teacher's notes
Links to the curriculum
The Skills Space Business Studies area has strong links to the Business Studies and Applied Business GCSE and AS and A2 specifications. It also links to the Business Management Standard Grade and Higher specifications. The Business Studies area is relevant to Enterprise and WRL/WRE/Education for Work/Learning for Life and Work.
Through a study of chocolate design and manufacture at Cadbury, Skills Space aims to:
- support the teaching of business knowledge, skills, issues and values
- provide a motivating and relevant context for learning about business
There is a significant requirement within the exam specifications for students to learn about real-world business.
Notes on the activities
Human Resources
This section presents key information about the workings of a Human Resources department in a large organisation such as Cadbury. It gives details of how Cadbury develops its staff using 360 appraisal and Personal Development Plans. Students are given the opportunity to practise filling in a Personal Development Plan. A different practice exam question is provided for each age range.
Finance
This section presents key information about PLCs, shareholders and annual accounts. Information is given about profit, the profit and loss account and the balance sheets that PLCs are required to produce annually. Students are introduced to ratio analysis and are asked to refer to a profit and loss account and balance sheet to perform some simple calculations to analyse Cadbury’s financial performance. These include net profit ratio, gross profit ratio, current ratio and acid-test ratio. Older students are also tested on their knowledge of how to work out gross profit, net profit, gross profit ratio and net profit ratio, and are asked to calculate ROCE. Younger students put together a simple report based on their calculations and older students answer an exam question.
Product development
This section explains why product development is so important to companies like Cadbury. It presents students with a case study looking at the development of a new Cadbury product, Cadbury Melts. In “Know your market”, students are asked to match some potential new products with their target market. A different practice exam question is provided for each age range.
Production
The section introduces the idea of job, batch and flow production, then gives information about production at Cadbury. The “Test yourself!” activity (14–16s) and the “Production processes” activity (16+) test students’ understanding. A different practice exam question is provided for each age range.
Stakeholders
The section looks at different Cadbury stakeholders. In the interactive activity, students are asked to choose which stakeholders would be affected most by a selection of possible events and explain why (the version aimed at students aged 16+ requires more detail). A different practice exam question is provided for each age range.
Marketing
This section looks at each of the 4 Ps of the marketing mix in relation to Cadbury. In the interactive activity, students are given a list of products and have to decide on the best place to sell them, the best way to promote them and the price that they should be sold for. A different practice exam question is provided for each age range.
Enterprise – 14–16 only
This section introduces the idea of Enterprise and being entrepreneurial, and gives details of enterprise at Cadbury. Information about the importance of teamwork in enterprise is given, and students complete a quiz based on Belbin’s roles to work out what role they play in a team. Students are then asked to work in teams to design and produce a special box.
The enterprise challenge – 14–16 only
Students are asked to look at a Cadbury product and brainstorm who the market is and what the USP is. They’re given some more background information about the product, then asked to devise a marketing campaign for it, which they will need to present to the rest of the class. A “Rating tool” is provided for use on an interactive whiteboard so that students can rate their classmate’s presentations. Students are then given some information about the real campaign.
The numbers game
This interactive activity asks students to act as a new product development manager. They visit different departments, allocating part of their budget to each. Students are given feedback about their choices. When they are happy with their budget, a report is generated. Once the budget has been allocated, the different departments begin work. An activity related to each department’s work is provided:
Production
PDF – printable worksheet
Students complete a product specification.
Market research
PDF – printable worksheet
Students devise a list of questions to use with a group of consumers.
Marketing and design
PDF – printable worksheet
Students complete a technical drawing for the packaging of the new product.
Sales
PDF – printable worksheet
Students brainstorm shops which might stock the new product.
Research and development
Interactive activity
Students can test storing a chocolate product at different temperatures.
Legal and compliance
Students are asked to research laws affecting the production of the new product.
Resource Bank
In the Resource Bank you'll find some video clips, case studies, work sheets and facts.
People profiles
Six video case studies of people who work at Cadbury in a variety of different roles talking about their qualifications, work and progression routes offered to them through their learning:
- Belal – Packaging innovation manager
- Chloe – UK media officer
- Colin – Education manager
- Kate – “Fit for life” programme manager
- Rachel – Process engineering manager
- Trang – Maintenance technician
These videos might be useful to students who are interested in learning about the career routes they might themselves take, or in their learning about the typical tasks undertaken by specific people as part of the business and manufacturing world.
Case studies
Five case studies looking at the development of different products in the Cadbury range:
- Cadbury Dairy Milk
- Cadbury Dairy Milk with Creme Egg
- Cadbury Heroes
- Cadbury Melts
- Trident Gum
World of Work information
Information about work experience at Cadbury, and a downloadable world of work record sheet which you may wish to use with your students.
Facts and figures
Some key facts and figures about Cadbury.