This Keynes Society (pronounced “canes”) named after the famous British Economist, John Maynard Keynes, was set up eight years ago to give pupils in the Economics and Business department the opportunity to hear leading academic experts in their fields and also from those working in industry.  We were fortunate enough to have three excellent speakers during the year; in addition to the usual university academics, the Society was also able to benefit from professionals in industry who came in to talk about their experiences, and the background of their companies.

‘Cadbury-Schweppes: Marketing and Production’  Colin Pitt - Educational Manager (CadburyTreborBassett)

At last, a chance to indulge in everyone’s desire.....chocolate!  It was an inspired decision to invite Colin Pitt from Cadbury to tell us more about the world of business, following on from the 6th form visit to Cadburys World at Bourneville, in 2006. From 1895, George Cadbury’s vision built a village for his workforce and this lecture gave the opportunity to show how the company now operates in 21st Century - as an international beverage and confectionery group.

For such a large company the lecture could have taken many turns, but his themes threaded their way through the Business Studies course, giving an interesting insight into Cadburys and the confectionary business.  He successfully linked the Business Studies modules with the changes and events in Cadbury Schweppes, shadowing our A Level course.  Even for a successful company he was not afraid to talk about the more problematic issues, such as the Salmonella outbreak last year.

Marketing is extremely important since, as he explained, buying chocolate is an impulse purchase.  Brand loyalty, packaging and image are just a few of the essentials he talked about in the lecture, along with their Mother Brand - ‘Dairy Milk’.  He also gave an insight into Cadbury’s latest venture, ‘Trident’ bubblegum, where they hope to make their mark and reduce Wrigley’s 90% dominance of the market. Therefore, an inspiring lecture, marred only by the lack of free chocolate samples at the end!

Zoë, Year 13

‘Manufacturing: A ‘Lean’ Approach’ Phil Beech - Lean Operations Manager (Special Metals)

Guest speaker Mr. Phil Beech gave an inspired and energetic speech on Lean Production.  This involves using a range of practices designed to reduce waste, and to improve productivity and product quality.  It is a management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS) - which is renowned for its focus on the reduction of the 'seven wastes' in order to improve overall customer value.  Phil applied Lean processes to his company and also involved a ‘hands on’ demonstration involving the volunteers of five students, including myself.

The demonstration was on the production of paper airplanes, teaching us how cost effective it is to use time and employees effectively.  This showed how easily rates of production fluctuated depending on the supply and timing of materials, the use of employees and how long the chain of production was.  He showed that in a standard flow production there was a great deal of time wasting and inefficiency.  However, with smaller production teams (cells), lead times decreased and overall quality improved.  This was a visually stimulating talk and, at the same time, we were able to brush up on our paper airplane skills!

Lucy, Year 13

‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire: A Guide to Entrepreneurship’ Professor Andrew Henley, Swansea University.

This was Professor Henley’s second visit to the school as a guest speaker, and I’m sure it wont be his last.  The lecture was well attended by girls and boys from both Business Studies year groups.  Professor Henley spoke on issues relating to Entrepreneurship and Innovation, exploring famous entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson (Virgin), Stellios (EasyJet) and exactly what makes an entrepreneur, what they have in common and what separates them from other ‘managers’.  He also discussed how, sadly, women currently fall behind their male counterparts in regards to new business start ups.  We hope to solve this problem in the Economics and Business Department - Business Studies is currently the most popular A Level subject at HMSG; Old Girls leaving university with Business degrees will hopefully end up on BBC’s ‘Dragon’s Den’, or even better, running multinational corporations!

Mr Darian Evans Head of Economics and Business