Re: Cadbury’s corporate, business, functional and marketing strategies should align exactly and fit customers’ perceptions as well.

Cadbury is one of the oldest and largest confectionery companies in a global market. The company’s chocolate business is built more by capturing strong market positions in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India. In spite of well-known Cadbury brands and great quality products, the company had difficulties to sell its chocolate in New Zealand in 2009, where consumers have took Fairtrade further into mainstream. The company was blamed in unethical marketing actions when substituted only certified sustainable palm oil for cocoa butter in its chocolate (that could, for example, cause to the potential loss of Orangutan forest habitat to palm oil plantations). This action caused to criticism and created damage to the company’s worldwide ethical brand building efforts.

There are four major problems that company had at that time that caused the case: * There were differences and gaps between Cadbury’s statements and its products farming practices * Cadbury probably did not have enough research about customers’ values and attitudes in NZ or there were communication problems between marketing and product development departments. * The advertisement of the product didn’t include the explanation that Cadbury used only certified sustainable palm oil in its production process. * Cadbury did not promote enough in ad campaigns its social and environmental responsibility.

Based on this negative experience and for preventing this type of ethical issue in a future Cadbury could implement the following actions: 1. Cadbury should evaluate all its products farming practices and made them consistent with company’s social and environmental responsibilities. 2. Review and publish (Web/