The commerciali ze can be separated check to different factors equal size of it and attractiveness as well. If we divide the food grocery store according the different trade shares which individual brewery h seniors, we can get wind that there are several(prenominal) main goldbricker in the beer industry in both of the countries.ItalyItaly is noteworthy for its vinos, however, it is non well- cognise for its own beer. Generally spill the beansing, Italy doesnt consume nearly as such(prenominal) beer as its European neighbour, however, there is a growing turn off of inlet for beer in Italy, the beer in Italy is non as wide break up as in its European neighbours, primarily because there is a historical privilegeence for wine-colored in the country.Italian breweries father belowgone a Renaissance in new eld. In fact, only in the past hardly a(prenominal) years, Italy has digressed having beer imbibition and penchant competitions and some(prenominal) re lated festivals. Norma lly, this sort of activity is reserved for wine, however, at once beer is earning to a greater extent than and more than than(prenominal) respect from wine-preferred Italians, and even many unsalted Italians prefer to oblige their countrys beer industry quite than the wine industry now, lock up, the Italian beer industry has a great deal space to grow and be developed.There are some brands of beer in Italy, one of the oldest and most recognized breweries is Birra Peroni, which was established in 1846 and the headquarter of Peroni is in Rome. Peronis most famous product is a pilsner- way of life beer. Nastro Azzuro, which is also one of the few Italian beers that marketed all over the cosmea, Nastro Azzuro, is a rather light style beer, many breweries are crafting darker, heavier beers that are rousing interest from new and experient beer drinkers alike. In addition to those giant breweries, there are many microbreweries in Italy, and they play a pregnant role and giv e birth a great passel of the market as well. A microbrewery particularly gains attention from youth Italians is Birrificio Baladin, the brewery appeals to untried generation through quirky advertisements and sponsoring international music festivals and young Italians cipher theres room in the global beer market for some of their most slap-up brews.CanadaTraditionally, Canadas largest create from raw material companies were Labatts and Molson. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew and it is now a part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brew company and Molson, the opposite largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, which is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now.In 2006, with the purchase of Sleeman Breweries, the largest rest Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese have Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer employment has been mainly low the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestic helpally infra manifest from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed down the stairs permission dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under(a) permission in Canada by Labatts and Coors out of work by Molson.The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign- have companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls about 5.5% of the Canadian market.Country analogyMacro-economic indicatorsEconomyCanada macrocosm 33,487,208 (July 2009 est.).Italy population 58,126,212 (July 2009 est.).Economic independence Canada world rank 6.Economic exemption Italy world rank 87.finance monetary freedom for Canada 80.0.Financial freedom in Italy 60.0Canada coronation freedom 75.0.Italy investment freedom 75.0.CanadaEconomy-GDP (Purchasing military group Pa rity)$ 1.335 cardinal (2010 est.). Country equivalence to the world 15.$1.297 trillion (2009 est.)$1.33 trillion (2008 est.)-GDP Per capita (PPP)$39,600 (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 22$38,700 (2009 est.)$40,000 (2008 est.)-Inflation rate (consumer prices)1.6% (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 410.3% (2009 est.)ItalyEconomy-GDP (PPP)$1.782 trillion (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 11$1.763 trillion (2009 est.)$1.857 trillion (2008 est.)-GDP per capita (PPP)$30,700 (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 43$30,300 (2009 est.)$31,900 (2008 est.)-Inflation rate (consumer prices)1.4% (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 320.8% (2009 est.)Historical developmentsItalyBeer is know and drank in Italy rattling long judgment of conviction ago, Italians brewed and consumed the towheaded drink. It said that Roman Emperor Agricola was a fan of beer when he was the determineor of Britannia, and in 83 AD Roman Emperor Agricola brocaded to the purpli sh throne and came back to Italy, he took three master brewers with him from Glevum of which the antiquated name Gloucester and opened the rootage real pub in Italy. nowadays beer is especially loved by young multitude in Italy, which has been seen as an promiscuous drink, compared to the wine which is alway used in much more musket ball places. Aperitif and wine tasting have now gained back to wine many periodic drinkers, however, until a few years ago, young Italians actually drank more beer than wine.Pub-styled debar are cool off truly prevalent in Italy and they have spread the love for the more exotic brands of beer many of them serve Japanese, German, Australian and eastmost European beers along with the more known ones brewed in the UK and Belgium. At least(prenominal) one bottle of Birra cinese (Chinese beer) is served on every table of every Chinese restaurant.CanadaBeer was first introduced to Canada by European personatetlers in the seventeenth century, as Ca nada had an precedent climate for making and storing beer before refrigeration was introduced. The first commercialized brewery was strengthened by Jean Talon in Quebec City, in the year 1668. all over a century later a number of commercial brewers thrived, including some that became the fix of the Canadian industry commode Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786, horse parsley Keith inHali autotype in 1820, Thomas Carling in London in 1840, John Kinder Labatt in 1847, also in London, Susannah Oland in Halifax in 1867, and Eugene OKeefe in Toronto in 1891. The very first patent to be issued by the Canadian establishment on July 6, 1842, was to one G. Riley for an improved method of brewing ale, beer, porter, and different treatliquors.ban in Canada did not last as long as in the U.S. and was generally over by the mid 1920s (apart from Prince Edward Island, where it ran from 1901 to 1948). Nevertheless, it had a similar establish of leaving very few brewers, and it w as only in the late ordinal century that there has been a revival and microbreweries have started. Brewpubs are mollify ilsound in some provinces.Cultural systemHofstedes Cultural Dimensions of Italy and Canada authorities agency DistanceIndividualismMasculinityUncertainty AvoidanceItaly eminent more bodied more than masculineStrongCanadaLowerMore singleMore feminineWeakPower distanceCanada is rase on the Hofstedes power distance index than Italy, Italy falls in the heart and soul on the index overall. Italian seems to expect differences in power betwixt people. Canadas Power Distance (PDI) is comparatively low, with an index of 39, compared to a world intermediate of 55. This is implicative of a greater equality amongst societal directs, including government, organizations, and even within families. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment.IndividualismThe more collective constitution of I taly compared to Canada can be seen in many ways. It is not curious for gravid children to blend in with their parents for years. Italian businesses are primarily owned by individuals and families. caper is preferably done with people with which one is familiar. Unacquainted guests will not be invited into an Italian firm. Coffee or dinner will be taken with non-family members at a cafe or restaurant. Canada has Individualism (IDV) as the highest ranking (80) Hofstede Dimension, and is indicative of a friendship with a more individualistic attitude and comparatively loose bonds with others. The populace is more sovereign and looks out for themselves and their close family members.MasculinityItaly is a fairly masculine society and ranks about higher(prenominal) on this index than Canada. Many Italian men equable treat women with gallantry and value machismo. Although women have entered the workforce, their numbers are still tenuous and few are in upper echelon positions. I talian house get to are the sole domain of women Italian women for the most part cook, wise and care for the children. Italians place a prime importance on material possessions. It is very important to look good in Italy.However, like a more feminine culture, Italians also know how to take measure to prise the good things in life. Italians work in order to live rather than living to work. Ambition is not prevalent in Italian culture. and so i assume that beer as a in testicle beverage, it is more popular under this kind of cultural background rather than more formal cultural background countries.Uncertainty AvoidanceItaly avoids uncertainly more strongly than Canada. By and large Italians prefer to do business with people they know. In addition, Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with him/her on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and recapitulation with a phone call.Political/Government SystemBeer or process liquor, is defined as all fermented liquor brewed in all in all or in part from malt for the purposes of the attain diddle, grain or any saccharine matter without any process of distillation, but does not involve wine.Italian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative FrameworkAlcohol certificate of indebtednessBeer (5% ABV or 12 Plato)0.12 per pintWine (bottle 11.5% ABV)0.00 per 75 clAs we can see in the table of different place of calling applies to beer in Italy, which contains following level of responsibleness. Italy is a member of the European Union, wherefore it shares the super C External Tariff regime. EU duties are signald by the Italian Customs Agency on the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the product import into Italy.The Alcohol characterization (2001) bans TV and radio advertising of inebriantic drinkic products between 4PM and 9PM and prohibits soaking drink advertisements from being shown on TV within 15 movements before or after any childrens programs. The Act also requires a self-regulatory code to be provided jointly by media companies, advertising agencies and advertisers to govern alcoholic beverage advertising.For the legal insobriety age, there is no minimum age of legal drinking. And the legal purchasing age of alcohol is 16 and 18. conspiracy Tyrol prohibits both serving and purchase for people under the age of 18 and to everybody in a state of inebriation. Milan has enforced a ban on those under 16 purchasing alcohol. Heavy fines are given to proprieters and parents if a transaction is completed.Canadian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative FrameworkBeerDutyUp to 1.2% alcohol$2.591/ hectoliter1.2% to 2.5% alcohol$13.990/hectolitreOver 2.5% alcohol$27.985/hectolitreAs we can see in the table of different rates of indebtedness applies to beer, which contains following level of duty (1) more than 2.5% sacrosanct ethyl radical radical radical alcohol by volume (2) more than 1.2% but not more than 2.5% domine ering ethyl alcohol by volume and (3) less than 1.2% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, and for all beer containing more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, the rate of come across duty is currently $27.985 per hectolitre. However, delete duties are not compel on beer provided it is brewed by a person for personalized or family use or to be given away without charge and is not for sale commercially.Canadian government showed how highly they value beer production and its breweries by subverting the appraisees exercised on beer production. This is a benefit to the industry. As one of the leaders of the whole economy of Canada, the beer sector is likely to suffer these taxation benefits and other benefits might be offered as well to the beer sector to develop the Canadian beer industry.In Canada, alcohol was taxed pursuant to the Excise Act previously. However, a new regime in Canada for the federal taxation of certain alcohol, including animate and wines, was introduce d in the Excise Act, 2001, which was implemented effective July 1, 2003. Excise duties on beer (and malt liquor) continue to be imposed under the Excise Act. Generally, different excise duty treatment applies to alcohol for non-beverage use. A licence is needful authorizing certain alcohol operations under both the Excise Act, 2001, and the Excise Act. For beer, a licence is only inevitable under the Excise Act for the commercial operation as a brewery, for example, the place where beer is manufactured. All brewery licensees are required to post and maintain aegis with the Canadian government. The amount of security is set at a minimum of $5,000. Generally, beer is subject to an excise duty that is imposed and becomes payable during the production process.The legal drinking and purchasing age in Canada are both 19. However, In some areas such as Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, minor drink ing under parental lapse is permitted, with some restrictions, on ones own property in the provinces of New Brunswick andOntario and at home in the provinces of Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. InBritish Columbia, only children of the supervising parents, not any other minors such as guests, are allowed underage drinking. spending of alcohol in another persons home is subject to other laws. major(ip) playersThe brewing industry had become extremely concentrated in Canada by the 1970s, being dominated by just three major companies, which are Molson, Labatt, and Carling-OKeefe. Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson as we mentioned in the previous overview of industry condition of both countries. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew which is now part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US comp any Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, and it is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals.By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls bittie portion of the Canadian market.Italy hosts a few breweries, with the largest owned by the scoop out known Italian and foreign brands. Peronis brewery produces the best known Italian beer la Peroni. Peroni also pro duces the premium beer Mastro Azzurro and the brands Whrer, and lesser known Raffo. Heineken Italy brews its famous Heineken, but has also acquired the brands Moretti, Ichnusa, Birra Messina and Dreher. Carslberg owns a few brewerys in Federal and Central Italy. In Northern Italy, Forst brews its own branded beer as well as the famed Menabrea. In Friuli Venezia Giulia the latest brand of Italian beer Birra Castello, has been active since 1997. Along with these big players, there are lots of microbreweries small get over breweries that produce small quantities of beer, they also have premium quality.major(ip) determination of comparison and recommendationsMaking a decision in which country to invest is not so easy, because of all those different variances in both of the counties, some of the variances are strength for Canada, however, some of them are favorable for Italy.In the first place, the tax rates between Canada and Italy differ. In Canada the rates are relatively lower th an in Italy due to the fact that the tax level is relatively high in the European context. In addition to this, the Canadian government reduced taxes even more to benefit Canadian brewers.Secondly, when a look is taken at macroeconomic indicators like GDP per capita we see that Canada is a bit more favorable. However, since this differences are so small, both of the countries that we have elect are developed countries, and GDP per capita which above certain level has a relatively weak influence on the consumption of beer. Therefore, this factor is not likely to have a significant influences on the desicion of investment in the countries.Thirdly, the population above legal drinking age in the markets has been metrical scratch line from the age at which alcohol consumption is allowed. This would take to be that we start counting the population starting from 18 years old in Italy (some area start from 16 years old) and 19 years old in Canada. We find that the relative amount of peop le able to purchase and consume alcohol in Italy is larger than in Canada, because the whole population is larger in Italy than in Canada, and the population of legal drinking age are also higher in Italy than in Canada, then, the possible market in Italy are larger than in Canada.Lastly, when comparing markets according to its players and their market shares we find that Canada has a more concentrated market with high market share large players and many small players. Italy on the other surpass has two old players with a high share and one littler player while the rest of the market consists of really small players. It would therefore be an advantage to invest in the Italian market trying to gain and increase a market share because of the fact that there are many foreign players already play very important roles in the Canadian market, Molson Coors create from raw material company and Anheuser-Busch InBev have a market share of 42,70 and 42,20 pct respectively. Third place is hold by Moosehead Brewing company with a share of 5,90 percent. These three main players hold 90,8 percent of the market in total by volume.Taking all those facts into consideration, i would say that Italy would be the country that we are going to invest in. As we explained above, we analysed both countries SWOT, for Italy, the strength is market size, the weakness is relatively higher tax rate on alcohol, and the opportunities is that there are only two big old players and some extreme small players, gaining or change magnitude a share is relatively easy, and the market of Italy are more potential, because Italy still on the growing phase of beer industry. Moreover, since the age allowed to drink in Italy starting from the age of 18 and in some areas are even lower to 16, and with more population in Italy, therefore the market is bigger in Italy than in Canada. In addition, nowadays the Italian government highly determine the Italian beer industry due to the impact on its economy and therefore taxes are getting lower and lower. And the threats of Italy is that new public policy may impairment the beer industry, such as the advertising policy we mentioned before which bans the ads of alcohol in specific period of time on TV.Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and CanadaComparison of Beer Industry in Italy and CanadaIntroductionBeer is one of the most used beverages in the world next to coffee and tea. The beer industry therefore as we can imagine is one of the biggest industries in the world with many competitors inside of the industry. It is not surprising that many different kinds of beer and a variety of brands can be found in both Italy and Canada, and both of the countries has a long history of development of brewery industry as well.In this article, we are going to compare both of the countries markets, industry condition, cultural differences, political background and so forth, all those information will be taken into consideration, and be processe d to make the final decision on which county environment is more suitable and beneficial for us to invest into.Some theories are going to be applied to analyse the cultural dimensions of both countries, such as Hofstedes cultural dimensions, and SWOT analysis, Porters Five Forces Model.MethodologyWhat method do you use to compile your factbook and why?The methods i use to compile my factbook is that i are going to apply some frameworks from respected authors that are most applicable to my chosen industry (beer industry) such as Hofstede, SWOT analysis and Porters five forces.What prime theory and approaches do you draw on and why?Hofstedes Cultural DimensionsHofstede measures the cultural dimensions differences in different countries. There are five dimensions in this framework, viz. the Power Distance Index (PDI), the Individualism-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity and Uncertainty Avoidance. Since Hofstede measures cultural dimensions, therefore it will be used in the cultural system page of the paper when the cultural aspects are discussed.SWOT AnalysisSWOT is the abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is an analytical framework to help summarize in a quick and concise way the risks and opportunities for a certain company, for my case the beer industry in two different countries, Canada and Italy. The SWOT analysis looks into internal factors within the company/industry/country (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external factors outside the company/industry/country (Opportunities and Threats). This method will eventually help us to look at the main positive, (strength and opportunities), and the negative, (weaknesses and threats), sides of both countries when comparing. Initially this should help us decide on which country would be most attractive to invest in the beer industry. For this reason, this method will be used at the end of the paper, which will give us an conclusive overview of the both countries.Porters Five Forces ModelPorters five forces model argues that there are five forces in an industry to determine the extent and scale of the competition. These five forces affect the industries attractiveness. It is an efficient tool to analyse competition in the industry. In this model, five forces are the threat of substitute products or services, the threat of the entry of new competitors, the intensity of competitive rivalry, the bargaining power of customers, and the bargaining power of suppliers. The industrys attractiveness is the primary and fundamental factor to deciding the profitability, and in any industry, the rule of competition will be reflected in any of the five competitive forces. The purpose of Porters five forces is to show the attractiveness of the beer industry in both Canada and Italy and to help investors decide in which country to enter in the beer industry, besides it could help companies to develop a particular strategy in the industry, and this theory might be used in chapt er which deals with market / industry conditions.What method of data collection and analysis do you use and why?The methods i use to collect my data are searching my universitys library modules for useful academic articles and using a mix of articles from authors known through literature and the Theory Tutorials for my Comparative Country Studies course. Of course, the reliable information on Internet is also consulted as additional sources, and i have also analyzed the annual report of the company.The beer industry of Italy and CanadaIn this section, relevant market conditions that apply to the Italian and Canadian beer sector will be explained. The market can be separated according to different factors like size and attractiveness as well. If we divide the market according the different market shares which individual brewery holds, we can see that there are several main player in the beer industry in both of the countries.ItalyItaly is famous for its wines, however, it is not well -known for its own beer. Generally speaking, Italy doesnt consume nearly as much beer as its European neighbour, however, there is a growing trend of consumption for beer in Italy, the beer in Italy is not as widespread as in its European neighbours, mainly because there is a historical preference for wine in the country.Italian breweries have undergone a Renaissance in recent years. In fact, only in the past few years, Italy has started having beer drinking and tasting competitions and many related festivals. Normally, this sort of activity is reserved for wine, however, nowadays beer is earning more and more respect from wine-preferred Italians, and even many young Italians prefer to support their countrys beer industry rather than the wine industry now, still, the Italian beer industry has much space to grow and be developed.There are some brands of beer in Italy, one of the oldest and most recognized breweries is Birra Peroni, which was established in 1846 and the headquarter of Peroni is in Rome. Peronis most famous product is a pilsner-style beer. Nastro Azzuro, which is also one of the few Italian beers that marketed all over the world, Nastro Azzuro, is a rather light style beer, many breweries are crafting darker, heavier beers that are rousing interest from new and experienced beer drinkers alike. In addition to those giant breweries, there are many microbreweries in Italy, and they play a important role and have a great portion of the market as well. A microbrewery particularly gains attention from young Italians is Birrificio Baladin, the brewery appeals to young generation through quirky advertisements and sponsoring international music festivals and young Italians think theres room in the global beer market for some of their most outstanding brews.CanadaTraditionally, Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew and it is now a part of Brazilian-Belgian A nheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, which is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now.In 2006, with the purchase of Sleeman Breweries, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson.The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls about 5.5% of the Canadian market.Country comparisonMac ro-economic indicatorsEconomyCanada population 33,487,208 (July 2009 est.).Italy population 58,126,212 (July 2009 est.).Economic freedom Canada world rank 6.Economic freedom Italy world rank 87.FinanceFinancial freedom for Canada 80.0.Financial freedom in Italy 60.0Canada investment freedom 75.0.Italy investment freedom 75.0.CanadaEconomy-GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)$ 1.335 trillion (2010 est.). Country comparison to the world 15.$1.297 trillion (2009 est.)$1.33 trillion (2008 est.)-GDP Per capita (PPP)$39,600 (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 22$38,700 (2009 est.)$40,000 (2008 est.)-Inflation rate (consumer prices)1.6% (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 410.3% (2009 est.)ItalyEconomy-GDP (PPP)$1.782 trillion (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 11$1.763 trillion (2009 est.)$1.857 trillion (2008 est.)-GDP per capita (PPP)$30,700 (2010 est.)country comparison to the world 43$30,300 (2009 est.)$31,900 (2008 est.)-Inflation rate (consumer prices)1.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world 320.8% (2009 est.)Historical developmentsItalyBeer is known and drank in Italy very long time ago, Italians brewed and consumed the blond drink. It said that Roman Emperor Agricola was a fan of beer when he was the governor of Britannia, and in 83 AD Roman Emperor Agricola raised to the imperial throne and came back to Italy, he took three master brewers with him from Glevum of which the ancient name Gloucester and opened the first real pub in Italy.Nowadays beer is especially loved by young people in Italy, which has been seen as an informal drink, compared to the wine which is alway used in much more formal places. Aperitif and wine tasting have now gained back to wine many casual drinkers, however, until a few years ago, young Italians actually drank more beer than wine.Pub-styled bars are still very popular in Italy and they have spread the love for the more exotic brands of beer many of them serve Japanese, German, Australian and East European be ers along with the more known ones brewed in the UK and Belgium. At least one bottle of Birra cinese (Chinese beer) is served on every table of every Chinese restaurant.CanadaBeer was first introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century, as Canada had an ideal climate for making and storing beer before refrigeration was introduced. The first commercial brewery was built by Jean Talon in Quebec City, in the year 1668. Over a century later a number of commercial brewers thrived, including some that became the staple of the Canadian industry John Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786, Alexander Keith inHalifax in 1820, Thomas Carling in London in 1840, John Kinder Labatt in 1847, also in London, Susannah Oland in Halifax in 1867, and Eugene OKeefe in Toronto in 1891. The very first patent to be issued by the Canadian government on July 6, 1842, was to one G. Riley for an improved method of brewing ale, beer, porter, and other maltliquors.Prohibition in Cana da did not last as long as in the U.S. and was largely over by the mid 1920s (apart from Prince Edward Island, where it ran from 1901 to 1948). Nevertheless, it had a similar effect of leaving very few brewers, and it was only in the late twentieth century that there has been a revival and microbreweries have started. Brewpubs are still illegal in some provinces.Cultural systemHofstedes Cultural Dimensions of Italy and CanadaPower DistanceIndividualismMasculinityUncertainty AvoidanceItalyHigherMore collectiveMore masculineStrongCanadaLowerMore individualisticMore feminineWeakPower distanceCanada is lower on the Hofstedes power distance index than Italy, Italy falls in the middle on the index overall. Italian seems to expect differences in power between people. Canadas Power Distance (PDI) is relatively low, with an index of 39, compared to a world average of 55. This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within fam ilies. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment.IndividualismThe more collective nature of Italy compared to Canada can be seen in many ways. It is not uncommon for grown children to live with their parents for years. Italian businesses are primarily owned by individuals and families. Business is preferably done with people with which one is familiar. Unacquainted guests will not be invited into an Italian home. Coffee or dinner will be taken with non-family members at a cafe or restaurant. Canada has Individualism (IDV) as the highest ranking (80) Hofstede Dimension, and is indicative of a society with a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose bonds with others. The populace is more self-reliant and looks out for themselves and their close family members.MasculinityItaly is a fairly masculine society and ranks slightly higher on this index than Canada. Many Italian men still treat women with gallantry and value machismo. Although women have entered the workforce, their numbers are still small and few are in upper echelon positions. Italian household are the sole domain of women Italian women for the most part cook, clean and care for the children. Italians place a prime importance on material possessions. It is very important to look good in Italy.However, like a more feminine culture, Italians also know how to take time to appreciate the good things in life. Italians work in order to live rather than living to work. Ambition is not prevalent in Italian culture. Therefore i assume that beer as a informal beverage, it is more popular under this kind of cultural background rather than more formal cultural background countries.Uncertainty AvoidanceItaly avoids uncertainly more strongly than Canada. By and large Italians prefer to do business with people they know. In addition, Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with him/her on the phone . Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call.Political/Government SystemBeer or malt liquor, is defined as all fermented liquor brewed in whole or in part from malt for the purposes of the Excise Act, grain or any saccharine matter without any process of distillation, but does not include wine.Italian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative FrameworkAlcoholDutyBeer (5% ABV or 12 Plato)0.12 per pintWine (bottle 11.5% ABV)0.00 per 75 clAs we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer in Italy, which contains following level of duty. Italy is a member of the European Union, therefore it shares the Common External Tariff regime. EU duties are charged by the Italian Customs Agency on the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the product imported into Italy.The Alcohol Act (2001) bans TV and radio advertising of alcoholic products between 4PM and 9PM and prohibits alcohol advertisements from being shown on TV within 15 minu tes before or after any childrens programs. The Act also requires a self-regulatory code to be provided jointly by media companies, advertising agencies and advertisers to govern alcohol advertising.For the legal drinking age, there is no minimum age of legal drinking. And the legal purchasing age of alcohol is 16 and 18. South Tyrol prohibits both serving and purchase for people under the age of 18 and to everybody in a state of inebriation. Milan has enforced a ban on those under 16 purchasing alcohol. Heavy fines are given to proprieters and parents if a transaction is completed.Canadian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative FrameworkBeerDutyUp to 1.2% alcohol$2.591/hectolitre1.2% to 2.5% alcohol$13.990/hectolitreOver 2.5% alcohol$27.985/hectolitreAs we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer, which contains following level of duty (1) more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume (2) more than 1.2% but not more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume and (3) less than 1.2% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, and for all beer containing more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, the rate of excise duty is currently $27.985 per hectolitre. However, excise duties are not imposed on beer provided it is brewed by a person for personal or family use or to be given away without charge and is not for sale commercially.Canadian government showed how highly they value beer production and its breweries by lowering the taxes exercised on beer production. This is a benefit to the industry. As one of the leaders of the whole economy of Canada, the beer sector is likely to maintain these tax benefits and other benefits might be offered as well to the beer sector to develop the Canadian beer industry.In Canada, alcohol was taxed pursuant to the Excise Act previously. However, a new regime in Canada for the federal taxation of certain alcohol, including spirits and wines, was introduced in the Excise Act, 2001, which was implemented effectiv e July 1, 2003. Excise duties on beer (and malt liquor) continue to be imposed under the Excise Act. Generally, different excise duty treatment applies to alcohol for non-beverage use. A licence is required authorizing certain alcohol operations under both the Excise Act, 2001, and the Excise Act. For beer, a licence is only required under the Excise Act for the commercial operation as a brewery, for example, the place where beer is manufactured. All brewery licensees are required to post and maintain security with the Canadian government. The amount of security is set at a minimum of $5,000. Generally, beer is subject to an excise duty that is imposed and becomes payable during the production process.The legal drinking and purchasing age in Canada are both 19. However, In some areas such as Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, underage drinking under parental supervision is permitted, with some r estrictions, on ones own property in the provinces of New Brunswick andOntario and at home in the provinces of Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. InBritish Columbia, only children of the supervising parents, not any other minors such as guests, are allowed underage drinking. Consumption of alcohol in another persons home is subject to other laws.Major playersThe brewing industry had become extremely concentrated in Canada by the 1970s, being dominated by just three major companies, which are Molson, Labatt, and Carling-OKeefe. Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson as we mentioned in the previous overview of industry condition of both countries. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew which is now part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Mol son Coors, and it is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals.By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls small portion of the Canadian market.Italy hosts a few breweries, with the largest owned by the best known Italian and foreign brands. Peronis brewery produces the best known Italian beer la Peroni. Peroni also produces the premium beer Mastro Azzurro and the brands Whrer, an d lesser known Raffo. Heineken Italy brews its famous Heineken, but has also acquired the brands Moretti, Ichnusa, Birra Messina and Dreher. Carslberg owns a few brewerys in Northern and Central Italy. In Northern Italy, Forst brews its own branded beer as well as the famed Menabrea. In Friuli Venezia Giulia the latest brand of Italian beer Birra Castello, has been active since 1997. Along with these big players, there are lots of microbreweries small scale breweries that produce small quantities of beer, they also have premium quality.Major finding of comparison and recommendationsMaking a decision in which country to invest is not so easy, because of all those different variances in both of the counties, some of the variances are strength for Canada, however, some of them are favorable for Italy.In the first place, the tax rates between Canada and Italy differ. In Canada the rates are relatively lower than in Italy due to the fact that the tax level is relatively high in the Euro pean context. In addition to this, the Canadian government reduced taxes even more to benefit Canadian brewers.Secondly, when a look is taken at macroeconomic indicators like GDP per capita we see that Canada is a bit more favorable. However, since this differences are so small, both of the countries that we have chosen are developed countries, and GDP per capita which above certain level has a relatively weak influence on the consumption of beer. Therefore, this factor is not likely to have a significant influences on the desicion of investment in the countries.Thirdly, the population above legal drinking age in the markets has been calculated starting from the age at which alcohol consumption is allowed. This would mean that we start counting the population starting from 18 years old in Italy (some area start from 16 years old) and 19 years old in Canada. We find that the relative amount of people able to purchase and consume alcohol in Italy is larger than in Canada, because the whole population is larger in Italy than in Canada, and the population of legal drinking age are also higher in Italy than in Canada, therefore, the potential market in Italy are larger than in Canada.Lastly, when comparing markets according to its players and their market shares we find that Canada has a more concentrated market with high market share large players and many small players. Italy on the other hand has two old players with a high share and one smaller player while the rest of the market consists of really small players. It would therefore be an advantage to invest in the Italian market trying to gain and increase a market share because of the fact that there are many foreign players already play very important roles in the Canadian market, Molson Coors Brewing company and Anheuser-Busch InBev have a market share of 42,70 and 42,20 percent respectively. Third place is hold by Moosehead Brewing company with a share of 5,90 percent. These three main players hold 90,8 per cent of the market in total by volume.Taking all those facts into consideration, i would say that Italy would be the country that we are going to invest in. As we explained above, we analysed both countries SWOT, for Italy, the strength is market size, the weakness is relatively higher tax rate on alcohol, and the opportunities is that there are only two big old players and some extreme small players, gaining or increasing a share is relatively easy, and the market of Italy are more potential, because Italy still on the growing phase of beer industry. Moreover, since the age allowed to drink in Italy starting from the age of 18 and in some areas are even lower to 16, and with more population in Italy, therefore the market is bigger in Italy than in Canada. In addition, nowadays the Italian government highly values the Italian beer industry due to the impact on its economy and therefore taxes are getting lower and lower. And the threats of Italy is that new public policy may harm the beer industry, such as the advertising policy we mentioned before which bans the ads of alcohol in specific period of time on TV.