Case Studies

Deciding to buy a certain product involves choosing between the many alternatives in the marketplace. Such decisions are rarely easy, as in most markets,...

It is easy to think of global products and brand names: Coca-Cola, Mars, and Nestlé are obvious examples in the food and drink line,...

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

Banking is currently undergoing significant structural change. Large building societies have demutualised. Newcomers, such as supermarkets, are entering the banking market with a growing...

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

Vodafone sponsors several leading sporting brands including the record breaking Ferrari Formula 1 motor racing team and Manchester United, one of the world's most...

Consumer research shows that people are looking to adopt healthier lifestyles. Newspapers and television channels bombard us with health information and messages about the...

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....

Portakabin designs and delivers modular buildings. It provides clients with inspiring buildings of outstanding quality. Its original market was the construction industry, with its portable...

Kingfisher plc is one of Europe’s leading retailers based around three main sectors - DIY, electrical and general merchandise. The company employs over 130,000...

Direct selling Amway was set up in 1959, with only a disused service station as a base. Today, Amway is one of the world's largest...

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...

OPITO The Oil & Gas Academy is the focal point for skills, learning and workforce development for the oil and gas industry. Its role is...

Motivation is a driving force within an individual to do something well. Motivation is particular to an individual so it is important to find...

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...

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

Tarmac was formed in 1903 as TarMacadam Syndicate Limited. The original name came from the developer of the modern road construction system John MacAdam....

Tarmac was established in 1903 and is the UK's leading supplier of building materials and aggregates to the building industry. Tarmac is most often associated with...

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...

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...

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

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

British Aerospace is a world leader in aerospace and defence with annual sales exceeding £8 billion and an order book of more than £22...

Zurich Insurance Group is a leading global provider of insurance services. Zurich’s mission is to help customers understand and protect themselves from risk. The...

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

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

BSI was the pioneer in creating standards. It is the UK's National Standards Body - the world's first. It also plays a prominent role...

The steel manufacturing company Corus focuses on meeting the needs of its worldwide customers and providing innovative solutions. It manufactures, processes and distributes steel...

Throughout the 20th century, the pace of technological advancement has increased dramatically. The digital revolution, now upon us, will see further massive steps forward....

At one time, certain businesses operated in static environments, whereas others operated in dynamic environments. Today, the majority of businesses operate in a dynamic...

With the changing expectations of customers, organisations constantly need to adapt to remain competitive. When faced with such pressures for change, managers may look...

Whenever market researchers report on UK consumers' favourite purchases, chocolate-based products feature strongly. Chocolate is a key ingredient of many products we enjoy e.g....

Since Bill Gates founded Microsoft Corporation in 1975, its mission has been to create software for the personal computer that empowers and enriches people...

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

The Burton Group is one of the largest fashion retailers in the UK, operating nearly 1,500 outlets and 92 department stores in high streets...

In recent times, the structure and operation of many major industries has changed greatly through their use of information technologies. For example: online data systems have...

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

In today’s competitive business climate no marketplace is completely static and some markets are more dynamic than others. One which has changed beyond recognition...

Returning publicly owned enterprises to the private sector is a process known as privatisation. The effects of privatisation are highly significant as organisations, which...

Information technology has become increasingly important in the life of all organisations in providing effective communication systems, serving all members of an organisation. At...

The virtuous circle of mutuality In recent times there has been much debate in the financial services sector as to whether Building Societies should remain...

The challenge for companies in this sector is to provide a service that will regularly bring customers back to their stores. So they have...

Inventions, literary works, music and design are all intangible assets. The legal right to these ‘creations of the mind’ is referred to as Intellectual...

This case study focuses on how the creation of risk and revenue sharing partners (RRSPs) has enabled Rolls-Royce to take on contracts which have...

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...

Vodafone is a leading international mobile communications company with interests in 27 countries and partnership agreements with a further 40 countries, including Safaricom in...

The importance of ethics in business Ethics concern an individual's moral judgements about right and wrong. Decisions taken within an organisation may be made by...

Put a Victorian school teacher into a modern classroom, with books and blackboards, and he or she would find little had changed fundamentally. However,...

After the Second World War, the British welfare state was further strengthened. The welfare programme offered citizens an education, an opportunity to find a...

The term utility is widely used today to include those public services which supply water, sewerage, electricity, gas, telecommunications and waste disposal. All of...

There is little doubt that energy is central to our lives. Indeed, it is impossible to imagine our offices, schools or homes without energy....

Siemens AG is a global electrical and electronics business with a turnover of £53 billion. The business employs over 450,000 people. The company base...

Anglo American is one of the world”s leading mining companies. It is a UK public limited company and operates on a global scale. Anglo...