...Ben & Jerry’s Media Campaign William Kennedy Southern New Hampshire University INTRODUCTION Born out of a renovated gas station in Vermont over 30 years ago and with unheard of different flavors of ice cream Ben & Jerry’s was created. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield both grew in Merrick Long Island. They met in Jr. High and became fast friends. Jerry finished college but couldn’t get into any med schools and Ben went to college but dropped out of everyone he attended. Both realizing they were not going anywhere doing what they were doing they decided to start their own food business. Neither knew anything about starting a business but both loved eating ice cream and that made sense to them the way to go. After splitting the $5.00 cost of a correspondence class from Penn State on how to make ice cream and armed with a combined $8000.00 of their savings and a $4000.00 loan leased and old gas station in Burlington VT they opened their ice cream shop in 1978. They churned out all sorts of ice cream with chunks of their favorite things such as cookies, candies and fruits. Soon long lines were the norm at the ice cream shop. I wasn’t long after that they began to sell to restaurants, grocery stores and supermarkets. After a Time magazine featured them in a cover story as the best ice cream in the world Ben & Jerry’s went national and expanded beyond Vermont. They continued to expand operations over the years. In 2000 Unilever purchased Ben & Jerry’s for 326 million...
Words: 1786 - Pages: 8
...at the wide variety of stakeholders that form a key component of Mallen Baker's definition of CSR, including the diagram at http://mallenbaker.net/csr/definition.php. How can an organization begin to balance such an array of competing stakeholder interests? What is your source for Google (url). According to Mallen Barker and his definition of CSR companies are responsible for the management of their business and the positive or negative social impact they can cause. Based on this principle, if an organization wants to maintain a balance between the best interests of all stakeholders it will have to start by maintaining quality of management. In other words, CSR is a company’s commitment to the performance of improving the quality of life for the community and a society. A good example is the company Google and their famous charter “Don’t be evil.” By always keeping to their charter, and having it be so simple that they can often easily answer to themselves about whether certain actions fall under their ideals, Google was able to make the difficult task of balancing the interest of all stake holders more manageable. I believe that by clearly stating and documenting simple values to be followed a company can look to do what is right in the face of competing stakeholder interests, and feel comfortable in the decisions they make. 2. Look at some of the causes that Ben & Jerry's promotes at http://www.benjerry.com/activism/inside-the-pint/. a. Do you agree with a firm adopting...
Words: 1172 - Pages: 5
...Company Description Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company owned by Unilever that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and ice cream novelty products. Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. was founded in 1978 and is currently based in South Burlington, Vermont. From the company’s inception more than thirty years ago, their plan was to provide quality ice cream while also creating a company that was socially conscious about the world and its environment. Ben and Jerry’s currently have 346 scoop shops across 25 countries all around the world, with countries like the UK, US and India some of the countries they operate in. Apart from these establishments, products are also distributed to supermarkets and convenience stores globally. Ben and Jerry’s benefited heavily from the merger with Unilever by leveraging on Unilever’s global reach. Operating in the highly competitive premium ice cream industry, product innovation is crucial to satisfy changing consumer needs. Ben and Jerry’s integrate product quality with social and environmental responsibility whilst still enjoying economic success. It donates 7.5% of pretax profits to the Ben and Jerry’s foundation for philanthropic causes and uses only Free trade certified ingredients in an effort to give back to the community. In 2000, Ben and Jerry’s was purchased by Unilever. Despite the merger, Ben & Jerry’s continues with its commitment towards sustainability. The Caring Dairy programme was recognized with Good...
Words: 7244 - Pages: 29
...Progress Report – Ben and Jerry’s Analysis Although we did not officially start our analysis, we have already distributed various tasks among the group members and established the deadlines so we don’t miss anything. The first thing that we will do in terms of analysis is to write down a brief description of Ben and Jerry’s current CSR practices. However, before that, we need to take a closer look to see whether the current practices of Ben and Jerry’s Portugal fit into the company’s global corporate strategy. In order to take that closer look, we sent an email to Ben and Jerry’s manager in Portugal so that, if possible, we could schedule a meeting to obtain more information about their CSR program, in special to be more specific than the website. This information will be extremely important not only to the description and the analysis, but also to give us a general overview of the problem. By now, we are waiting for an answer from their manger and we hope to have it by Wednesday the latest. We would also request a meeting with their marketing director to have more specific and actual insights. Data Collecting Additionally, we decided to modify our survey pool so that we do not have biased information, so our pool will not be only formed by college students, instead, we will diversify it by handing out surveys to a wider segment ranging from 15 to 35 years old, men and women, customers and non-customers of B&J. This change will allow us to have a more realistic sample...
Words: 382 - Pages: 2
...Social responsibility (CSR) give a competitive advantage?" At a time where the UK business industry is more saturated than ever, more and more companies are incorporating social and environmental aspects into their business practices in order to stay competitive. Modern day customers no longer expect the best price and quality, in addition they expect the company to utilise their custom in order to enhance a positive impact on the world around them, because of this, many organisations are prioritising CSR and are ensuring they pursue ethical practices in order to generate a good reputation for being responsible for the procedures they undertake in production and supply. One way in which a company may seek to utilise CSR in order to achieve a competitive advantage is by establishing an affirmative relationship with local authorities. For example, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream company strive for upmost responsibility when it comes to the production of their ice cream products; they only use fair trade produce in production and furthermore they developed a dairy farm sustainability programme in Vermount which is the company’s hometown (James Caan, J.C. (2008). If it were the case that Ben and Jerry’s established a strong relationship with the local authorities due to their exceptional CSR, then it could mean they will be granted more use of local government owned land than competitors, which would lead to an obvious competitive advantage (Ben and Jerry’s website). However, it is...
Words: 1058 - Pages: 5
...rP os t 9-306-037 REV: JANUARY 18, 2007 JAMES AUSTIN JAMES QUINN Ben & Jerry’s: Preserving Mission and Brand within Unilever op yo In December 2004, Ben & Jerry’s head of Social Mission, Yola Carlough, sat in her office in South Burlington, Vermont, talking with the company’s “social auditor,” an external consultant hired to generate an independent perspective on the company’s performance. Together, the two were compiling data for a forthcoming report, Social and Environmental Assessment 2004, in which Ben & Jerry’s social and environmental performance would be assessed in a comprehensive, candid fashion. The auditor had been conducting the report annually since 1996, each year evaluating the extent to which the company lived up to its ambitious three-part mission of “linked prosperity” under which its product, economic performance, and social contribution were viewed as “interrelated.” tC Carlough took a moment to reflect on the dramatic change that had swept over the ice-cream company since she became its head of social mission in 2001. Since then the company had transitioned from a self-described quirky, independent-minded maker of premium ice cream, to a division within a large multinational corporation. When Ben & Jerry’s was acquired by Unilever in September 2000, many familiar with the company’s unique brand and mission were concerned with how the company might change under the direction of a large parent company. Many employees, ...
Words: 8645 - Pages: 35
...Case Seminar Nokia 1. How do you think the marketing task for Nokia is different in developing markets (versus in developed countries)? Nokia has conducted a customer-driven marketing strategy. They segment the market by income and they have divided their target group into developing markets and developed ones. They sell phones to over 150 countries and among them European countries contributes to 39 percent of its total net sales while Asia, Latin America, and other developing markets account for 56 percent. It is shown from the numbers that developing markets are essential for Nokia. Nokia takes over the market shares in a way similar to Honda. It started by focusing on developing countries and selling them entry-level phones. In this way Nokia gains customers loyalty ahead of its competitors and after the economic emerges, those customers would be more likely to stick with them. In order to capture customer value, Nokia has put an effort in understanding the marketplace and customer needs, which is the first step to create value for customers and build customer relationships (Kotler, Armstrong and Parment, 2011). In this market segment, they position themselves as entry-level phones and to create differentiation in the market, Nokia has done some primary data collection to gain customer insights. They did ethnographic research to get to know customers. To meet the need of cheap phones, they changed the packaging and managed to cut down the cost by more than SEK 1 billion...
Words: 1159 - Pages: 5
... | | | |Date: December 09, 2014 | Business Ethical Behavior & Corporate Social Responsibility: Why Organizations Must Have IT Corporate Social Responsibility has gradually developed into one of the greatest ethical aspects that have to be adhered to by almost every profit-making organization in order to prove their social sustainability. The term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) denotes “the voluntary activities undertaken by a company to operate in an economic, social and environmentally sustainable manner” (“Corporate Social Responsibility”, n.d.). CSR which is also known by the names like strategic philanthropy, corporate...
Words: 2434 - Pages: 10
... Liz Maw, CEO of nonprofit organization Net Impact, noted that CSR is becoming more mainstream as forward-thinking companies embed sustainability into the core of their business operations to create shared value for business and society. Sustainability isn’t just important for people and the planet. But also is vital for business success” said Maw, whose company connects students and professionals who want to use business skills to do social good. Communities are grappling with problems that are global in scope and structurally multifaceted like ebola, persistent poverty, climate change. The business case for engaging in corporate social responsibility is clear and unmistakable. Billions are at stake if last and large scale action is not taken. As consumers awareness about global social issues continues to grow. So does the importance these customers place on CSR when choosing where to shop. Honestly technology has brought global connectivity and enable advocacy and awareness for social situations that were once obscure. Millennials are redefining what it means to connect and give back through this technology. It’s not about just having recycling programs or products. People want to feel good about what their dollar is doing. Consumers aren’t the only ones who have drawn to the businesses that give back. Susan Cooney one of the founders of crowdfunding philanthropy platform Givelocity stated that a company’s CSR strategy is a big factor in where today’s top talent chooses to...
Words: 793 - Pages: 4
...Corporate Social Responsibility Paper Corporate social responsibility, CSR, has three major trends. Shared Value, Conscious Capitalism, and Social Business. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing these major trends and demonstrating how different businesses embody them. These major trends do not always work together. However, many businesses demonstrate one or two of these trends. In today’s world, corporate social responsibility is something that every business should make a great effort to incorporate into their business model. This is important because corporate social responsibility is how businesses are impacting society. CSR is a way for businesses to have some accountability in making sure their products or services do not impact the environment or community in a negative way. Throughout the next few pages, you will read examples of companies in our current society and prove how these companies are applying these trends to their business models. Shared value is the first trend of CSR. Shared value was introduced in a Harvard Business Review article. Strategy & Society: The link between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility was published in late 2006 by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer. Both Kramer and Porter helped spread the word about shared value and revealed how it works and why shared value was a necessary component to society. Porter has been considered to be the front-runner on competitive strategy and is the chair...
Words: 2796 - Pages: 12
...Starbucks and Corporate Social Responsibility There is no doubt what a corporate giant that Starbucks has become, but at what costs? Due to the rise of Corporate Social Responsibility in the media, Starbucks has been a company under much media scrutiny within the last couple of years, as have many other corporate bigwigs such as Hershey’s, Nike, and Ben & Jerry’s. There as been an uprising of ethical conflict facing the Starbucks in Chile that not only has impacted their economy, but their employee morale. It has had an adverse affect on the company and consumers both here in the Unites States and abroad. The ethical conflict facing Starbucks in Chile is that is the fact that their workers, whose wages start at a mere $2.50 an hour are so low that they cannot even buy themselves lunch. The wages have not increased in eight years there according to one supervisor. There was also concern around healthcare benefits that were not being offered by the 30 Chilean Starbucks locations. Due to these unfair conditions, a union was formed to increase the benefits of the Starbucks employees. Obviously due to these conditions, the employee morale could not have been good if they were proposing a strike against the store and had a willingness to walk out unless certain terms were agreed upon. By having wages that were so low and only being offered two free coffees a day, I am positive that the employees felt no sense if purpose or value to the company. In regard to the economic...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...| | |GENERAL MANAGEMENT & STRATEGY | |Fall Semester, 2010 | |[pic] | |MANAGEMENT 374 (Unique No: 04570) | |Class Times: Monday and Wednesday, 08:00-09:30 am | |Location: UTC 1.118 | Instructor: David Chandler E-mail: david.chandler@phd.mccombs.utexas.edu Office: CBA 3.332K Tel: (512) 471-2548 Office hours: Monday, 10:00-11:00 am Wednesday, 10:00-11:00 am Immediately after class and at other times by appointment. REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS (Available at the University Co-op) 1. Course reading packet: Selection of Harvard Business School case-studies, Harvard Business...
Words: 4693 - Pages: 19
...performance - Unilever and its environmental responsibility Unilever is one of the world largest multinational companies, merged by British soapmaker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie in 1929, which is related with lives of over two billion people every day mainly in the area of food and beverage, home care and personal care. The corporate purpose of Unilever indicates that they require "the highest standard of corporate behavior towards everyone we work with, the communities we touch, and the environment on which we have an impact (Purpose & principles 2010)". This corporate purpose highlights the importance of social performances and the interactions with their shareholders. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly essential in the global environment (Wilburn 2009, 111), especially for large multinational companies who confirm that making contributions to shareholders is the driving force to increase the value of the corporations. Unilever claims that corporate social responsibility is at the heart of its business (Cescau 2007). “We've always believed in the power of our brands to improve the quality of people’s lives and in doing the right thing. As our business grows, so do our responsibilities (Our vision 2010)” Unilever has made a clear direction about their vision. These years Unilever has focus on building their corporate image with full consideration and improvement of social performance, varying from sustainable development,...
Words: 2166 - Pages: 9
...vállalkozás kapcsolati hálójában Tanulmányomban egy hazai közepes méretű vállalkozást középpontba állítva azt vizsgálom, hogy a vállalati társadalmi felelősségvállalás (Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR) kapcsán hogyan lehet a kapcsolati hálót értelmezni. Mindezt egy olyan vállalkozás esetén mutatom be, amely egyszerre teremtett értéket a cégen belül és azon kívül: a társaság a méretéből adódó erőforráshiány áthidalására egy olyan stabil hálózatot hozott létre, amely saját versenyképességének növeléséhez is hozzájárult. A hálózat emellett megteremtette a különböző szereplők között a kapcsolatot és lehetővé tette, hogy a háló tagjai kihasználhassák a hálózatból eredő előnyöket. A Magyar Termék Nonprofit Kft. esetét felhasználva felvázolok egy tudatosan létrehozott hálózatot, amelyben különböző típusú kapcsolatokat és hozzájuk tartozó stratégiákat azonosítok. Rávilágítok az eredményes CSR megvalósításához szükséges vállalati kapcsolatokra is. 108 Közgáz diáktudós – Gazdasági-társadalmi fejlődés és fenntarthatóság Társadalmi felelősségvállalás: az értékteremtés új formája… 109 Bevezetés A tanulmány célja, hogy kapcsolatot keressen a vállalati társadalmi felelősségvállalás (továbbiakban CSR) és a hálózatokban való gondolkodás között, bemutatva egy úgynevezett CSR kapcsolati hálót. A hálózat nem más, mint egy speciális kapcsolatrendszerekből álló alakzat, amely a gazdasági életben az információk és erőforrások áramlásának rendszere (Håkånsson, 2010). A cikkben...
Words: 2728 - Pages: 11
...3. Islam and nature: insights for development of environmental accounting They have discussed on the centrality of the principle of Trusteeship (khilafah) to an Islamic environmental ethics that would implicate accounting. In Islam, the principle Trusteeship is mostly explain on the role of accountant or Muhtasib in Islam. Muhtasib are responsible to ensure that business is not harmful or cause any negative impact to the community. Besides, the Tawheed principle stressed on the concern to monitor, report and act upon changes in flora and fauna and ecological phenomenal. It assesses the impact of a business’s activity upon the eco-system to ensure that this is within target limit consistent with the measure. The concerns underscore the need for openness in law and policy-making governing accounting which mitigate some potentially corrupting influences on the process involved. It will counter tendencies towards cheating and creating false measure. Islamic community principles are suggestive of a system of informing and disclosing to the Umma that is explicitly orientated to the public interest (Istislah). In Islam, the financial economistic disclosure is highly relevant and should reflect amounts properly available for distribution: The calculation of Zakat requires in turn the calculation of net assets, to a full and relevant disclosure that is ‘balanced’ (between an optimistic overstatement and a pessimistic understatement) according to Lewis (2001, p.114). Accountant seek...
Words: 982 - Pages: 4
