Case Studies

When Will Kellogg accidentally invented a new breakfast food in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1894, he did not realise that he was on the...

Kraft Foods Inc. is the world's second-largest food and beverage company with revenues in 2005 of over $34 billion. Kraft Foods is classified as...

IKEA is an internationally known home furnishing retailer. It has grown rapidly since it was founded in 1943. Today it is the world's largest...

When consumers decide to buy something, they not only want to know what they are buying, they also want to be confident of having...

Research Market and product research lie at the heart of any successful business. Market research involves talking to customers to find out what they want...

Mission and market A mission statement sets out why an organisation exists. Having a mission statement helps to clarify what the business is trying to...

The Kellogg Company is the world's leading producer of cereals. Its products are manufactured in 18 countries and sold in more than 180 countries....

Mr King C. Gillette devised and marketed the first safety razor in 1901. In a short space of time, Gillette converted his idea into...

Development of broadband markets Companies like BT that build communication networks must also develop their markets in order to earn a return on their investment....

A successful business understands its market and how best to differentiate its product so as to appeal to its target audience. It also knows...

Training and innovation The Group aims to be Europe's most innovative, profitable and customer focused printing company. It is constantly looking for ways to enhance...

Businesses need to recruit and select the best people. This helps them achieve their aims and objectives. This is particularly relevant in the fast-moving...

Wincanton's mission is 'delivering supply chain solutions across Europe'. The company is customer focussed: its aim is to help its customers become more efficient...

Britain relies on rail. The railway is a vital part of Britain’s economy and infrastructure. More people travel by rail now than since the...

In 2002, Philip Green bought Arcadia for £800 million. He changed it from a public limited company (plc) to a private limited company (Ltd)....

National Grid is one of the world's largest utilities. It focuses on the delivery of energy (gas and electricity) safely, reliably, responsibly and efficiently....

In the business environment, nearly all individuals within an organisation will belong to one or more groups or teams. A team is a set...

In the past, many people would expect to undertake the same job for the whole of their working lives. However, today it is widely...

CIMA is the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Its members are trained and qualified in the vital area of management accountancy. Businesses can only...

Every morning millions of people in the UK have a bath or shower, make a cup of tea and wash the dishes before they...

It was the European Commission that first coined the term ‘small and medium enterprise’ (SME) to describe businesses which employ less than 500 workers. This...

How much is the business worth? Are sales growing or declining? What about cash flow? These and many other vital questions are regularly tackled...

PricewaterhouseCoopers was created in July 1998 by the merger of two firms - Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand - each with historical roots...

Davis Service Group is a large public limited company employing around 17,000 people. Its shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange. The business is...

Limited companies (those owned by shareholders) are required by law to produce Financial Statements. These statements must be published and made available to shareholders...

The capital market enables individuals and organisations with spare capital (money which they want to invest) to channel these funds to businesses and other...

Investment decisions involve weighing up the risk and the likely rewards of various options. It is often the riskiest alternatives that yield the highest...

Stretching from Cape Town in South Africa, across the Sahara Desert, to the Mediterranean Sea in the north, Africa is the world's second largest...

Nestlé is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company. It employs around 330,000 people and has 461 factories in 83 countries around the...

Everything you use at home, at school, or college has its origins in simple, perhaps ingenious, ideas. However, it takes more than creative thinking to...

The food retail industry is a highly competitive market. More so than ever, organisations need to offer customers value for money. Customers want the...

Adding value to a product involves making it more desirable and better for the final consumer. Ways of adding value to a product or...

Portakabin is an international company. It produces some of the most advanced building systems available. The company is part of the £700 million turnover Shepherd...

Anybody who has bought a car will tell you that there are tangible points of difference which affect their decision to make a purchase....

“IF YOU CAN INVENT A BETTER MOUSETRAP THE WORLD WILL BEAT A PATH TO YOUR DOOR!” Many of the best business lessons are based on...

Today many of the products that we consume have been brought to us through globally integrated distribution systems. Striking examples are the fruit and...

This case study examines how one organisation dealt effectively with a key funding issue when faced with the loss of funds from a major...

What is franchising? McDonald's is an example of brand franchising. McDonald's, the franchisor, grants the right to sell McDonald's branded goods to someone wishing to...

Bibby Line Group started out as a family-run shipping business. It was founded in 1807 and since that time the company has grown to...

The twentieth century will be looked back on as the period when telecommunications revolutionised people’s daily lives - from the first telephone call and...

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the world's largest peace-time event. The modern Olympic Games were first held in Greece in 1896 and since 1960, the...

When the McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac opened their first restaurant in 1940 in San Bernardino, California, they could never have imagined the phenomenal...

In the late twentieth century, major corporations in modern industrialised economies have recognised the need to add value to their products. Adding value means...

Over 3,000 extra flight slots were needed for the visitors and athletes for the London Olympic Games. Making sure all flights have a safe...

Do you ever think about what goes into a motor car, a power tool or a particular type of domestic appliance? If you were...

An Office of Fair Trading case study We live in an economic system that is generally good at channelling scarce resources towards meeting consumers' needs....

The Legal Services Commission (LSC) helps people to understand the law and, if necessary, helps them to gain their rights under the law. The...

We all rely upon having access to water throughout each day every day of our lives. Think how many times over a 24 hour...

UNISON is Britain and Europe's biggest public sector trade union, representing more than 1.3 million members working in public services. Job roles they represent...

In the closing decade of the 20th century, the UK retailing industry has witnessed massive change mainly due to an increasing domination of major...

Understanding the external environment Corus examined its construction strategy in light of the external environment, to identify future market needs. By linking Corus competencies and...

This case study focuses on the recent process of change in the banking industry. Ten years ago, nearly all personal banking operations were carried...

Primark is a subsidiary company of the ABF (Associated British Foods) Group. The company was launched in 1969 in Ireland trading as Penny's. By...

Aggregate minerals are an important resource and their use is essential to national prosperity. They are vital for building new or improved housing, hospitals,...