Business Case Studies by Edition - 9

The Times 100: Edition 9

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  SWOT: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to

  • explain the difference between a product-led and a customer-led approach to business
  • explain the importance of ongoing market research for identifying customer requirements and thereby enabling an organisation to deliver consumer focused benefits
  • give examples of ways in which Abbey has simplified its communications with customers.

  Customer-led innovation in a competitive market

  1. A competitive market
  2. Scanning the environment
  3. Research
  4. Communicating with customers
  5. Communicating with the internal audience
  6. Conclusion
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  Ethics: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand the nature and purpose of accounting
  • appreciate the role of professional accountants in managing information and using knowledge for decision-taking purposes
  • understand the contribution made by accounting standards and a code of ethics towards providing a true and fair view of business performance.

  The contribution of accountants to sound, ethical business practice

  1. The role of the accountant
  2. The need for accountants to be qualified
  3. ACCA and standards
  4. Supporting members
  5. Conclusion
  6. Business Challenge brings accountancy to life for students
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  Place: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to

  • identify key elements involved in setting up a commercial website
  • explain how using electronic media helps organisations to meet customer needs
  • understand how the Internet can be used to support customers.

  Meeting customers' needs through the Internet

  1. Amway
  2. Strategic development of interactive communications
  3. Independent Business Owners (IBOs)
  4. Developing an Internet strategy
  5. Conclusion
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  Marketing mix: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand the cultural change brought about at Argos to boost sales
  • be able to identify the 7 Ps of the extended marketing mix
  • understand the changes made to the marketing mix at Argos

  Re-focussing a company's culture and marketing mix

  1. Changing the culture at Argos
  2. Building a team
  3. The marketing mix at Argos
  4. Extended marketing mix
  5. Conclusion
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  Investment appraisal: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand the importance of examining detailed data in making investment decisions
  • know how to set out choices involved in decision making
  • understand how a calculation involving an investment decision is made.

  Investing in natural gas: drilling down into the risks

  1. Introduction
  2. More than just finance
  3. BG Group
  4. Field development
  5. Investment appraisal
  6. Economic modelling
  7. Portfolio considerations
  8. Conclusion
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  Segmentation: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:understand the importance of customer focus, innovation and brand development

  • explain the link between rationalisation and economies of scale
  • explain the meaning and value of market segmentation.

  Honour the past ... invent the future

  1. Challenges
  2. Fundamental values and company structure
  3. Customers/consumers
  4. Segmentation
  5. Conclusion
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  Quality: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand why it is important to establish standards
  • explain the meaning of standard, standardization, quality and quality management
  • outline the role of standardization in ensuring the safety of users of products and services.

  Standardization and quality management

  1. Standardization and quality
  2. Standards
  3. Benefits to stakeholders
  4. Standardization of quality management in the supply chain
  5. Standardization and safety
  6. Conclusion
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  Stakeholders: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • describe the moral principles underpinning the pursuit of sustainable development
  • describe some benefits of sustainability
  • identify factors that are important to stakeholders.

  Sustainability, stakeholders and profits

  1. BT´s approach to sustainable development
  2. BT, connectivity, and sustainable development
  3. Stakeholders and sustainability
  4. Creating stakeholder value through Corporate Social Responsibility
  5. Sustainability and the future
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  Ethics: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand what is meant by ethical behaviour within business
  • explain the possible broad-ranging benefits of ethical behaviour
  • describe the ways in which Cadbury Schweppes behaves ethically towards its stakeholders.

  Ethical business practices

  1. The importance of ethics in business
  2. Ethics at work
  3. Ethics and employment policies
  4. Conclusion
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  Market research: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand what is meant by a product range
  • know the meaning of marketing and its importance to an organisation
  • appreciate why market research should shape the product range.

  Using market research to develop a product range

  1. The soft drinks category
  2. Building the range
  3. Organising around the consumer
  4. Category segmentation
  5. Market research
  6. Product development
  7. Developing the range
  8. Launch evaluation
  9. Conclusion
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  External influences: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand the nature of competitive markets
  • appreciate how the external environment should provide the basis for planning strategy
  • appreciate how sustainability creates opportunities for businesses.

  Competitive advantage through sustainable product development in construction

  1. Understanding the external environment
  2. Conclusions from the analysis of the external environment
  3. Sustainability
  4. Aims, objectives and adding value
  5. Products and solutions from Corus
  6. Conclusion
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  Stakeholders: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • explain what is meant by B2B (Business to Business) marketing
  • distinguish between internal and external customers
  • show how online connectivity confers competitive advantage in a fast moving industry.

  Online connectivity to meet stakeholder needs

  1. Web opportunities
  2. The delivery channel
  3. Online communications
  4. Communications to meet different user needs
  5. Conclusion
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  Growth: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • differentiate between Ansoff’s four growth strategies
  • show why market research was important to Dixons in choosing strategies
  • understand how a SLEPT analysis helps to inform strategic decision making.

  Pursuing a growth strategy

  1. Introduction
  2. Ansoff´s Product-Market Matrix
  3. The importance of market research
  4. A SLEPT analysis for Electro World
  5. Dixons xL
  6. Conclusion
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  Growth: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand why businesses need ongoing investment in plant, people and products
  • identify three main ways of appraising/evaluating investment opportunities
  • describe ways in which Hazlewood Sandwiches has invested in its employees.

  Going for growth by investing in people, products and plant

  1. Hazlewood Sandwiches
  2. The sandwich market
  3. Investing in plant
  4. Profit and loss forecast
  5. Investing in people
  6. Investing in products
  7. Conclusion
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  Communications: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • distinguish between internal and external communications
  • understand what is meant by customer focus
  • explain how the Inland Revenue uses market research to inform its new way of working.

  Getting the message across - the importance of good communications

  1. Today´s Inland Revenue
  2. Communication
  3. Internal and external communication
  4. Methods of communication
  5. Communicating the process of culture change
  6. Conclusion
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  Marketing mix: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • appreciate the need to make decisions that help to manage, maintain and develop the value of brands
  • appreciate the importance of market research processes and the questions that market researchers seek to answer
  • link processes of market research with a range of products that closely meet consumers’ needs.

  Using new product development to grow a brand

  1. Kellogg’s and the marketing mix
  2. The product life-cycle
  3. Special K - cereal
  4. Special K - bars
  5. Growing the brand
  6. Creating a stronger position
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  budgeting: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • define the term budget and explain the purpose of budgeting
  • outline the importance of identifying major variances and taking remedial actions
  • list the advantages and disadvantages of budgeting.

  Budgeting and strategy

  1. What is a budget?
  2. Kraft´s income and expenses budget
  3. The importance of feedback
  4. Constructing an expense budget
  5. Advantages and disadvantages of expense budgeting
  6. Alternative types of budgeting
  7. Conclusion
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  External influences: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • identify different activities undertaken by commercial property companies such as Land Securities
  • understand the meaning and benefits of urban regeneration
  • appreciate the importance of external influences on a firm’s activities.

  Regeneration: meeting needs in a changing environment

  1. Company structure
  2. Focus on development side of the business
  3. Urban regeneration
  4. Conclusion
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  SWOT: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • explain the basic SWOT components involved at the time of establishing the PDS
  • outline key strategic elements of the PDS launch: location, customer service, recruitment, IT, and quality.
  • distinguish between criminal law and civil law.

  Managing change: a new approach to legal services

  1. The difference between criminal law and civil law
  2. The Public Defender Service (PDS)
  3. Setting up the Public Defender Service
  4. Change
  5. The launch of the Public Defender Service
  6. Conclusion
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  Roles and responsibilities: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand why businesses need and value insurance cover
  • understand Lloyd’s role in insurance
  • understand the concept of a market.

  A truly global market

  1. Introduction - What is insurance?
  2. Insurance and the UK economy
  3. Lloyd´s of London
  4. Lloyd´s: a market, not a company
  5. Roles in the Lloyd's market
  6. Types of market
  7. Transactions
  8. Conclusion
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  Enterprise: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand the concept of franchising
  • understand the advantages to the franchisee
  • understand the advantages to the franchisor.

  Franchising and entrepreneurship

  1. What is franchising?
  2. Advantages to the franchisee
  3. The advantages for the franchisor
  4. Dynamic innovation
  5. The three-legged stool - the suppliers
  6. Conclusion
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  Growth: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • distinguish between short term and long term assets
  • understand the need for a strategy for growth
  • identify some indicators of financial success.

  Growth through well-planned investment

  1. Going for growth
  2. Internal growth
  3. External growth
  4. SWOT analysis
  5. Sources of finance
  6. The results of sound financial investment
  7. Conclusion
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  Production process: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • know the basic economic problem and how it is solved
  • understand the factors of production and opportunity cost
  • describe what is meant by sustainability.

  Sustainability and water

  1. Background
  2. Acting responsibly
  3. Nestlé and sustainable development
  4. The basic economic problem
  5. Factors of production
  6. Limiting water usage/wastage
  7. Conclusion
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  Quality: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • explain why continuous flow methods are appropriate to car manufacturing
  • show how Total Quality Management (TQM) is a customer focused approach to production
  • describe examples of just-in-time manufacturing and Kaizen.

  Planning for quality and productivity

  1. Why locate in Sunderland?
  2. Production
  3. Flow production
  4. Total Quality Management
  5. Just-in-time technology
  6. The importance of training
  7. Kaizen
  8. Conclusion
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  Customer focus: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand the sources of consumer power
  • understand how the forces of demand and supply work to determine market prices
  • describe how the OFT uses its powers to promote fair competition.

  Making markets work well with customers

  1. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
  2. Making markets work
  3. Key areas of OFT activity
  4. Market studies
  5. How markets work
  6. Market adjustments plus demand and supply
  7. A fair deal in the market place
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  Promotion: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • understand what is meant by business to business activities
  • understand the difference between commodity and added value products/services
  • understand the link between mission, the market and strategy.

  Strategy, competitive advantage and the promotional mix

  1. Mission and market
  2. Strategy
  3. The marketing mix
  4. Conclusion
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  Customer focus: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • define the term competitive advantage
  • understand the importance of differentiation as a competitive strategy
  • distinguish between private and public sector customers.

  Meeting customer needs for competitive advantage

  1. Sectors of the economy
  2. Who are Portakabin´s customers?
  3. The sectors, their needs and expectations
  4. Communication with customers
  5. Conclusion
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  Marketing mix: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • identify how the business maintains sustained financial growth through acquisition and development of the existing business
  • understand how a customer service programme can help to improve performance and ensure long term financial stability
  • explain the key components of the marketing mix and how implementation of the mix will enhance customer satisfaction.

  Meeting customers' needs

  1. Introduction
  2. Sectors
  3. Ensuring the continued success of Travis Perkins
  4. Travis Perkins´ customers and the marketing mix
  5. Striving for enhanced customer service
  6. The key performance indicators
  7. Conclusion
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  Protecting people: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • explain the benefits for the employer and employee of working together harmoniously for the common good
  • outline the work of UNISON in protecting public sector workers’ rights
  • understand that union membership is a hard-won right that employees should exercise.

  Organisations and unions

  1. UNISON
  2. Rights in the workplace
  3. Safeguarding employees´ rights
  4. Union power
  5. Partnership
  6. Conclusion
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  External influences: As a result of carefully reading the Case Study, students should be able to:

  • appreciate the complexity of a typical organisation’s business environment
  • understand the importance of using marketing activities to match the competitive position of an organisation with the environment it serves
  • understand the various elements of a SLEPT analysis.

  Responding to a changing external business environment

  1. United Airlines
  2. Assessing the external environment
  3. Meeting the external challenges
  4. The importance of marketing
  5. Conclusion