Business and economics
Bean There: SWOT analysis
Analyse a fictional café using twelve case facts and a weekly forecast. Sort internal and external factors, explain their effect on the business, link them into a strategy and judge which factor may matter most.
Read the material
Analyse a fictional café using twelve case facts and a weekly forecast. Sort internal and external factors, explain their effect on the business, link them into a strategy and judge which factor may matter most.
Activity. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
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NAME CLASS DATE LEARNING GOAL I can use a SWOT analysis to judge a business and suggest what it should do. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can sort factors into internal and external. I can explain each factor's impact using which means. I can link factors and judge what matters most. Read the case study 12 facts Bean There is a small independent café opening this September on Kestrel Road in the market town of Tallowford. Its owner, Jo, wants to serve pupils from Tallowford Academy before and after school, and local adults during the day. It will open Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. 1 Jo has worked as a barista for 8 years and holds a food hygiene certificate. 2 There are only 18 seats. 3 A large coffee chain will open a branch on the High Street, 600 m away, next March. 4 250 new homes are being built 400 m away. The first families move in next spring. 5 The café is 120 m from the school gates, on the route most pupils walk home. 6 Pupils must stay on the school site at lunchtime, so they can only visit before 8:40 am or after 3:20 pm. 7 Bean There has no website or social media yet, and few people in town have heard of it. 8 The parents' association wants a local firm to supply drinks and cakes at its 6 parents' evenings a year. 9 Food is made fresh on site each morning, including a £4.00 student meal deal (a sandwich and a drink). 10 Jo's supplier has raised the price of coffee beans by 15%, from £20 to £23 per kg. 11 The town council offers new businesses free adverts in its newsletter, delivered to 9,000 homes. 12 Costs are £1,850 a week, leaving just £250 profit. BEAN THERE DAILY CUSTOMERS AVERAGE SPEND DAILY REVENUE WEEKLY REVENUE WEEKLY COSTS WEEKLY PROFIT 120 £3.50 120 × £3.50 = £420 5 × £420 = £2,100 £1,850 £2,100 − £1,850 = £250 Forecast for a school-term week. Costs: rent £400 + wages £650 + food and drink stock £700 + bills £100 = £1,850. Coffee beans are £160 of the stock bill. How a SWOT works MODEL: A SCHOOL TUCK SHOP Read the two axes first. Every point gives a fact, then its impact. S Strengths No wages to pay, which means prices stay low. Inside school, which means pupils reach it fast. W Weaknesses Open only at break, which means long queues. Volunteers leave yearly, which means lost skills. O Opportunities A new sixth form, which means more customers. Bakery bulk deals, which means cheaper stock. T Threats Canteen snacks at break, which means lost sales. Wholesaler price rise, which means lower profit. SWOT analysis organiser · Bean There, Tallowford and the tuck shop are fictional BUSINESS STUDIES AGES 14 TO 16 SWOT ANALYSIS Bean There: SWOT analysis Will a new café near a school thrive? Sort the facts, explain their impact, then judge. 1 2 HELPFUL to the business HARMFUL to the business INTERNAL inside: it can control these EXTERNAL outside: it cannot control these Page 1 of 2
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Build Bean There's SWOT 8 marks Write the fact numbers in each box, then explain two of them with which means ... S Strengths FACTS What does Bean There have that will win customers? W Weaknesses FACTS What inside the café could cost it sales? O Opportunities FACTS What is happening in Tallowford that Jo could use? T Threats FACTS What could hurt sales? Bean rise: £ a week. TOWS: link two facts, then say what Jo should do 6 marks S + O Use a strength to grab an opportunity FACTS + W + O Fix a weakness using an opportunity FACTS + S + T Use a strength to defend against a threat FACTS + Judge: what is the most important factor? 6 marks The most important factor is because which means This matters more than However, it depends on Weigh it up: which factor could change the £250 weekly profit the most, and how soon? A threat arriving next March may matter more than a small weakness today. SWOT analysis organiser · Total 20 marks How confident am I? Not yet Getting there Got it BEAN THERE YOUR ANALYSIS Your SWOT, strategy and judgement 3 HELPFUL to the business HARMFUL to the business INTERNAL inside: Jo can control these EXTERNAL outside: Jo cannot control these 4 5 Page 2 of 2
A teaching sequence
Classify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, use case evidence to explain impact, connect factors in a TOWS strategy and justify a priority.
Sort the twelve business facts
Place each numbered fact in a SWOT category and explain at least two with “which means…”.
Which case detail supports your SWOT category?
Check the two SWOT axes
Check whether an item is internal or external and whether it is helpful or harmful to the business. Use the case rather than assumptions about cafés in general.
Is the factor within Jo's control, and is it helpful or harmful?
Turn linked facts into action
Choose two connected facts for each TOWS prompt and state a practical action Jo could take.
How does your chosen strength help Jo use the opportunity?
Judge impact and timing
Judge the most important factor by considering the £250 weekly forecast profit, timing and possible effect. Explain what would change the judgement.
What information is missing before you can calculate the bean-price effect?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Check that each classification is supported by a numbered fact and that pupils explain a likely business effect. Ask them to distinguish the café’s current position from future changes, such as homes or a competitor arriving next year.
Give a little support
Colour-code internal/external facts and helpful/harmful effects. Model one fact-to-impact sentence, then give pupils a short list of fact numbers to place before they complete the full analysis.
Take the idea further
Ask pupils to estimate how a 15% supplier price change might affect the stated weekly forecast if the relevant cost base were known. Have them identify which extra information they would need before calculating an exact profit effect.
Things to keep in mind
Bean There and Tallowford are labelled fictional. The forecast is a teaching case, not a market estimate. Do not treat the stated figures as evidence about a real café. The exact effect of the coffee-bean price rise cannot be calculated from the information shown without additional purchasing quantities.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Another starting point
Explore a different teaching task from this selection.
Business vocabulary cards: six shop terms
Read each term, cover its definition and explain it in your own words.
Explore resourceIdeas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet a creator whose teaching interests connect with this template.
Bright Margins
This two-page business case asks pupils to sort internal strengths and weaknesses from external opportunities and threats, explain impact using “which means,” connect factors in a TOWS strategy and justify a priority for the fictional Bean There café.
Open Book Pause
The case gives 12 facts about an independent café opening on Kestrel Road in Tallowford, targeting pupils from Tallowford Academy. Connecting factors through TOWS moves the task from listing to a reasoned business choice.
One More Question
Label each fact as internal or external before placing it, then ask how it could affect the stated customer group. Use a sentence starter to connect one strength or weakness to an opportunity or threat.
Pocketful of Stories
Bean There and Tallowford are a case study, not a real business forecast. Keep recommendations tied to the supplied facts and identify assumptions that would need market evidence.