Cadbury channels, access and distribution levels

In resolving conflict, ask the question, “How do we keep this from happening again?” The first thing is to be objective. This helps in managing conflict by keeping team members focused on the problem at hand (Huber, 2007)

Clare’s Chocolate Cafes has always used good quality cocoa to make their chocolate products. This is, in itself, an amazing marketing product because customers know that while they may be paying a little bit more, the product is worth it. As well, the organization makes a wise customer draw when each hot beverage is served with a high quality chocolate product. The early practice of making chocolate products by hand and providing individual or pre-packaged products, of all sizes, for the customer to select, was

Imagine being a young child walking into a chocolate museum where chocolate lines the walls, you can create your own one of a kind candy bar, thousands of different types of chocolates, and chocolate bars line the walls.

Hershey concentrates on a variety of chocolate products ranging from powder form to an assortment of candy bars, including the famous Hershey Kiss®, to the wholesaling of large decadent chocolate products for other smaller chocolate candy manufacturers.

Cadbury is a British multinational confectionery company wholly owned by Mondelez International since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world after Wrigley's. Cadbury is internationally headquartered in Uxbridge, West London, and operates in more than 50 countries worldwide. It is famous for its Dairy Milk chocolate, the Creme Egg and Roses selection box, and many other confectionery products. Cadbury was established in Birmingham, England in 1824, by John Cadbury who sold tea, coffee and drinking chocolate. Cadbury developed the business with his brother Benjamin, followed by his sons Richard and George. George developed the Bournville estate, a model village designed to give the company's workers improved living conditions. Dairy Milk chocolate, introduced in 1905, used a higher proportion of milk within the recipe compared with rival products. By 1914, the chocolate was the company's best-selling product. Cadbury, alongside Rowntree's and Fry, were the big three British confectionery manufacturers throughout much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Customers consistently look for a quality product and experience. In the case of non-necessities like luxury confectionaries, Rogers’ Chocolates holds a high place in many customers’ hearts. By creating handmade and wrapped chocolate perfection, Rogers’ Chocolates has made a name for themselves in the indulgence market.

In 1900, “Hershey” Company started making milk chocolate bars, wafers, and other shapes. He was able to lower the unit cost and produce milk chocolate bars in mass production. Chocolate was only affordable by the wealthy; However Milton Hershey made it affordable to all. One of “Hershey 's” earlier slogans was "a palatable confection and a most nourishing food.

Mars tends to make their advertising the complete opposite to Cadbury as they see their products to be luxuries. This is most true of their most popular product Galaxy. They do this as they have a different audience that they want to appeal to, adults. For example to the tag line in this advert is ‘Why have cotton when you can have silk?’ this shows they consider Galaxy to be a luxury product, and that it isn’t an everyday thing, you have it when you treat yourself.

In 1907 the Hershey Chocolate Company started producing a flat bottomed milk chocolate candy which Mr. Hershey decided to call the Hershey Kiss. In early production the Hershey Kisses were individually wrapped in little squares of silver foil. In 1921 when the wrapping machine was invented Hershey decided to give the Hershey Kiss a “plume” like appearance that we recognize today. This was to signify to consumers that this was a genuine Hershey’s Kiss Chocolate. This was eventually trademarked in 1913. Over the next two decades the Hershey Chocolate Company would produce several more products. These products were Mr. Goodbar (1925), Hershey’s Syrup (1926), chocolate chips (1928) and the Krackel bar (1938). During the Great Depression of the 1930’s these products made it possible for employees to keep their jobs and the company was able to sustain profitability. During even harder times, WW II, The Hershey Company provided survival rations of chocolate bars for military use. By doing this The Hershey Chocolate Company earned no less than five Army-Navy “E” Production Awards for its exceptional contributions to the war effort. In fact, the company’s machine shop even turned out parts for the Navy’s antiaircraft guns.

In Canada, premium chocolates were growing at 20 percent annually and the Canadian market size for Chocolates was US$ 167 million in 2006. An attractive growth from premium chocolates makes the current player like Rogers Chocolates, Purdys and others are thinking new strategies to expand market. In addition, some big traditional manufacturers like Hersheys and Cadbury are also very interested and keen to enter this segment (Zietsma 2007).

The Hershey Company is North America's largest manufacturer of quality chocolate and sugar confectionary products. They produce and sell a wide variety of confections from the familiar favorites such as Hershey's, Reese's, and Hershey Kisses to the Ice Breaker line of gums and mints. They have also emerged as the forerunner in the dark and premium chocolate category (http://www.thehersheycompany.com/).

The second form of conflict management is Compromising. This form brings along the idea that losing something is adequate when an individual gains a little. Both sides come to the middle to help serve the team and project on hand while making it possible for each person to maintain a portion of his or her original idea. The drawbacks of using this method are values and objectives can be lost in the process if they are compromised. Some of the demands from the other side may be too severe to come to a middle ground on. This method can also create other conflict if no respect for the compromise or the other team members exists. When this method is used to its full potential people of equal roles are equally committed to the team. “When the issue is to complex to just abandon the others ideas or perspectives and when the specific task that is being dealt with is only moderately important.” (Improving group, organizational or team dynamics when conflict occurs, 2008)

Sainsbury’s customers give most credit to the company’s passion for healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food .Despite the present economic conditions the company stands by its quality related objectives. Good food at fair prices, providing a satisfying shopping experience, spreading and reaching out to customers by opening new stores at various locations. Hygiene anh heath and safety issues given utmost importance .

The demand for Thorntons boxed chocolates follows a strongly seasonal pattern: 35 percent of sales are in the seven-week period before Christmas, a further 10 percent are for Easter, including three million Easter eggs. The combination of providing a fresh product together with the need to meet a seasonal pattern of demand places particular pressures upon the company’s manufacturing facilities. A proportion of the Christmas product is produced several months in advance, maintaining freshness through chilled storage. However, Thorntons chocolates are enrobed in chocolate, rather than moulded. Their hand-made appearance makes the process of packing boxed chocolates less open to automation than is the case for moulded chocolates (with their more uniform shape an size) produced by companies such as Cadburys. The seasonal demand for packing staff requires the increased use of casual workers, with consequent falls in efficiency. Seasonal demand also requires the use of temporary staff in the retail outlets to meet a sales pattern that can within a few days increase tenfold; typically the company sells £10m of chocolate in the last 72 hours of Christmas trading. At times the company has sold icecream (self-manufactured or bought in) as an attempt to offset the effect of low, off-season, chocolate sales.

As given in the research in the target group of 45-64 yrs., 38% of them prefer pieces of chocolates in USA. So knowing this figure the Montreaux should create pieces of chocolates as well other than the bars and candies. Also like about 57% are target market is female so different and fancy shapes like hearts and diamonds too would attract the customers.