After being educated at Leighton Park School, Cadbury joined the family business of Cadbury Brothers in 1893, becoming a managing director in 1899 and chairman in 1937, retiring in 1943.
Cadbury was also one of the founders of Selly Oak Colleges, which merged into the University of Birmingham, and was the first Chairman and Treasurer of Council of Selly Oak Colleges.
[3] Cadbury's research interests were in "economics, management and organisations... including workers' welfare and women's employment rights.
"[3] In response to Taylor's time studies and his concept of scientific management, Cadbury criticized Taylor for transferring employee skills and initiatives from the individual worker to management.
This argument was published in Cadbury's essay "Some Principles of Industrial Organisation: The Case for and against Scientific Management" in 1914.