...– 4 Organizing Paper “Ben & Jerry’s” MGT – 330 Instructor: Mark P. Keays Due: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 By: Lloyd D. Mays Ben & Jerry’s is not like most Corporate American Organizations, whereas these organizations design and base their management style around the “Pyramid Effect“. The “Pyramid Effect“ is very basic; at the top of the pyramid is the President or CEO of the company followed by Senior Management, Stockholders, Middle Management, Front Line Supervisors, and then the Employees that physically run the day-to-day operations and tasks that make the job a success. These practices are what makes jobs just jobs, which lead to stress, lack of motivation, and most of all a high employee turnover rate. However, like a diamond in the rough there are some companies that not only preach but also practice the “ Up Side Down Pyramid Effect “. Ben & Jerry’s utilizes the “Up Side Down Pyramid Effect“ where the Employees are on top and run the day-to-day operations of the business to make it successful. Knowing this CEO’s and Senior Management tend to implement employee empowerment, incentives, and excellent benefits. When doing this, companies like Ben & Jerry’s find that the employee turnover rate is very low and a happy and respected employee is a well productive employee. Thus making Ben & Jerry’s one of the most sought after jobs in America. Creativity, is a major part of the foundation of how Ben & Jerry’s created a benefits program...
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...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, ...
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...Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. – B: Facing Acquisition Abstract In December 1999 Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenberg confronted three offers for their 17-year-old firm. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. had grown from $2M in 1983 to $237M as the year ended. Growth rates had significantly dampened, however, a result of changing U.S. consumer preferences for lower cholesterol foods and competition. Jerry Greenberg had stepped out of day-to-day management of the firm some years before. Ben Cohen stepped back in 1994 when the firm incurred its first ever loss. He turned the helm over to Robert Holland, the first African-American to head a major U.S. firm. Holland came to the Ben & Jerry’s CEO position after a national search. His background as a McKinsey consultant and turnaround artist stood the firm in good stead. His moves concentrated on improving profitability, turning around a new plant that more than doubled the company’s manufacturing capacity, strengthening the depth of management experience in the top team, and responding to the demand for low-cholesterol with the introduction of a sorbet line. However Holland stepped out of the firm after almost 18 months with observers suggesting that he had felt uncomfortable with the founders’ “clowning and campaigning.” Perry Odak, Ben & Jerry’s next CEO, came with extensive consumer marketing experience in companies such as Armour-Dial. However, he had also been COO of U.S. Repeating Arms. Given the founder’s strong emphasis...
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...S w 999A37 BEN & JERRY’S — JAPAN James M. Hagen prepared this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The author does not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The author may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. Ivey Management Services prohibits any form of reproduction, storage or transmittal without its written permission. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Ivey Management Services, c/o Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; phone (519) 661-3208; fax (519) 661-3882; e-mail cases@ivey.uwo.ca. Copyright © 1999, Ivey Management Services Version: (A) 2010-08-10 On an autumn evening in Tokyo in 1997, Perry Odak, Angelo Pezzani, Bruce Bowman and Riv Hight gratefully accepted the hot steaming oshibori towels that their kimono-bedecked waitress quietly offered. After a full day of meetings with Masahiko Iida and his lieutenants at the Seven-Eleven Japan headquarters, the men from Ben & Jerry’s welcomed the chance to refresh their hands and faces before turning to the business at hand. It had been just over nine months since Odak had committed to resolving the conundrum of whether to introduce Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to the...
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...Strategic Analysis of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. Can B&J Serve a Double Scoop of Being Green and Making Green? ESM 210 Professor Delmas Final Paper November 21, 2000 Alex Tuttle Vicky Krikelas 1 BEN & JERRY’S ICE CREAM Table of Contents INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………. MARKET DESCRIPTION………………………………………………………………….. FIRM DESCRIPTION………………………………………………………………………. THE MISSION STATEMENT……………………………………………………………… 1 1 1 2 GENERAL CORPORATE STRATEGY…………………………………………………… 2 CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY………………………………………… 4 STRATEGY ANALYSIS……………………………………………………………………... 8 Five Forces Model of Competition…………………………………………………….…8 SWOT Analysis…………………………………………………………………………..11 Key Success Factors……………………………………………………………………..11 STRATEGIC CONSISTENCIES……………………………………………………………..12 STRATEGIC DISCONNECTS……………………………………………………………….13 UNILEVER ACQUISITION………………………………………………………………….14 RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION………………………………………………...15 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………………...17 Figures FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5. ANNUAL REVENUES…………………………………………………………..4 ANNUAL RECYCLING………………………………………………………...7 PORTER’S 5 FORCES MODEL ………………………………………………9 SWOT ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………11 KEY FACTORS OF SUCCESS………………………………………………..12 2 3 INTRODUCTION Ben & Jerry’s is an innovative leader in the super premium ice cream industry. The company blends a commitment to provide all natural, high quality ice cream with a commitment towards social activism and environmental...
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...Ben & Jerry’s Case Analysis Facing their first ever net income loss and experiencing a disconnect between company strategy, it is necessary to compare Ben & Jerry’s to Michael Porter’s “Five Forces” model to obtain guidance and a clear perspective on what path their new CEO Robert Holland should take the company. Ben & Jerry’s operational effectiveness was not successful in that they were inefficient in managing operational activities. The high cost of distribution, significant delays in opening a new manufacturing plant with a $6.8 million write-down, producing the large chunk ice cream, and difficulty forecasting demand for ice cream flavors all contributed to the company’s first profit loss in 1994. Porter states that cost advantages arise from performing company activities more efficiently than competitors and Ben & Jerry’s ineffectiveness to do this was causing a decrease in profit and increase in debt. Resolving the company’s costly equipment problems was one of Robert Holland’s top priorities when becoming the new CEO. Another top priority was to focus on Ben & Jerry’s unique activities as a key success factor to gain competitive advantage over their competitors. For example, their corporate strategy to integrate product quality with social responsibility is a key factor in the successful operation of the company. Ben & Jerry’s have used a variety-based positioning strategy to pinpoint a specific customer base who are interested in the environment and are willing...
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...Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Case Analysis Dean Podvin FIN 450W Professor Paup I. Problem Statement Ben and Jerry’s Homemade, a chief distributor of super-premium ice creams, frozen yogurts and sorbets has had success as a company through its business life, however now faces crossroads and important financial decisions. Despite reporting consistent gains in gross profit and total assets, Ben and Jerry’s struggles to create upward movement in its stock price. Due to the aggressive nature of the ice cream industry, production costs, stringent restriction on corporate control and their loyalty to philanthropy, these factors have pushed Ben and Jerry’s Homemade into a position where they are not free to assertively vie and grow as a business. Also, the fact that Ben and Jerry’s wants to remain loyal and open for business to all of its customers with a reasonable price, made it harder to stay afloat, let alone make a consistent profit. Ben and Jerry’s is surrounded with decisions and management is working on a decision to prevent from becoming stagnant and aide in creating more growth. When searching for the best solution to the problem five options come to pass. II. Alternative Solutions Considered 1. Restructuring from within and making changes to relieve restrictions, create more effective voting rights and to cut costs with vendors and other traditions would be a viable option in this situation. Ben and Jerry’s beneficial ownership structure and board of...
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...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...
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...Running head: BEN & JERRY’S COMPANY 1 Ben & Jerry’s Company Motivational Profile PSY/ 320 Human Motivation March 7, 2011 Ben & Jerry’s Company Motivational Profile Introduction “When you are led by values, it doesn’t cost your business, it helps your business.” (Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, date unknown) Ben and Jerry’s is a progressive ice cream company founded in 1978 by lifelong friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. It is now a division of the British-Dutch conglomerate, Unilever. Ben and Jerry’s implements many of the same motivational techniques used by other companies today; like most companies, they create many extrinsic motivators for their employees. Like most companies, goal setting at Ben and Jerry’s is huge in terms of giving employees direction and helping with their motivation. What differentiates Ben and Jerry’s though when it comes to goal setting, is the rewards system created to complement it and the culture of fun that they try to create with it in hopes of keeping their employees motivated. The idea is that by creating a fun environment, it will help with employee retention. Like most companies though, there are also areas of deficiencies at Ben and Jerry’s that can be addressed that would probably help to increase employee motivation even more. Motivational Techniques The underlying mission at Ben and Jerry's is to seek out new and creative motivational...
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...GriffCh15v3.qxd 10/27/06 08:12 PM Page 439 CHAPTER 15 • LEADERSHIP AND EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOR IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS 439 Part 3 Closing Cases Ben & Jerry’s—Japan On an autumn evening in Tokyo in 1997, Perry Odak, Angelo Pezzani, Bruce Bowman, and Riv Hight gratefully accepted the hot steaming oshibori towels their kimonobedecked waitress quietly offered. It had been just over nine months since Odak had committed to resolving the conundrum of whether to introduce Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to the Japanese market and, if so, how. The next morning would be their last chance to hammer out the details for a market entry through 7-Eleven’s 7,000 stores in Japan or to give the goahead to Ken Yamada, a prospective licensee who would manage the Japanese market for Ben & Jerry’s. Any delay in reaching a decision would mean missing the summer 1998 ice cream season, but with Japan’s economy continuing to contract, perhaps passing on the Japanese market would not be a bad idea. Perry Odak was just entering his eleventh month as CEO of the famous ice cream company named for its offbeat founders. He knew the 7-Eleven deal could represent a sudden boost in the company’s flagging sales of the past several years. He also knew that a company with the tremendous brand recognition Ben & Jerry’s enjoyed needed to approach new market opportunities from a strategic, not an opportunistic, perspective. imported ice cream, and expectations of falling tariffs on dairy products suggested new opportunities...
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...UV0273 BEN & JERRY’S HOMEMADE Jerry: What’s interesting about me and my role in the company is I’m just this guy on the street. A person who’s fairly conventional, mainstream, accepting of life as it is. Ben: Salt of the earth. A man of the people. Jerry: But then I’ve got this friend, Ben, who challenges everything. It’s against his nature to do anything the same way anyone’s ever done it before. To which my response is always, “I don’t think that’ll work.” Ben: To which my response is always, “How do we know until we try?” Jerry: So I get to go through this leading-edge, risk-taking experience with Ben—even though I’m really just like everyone else. Ben: The perfect duo. Ice cream and chunks. Business and social change. Ben and Jerry. —Ben & Jerry’s Double-Dip As Henry Morgan’s plane passed over the snow-covered hills of Vermont’s dairy land, through his mind passed the events of the last few months. It was late January 2000. Morgan, the retired dean of Boston University’s business school, knew well the trip to Burlington. As a member of the board of directors of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade for the past 13 years, Morgan had seen the company grow both in financial and social stature. The company was now not only an industry leader in the super-premium ice cream market, but also commanded an important leadership position in a variety of social causes from the dairy farms of Vermont to the rainforests of South America. Increased competitive...
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...of a relationship that allows the client to perceive, understand, and act on the process events that occur within an organization in order to improve the situation as defined by the client (Cummings & Worley, pg. 253). In the case involving Ben and Jerry’s a consultant was brought in to work with the founders, board of directors, managers, and employees in order to undertake organizational development and also to bring the people, functions, aspirations, and directions together (Cummings & Worley, pg. 306). Schein proposes ten principles to guide process consultant’s actions: • Always try to be helpful • Always stay in touch with the current reality • Access your ignorance • Everything you do is an intervention • The client owns the problem and the solution • Go with the flow • Timing is crucial • Be constructively opportunistic with confrontive interventions • Everything is information; errors will always occur and are the prime source for learning • When in doubt, share the problem (Cummings & Worley, pg. 254). As the consultant in this case dove into the workings of Ben & Jerry’s these principles were apparent throughout the case. After spending time with the board, and interviewing key managers and staff at Ben & Jerry’s, the consultant concluded that the company had much strength and also some concerns. It was decided that while the leadership was seen as the company’s greatest strength, they were also seen and its greatest weakness. As a result the consultant...
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...MBA 653: Organizational Behavior Ben & Jerry Case Executive Summary In the past three decades, Ben & Jerry’s has made a transition from a local ice cream maker into a large multinational corporation. The unique history and culture has made Ben & Jerry’s brand into a social icon. The core values and mission of the company have been defined as three interrelated parts in Ben & Jerry’s mission statement. The ever changing market has posed constant challenges to Ben & Jerry’s, which calls for a comprehensive strategy that addresses the competitive difficulties, while allowing Ben & Jerry’s to remain consistent with its mission and background. This report analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Ben & Jerry’s organizational design during this transitional period in terms of its culture, social mission, marketing, competition, product development, manufacturing and distribution. We recommend that Ben & Jerry’s continues to strive in the global business market by taking following actions: protect the brand name while maintaining core cultural values, continue social activism at a local level, while exercising caution in the overtly politically arena, develop products that remain true to their roots, while using the new resources available from Unilever, and adopt a Lean manufacturing and distribution platform. Analysis Following the merger with Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s faces challenges as it navigates within a larger corporation while...
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...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...
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...MARKETING PLAN BEN & JERRY’S 2012-2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. CURENT COMPANY SITUATION……………………………………. 2 2. MISSION STATEMENT………………………………………………….3 3. MARKET SHARE INFORMATION…………………………………….3-6 4. MARKET ANALYSIS……………………………………………………6-8 5. MARKET COMPETITORS……………………………………………. 8-11 6. NEW PRODUCT……………………………………………………….. 11-12 7. FUTURE MARKETING STRATEGY………………………………… 12-15 8. FINANCIAL FORECAST……………………………………………….15-17 9. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………. 17 10. LIST OF REFERENCES…………………………………………… 18-19 1. CURENT COMPANY SITUATION 1.1 Short History Ben & Jerry’s it’s an American company, producing super-premium ice cream that was founded in 1978 through the collaboration of two friends: Ben Coben and Jerry Greenfield. The two began the business by opening a shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, in 1984 following the first factory to be opened. The company’s product range is plentiful with several flavors including cream, frozen yogurt or sherbet, made with natural ingredients. 1.2. Ben & Jerry’s Today In April 2000, Ben & Jerry's sold the company to British-Dutch multinational food giant Unilever. With superior marketing techniques Ben and Jerry's has positioned themselves to be the leader in manufacturing premium ice cream products. They have successfully targeted their market, and there...
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