Case Studies

Premium brands capture the public imagination when they stand out from the rest. Obvious examples are Earl Grey tea which connoisseurs recognise for its...

Producers of internationally known high performance products depend heavily on their materials and components suppliers. These suppliers are the unsung heroes that lie behind...

This case study looks at the turn-round in the fortunes of Skoda which has come about through investment in new technology, management training, product...

It is very important that a company develops a coherent marketing strategy for the launch of each individual product in its portfolio. It is...

The Internet is a powerful means for organisations to communicate with customers. A well constructed website enhances marketing and selling activities. Marketing is concerned...

In the business world of the 1990s organisations cannot afford to remain still. Only 32 of the top 100 of Britain’s biggest industrial companies...

In the modern world, many consumers have opportunities to buy and use an ever-increasing range of goods and services. Firms continually develop new products...

Marketing is about making sure that a business is providing the goods and services that customers want. It involves identifying and anticipating what consumers...

Amway is a global company which has built its success on direct selling. Direct selling is different from the more traditional distribution channels: customers...

Tesco is a customer-orientated business. It aims to offer products that provide value for money for its customers and to deliver high-quality service. Tesco wants...

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

A critical issue in the development of a successful working relationship is whether we believe we are treated differently from someone else, not because...

People spend a considerable part of their lives at work, so it is not surprising that they expect to be rewarded and satisfied with...

UNISON works with both employers and employees to ensure that public service workers receive a fair deal. A big advantage for any worker represented...

Aldi is a leading retailer with over 8,000 stores worldwide. It continues to expand in Europe, North America and Australia. The Aldi brand is...

ASDA’s mission is ‘to be Britain’s best value retailer exceeding customer needs, every day’. This is backed by its purpose - ‘to save everyone money,...

For organisations to develop they require a direction. The people who manage the business provide the direction. Taking responsibility for making decisions and running...

Today's working world is dramatically different from that of the past. Charles Handy in his book, The Future of Work (1984), warned that the old patterns...

When we think about the cost of an aircraft, we tend to think of the cost of buying the product rather than the costs...

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

What is a budget? A budget is a financial plan that sets out, using figures, an organisation's expected future results. For planning purposes, organisations can...

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

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

In order to make judgements about business activities, individuals require information. Accounting acts as an information system by processing business data so that interested...

This case study examines the importance of futures trading and focuses more specifically on commodity futures trading. The futures market plays a key role...

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

The development of a transportation system which links up places both within the UK and across the world has enabled people, goods and services...

Most people probably think they know what Enterprise Rent-A-Car does. It is in the car rental business and operates a fleet of more than...

British Steel Engineering Steels is committed to Total Quality Management. Many customers perceive the quality of the product or service as being of equal...

New goods and services come to market after a sequence of activities: researchdevelopmenttestingproduction and launch. This case study shows how BSI British Standards (BSI), the UK”s...

Using a laptop computer, Smartphone or iPad has become an essential part of everyday life for many people. Few, however, will be aware of...

Some business improvements involve a giant leap forward. An example of this would be the development of a revolutionary new product such as the...

Successful businesses meet customer requirements. Customers expect products and services to meet certain standards and a Standard is a document that gives guidance on...

As a newly-formed rail operating company, Great North Eastern Railway Ltd (GNER) took over one of the new rail franchises to run train services...

Customer serviceis the whole activity of identifying customer needs in all their complexity, satisfying them fully, and keeping them satisfied. Customers are people who...

Most of us love chocolate in one form or another and every week a typical UK citizen spends around £1.80 on it. Amazingly, UK...

This case study examines how Akzo Nobel is building on the heritage of some of its established coatings for timbers at a time when...

When preparing a strategy for success, a business needs to be clear about what it wants to achieve. It needs to know how it...

Fear of failure and insolvency can be a major inhibitor of entrepreneurship. Insolvency law offers alternatives to companies and individuals in financial difficulties, not...

Modern society depends on prosperous communities that care for all of their members. Business organisations can play an important role in creating and developing...

The owners of a company are called shareholders because they each own parts - or shares - of an organisation, which provide them with...

If you have travelled by road recently it is highly likely that you will have seen the familiar sight of a National Express coach....

The provision of energy to meet the needs of society is a pressing issue today. Many of the world's non-renewable resources such as coal,...

Go-Ahead is one of the UK's leading providers in the fields of bus, rail and aviation support services. The company employs over 24,000 people...

Successful organisations are able to compete in tough environments. To do this, they need: capable managers who are willing to face facts and make hard decisionsexcellent...

In the business world, ‘investment’ has two separate but related meanings. For many producers, ‘investment’ means spending money in ways that add to the...

Today, more than ever, we have come to appreciate and value the relationships that can be forged between individuals, organisations and the wider community....

The first decade of the 21st century has been a rollercoaster ride for economic activity. Business confidence was high at the start of the...

Most people in the UK will have seen yellow school buses in American films. The Yellow Bus brand represents more than simply a bus...

Ethics and business aims Vodafone has grown rapidly since it was originally formed in 1984. It has responsibilities to its 60,000 staff and 151 million...

There are 6.7 billion people living on the planet and this number is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050. The need for food...

Rapid changes in media, transport and communications technology have made the world economy more interconnected now than in any previous period of history. Nowhere...

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

In the past there was always a belief that large corporations with the ability to develop mass-production techniques and gain from economies of scale...