Lola’s Market Research Case Accepted for Publication in Top Strategy Book

Rohnert Park, CA – The School of Business and Economics (SBE) at Sonoma State University (SSU) today announced that Sonoma MBA Class of 2017 alumna Kathrine Gonzalez’s case research paper titled “Lola’s Market: Capturing a New Generation” was recently accepted for publication in the twenty-second edition of Crafting & Executing Strategy, a best-selling business strategy textbook. In the case, Ms. Gonzalez analyzed the viability of diversification and consumer marketing strategies that would enable Lola’s Market to appeal to millennial consumers while continuing to serve the store’s traditional customer base. The paper was co-authored by Dr. Sergio Canavati, assistant professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, and Dr. Armand Gilinsky, Korbel Professor of Wine Business. The Crafting & Executing Strategy textbook will be available for purchase on Amazon in 2020.

“This case project was the ultimate showcase of everything that I learned in the Sonoma MBA program, and I am thrilled to see it recognized and included in a best-selling book that will be used in classrooms across the globe,” said Kathrine Gonzalez.

"The Sonoma MBA program has led to an exciting shift in my career where I am a projects manager at one of the leading luxury brands in the country – the skills I learned in the program prepared me not only in the knowledge I need to do the work, but in the capacity to adapt to an ever-changing environment and the varying personal interactions I encounter daily.”

Kathrine Gonzalez currently works as communications project leader at Restoration Hardware. Her research was initially developed as a final capstone project for the spring 2017 MBA course in Strategic Management.

“The MBA capstone project is a culmination of all the knowledge and analytical frameworks students learn and cultivate as they complete market-relevant courses in the program, including business analytics, managing and motivating employees, finance, social entrepreneurship, and leadership and innovation. These courses, supplemented with immersive workshops such as the popular advanced study skills mind-mapping workshop, prepare students by developing the critical thinking and leadership skills that are sought by today’s employers,” said Soo Haylett, executive director of the Graduate & Executive Programs in the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University. “The Sonoma MBA program also offers a unique focus on wine business, where students have the option to learn about the international wine industry via a study abroad partnership course with the KEDGE Business School in Bordeaux, France.”

The Sonoma MBA for Professionals and Sonoma MBA in Wine Business are held in the evenings to accommodate working professionals, and can be completed on a one-year full-time or two-year part-time basis. Both programs are accepting applications through April 30, 2019 for the Fall 2019 program. Scholarships are available for matriculated students. Information about the application process and scholarships can be found here: https://sbe.sonoma.edu/mba-programs-admissions.

For more information regarding Lola’s Market, please visit www.lolasmarkets.com. For more information about Kathrine Gonzalez and the Lola’s Market case, or for more information about our degree and certificate programs in the School of Business and Economics, please contact (707) 664-3501, or visit http://sbe.sonoma.edu/sbe.