Ben and Jerrys Ethical Issues - 1953 Words

1. Were Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield right to accept Unilever’s takeover offer for Ben amp; Jerry’s in 2000? And what does this case imply about business ethics more generally? Ben and Jerry’s is an ice cream producing company. The first shop opened in Burlington, Vermont in 1978. With a $12.000 ($4.000 were borrowed) investment, Ben and Jerry opened their first homemade ice-cream scoop shop. Each year the company celebrates its anniversary by having a free cone day. This has been a tradition since the very beginning. In 1981 the expansion begins and the company starts its first franchise. In 1984 sales begin to increase at an extremely high rate. At this time there was a 120% increase compared to the previous year. In 1985, the†¦show more content†¦It has exposed itself many times to political actions as well as sponsoring its ideals on the cover of their ice cream pints. (History 1) Finally Ben and Jerry are the founding members of the â€Å"Business for Social Responsibility† (BSR). The BSR mission statement is â€Å"We work with business to create a just and sustainable world†. It provides consulting services, research and innovation, and cross-sector collaboration. (Business1). In 1994, the business for Ben and Jerry had to face various difficulties. To begin with, the market started to change. People were more concerned with health issues. It is renowned that the products of this famous ice cream company are amongst the most fattening within the category. Obesity became a huge concern for the health of the American population. Fast food companies, together with hyper caloric food producers, were put under the guillotine by health aware professionals. Ben and Jerry’s obviously fell under this category. For this reason, demand started to fall and the company went in the red. To contribute to this loss in sales and demand, is the entering competition in the market. At that time, the company had to confront a market full of competitors, most of which with lower caloric ice creams such as general ice cream scoop shops, Hoovers or Hà ¤agen-Dazs. In order to make up for these losses Ben and Jerry’s hadShow MoreRelatedUnit 37 Task M11495 Words    |  6 Pagesexplaining how my business (Ben and Jerry’s) could change or alter some of its practices and showing how these changes would contribute to improved ethical behaviour. The ethical issues I will be working on are CSR and trading fairly. Corporate social responsibility: Businesses do not exist in isolation nor is it simply just to make money; a lot of factors come into play. Customers, suppliers and the local community are all affected by the business and its operations. Ben and Jerry’s products, and the wayRead MoreThe Code Of Conduct For Armed Forces1413 Words   |  6 Pagesover such as discrimination and conflict of interest. The doctrine was written and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 17 August 1955 and has only modified twice since. When women entered the workforce, it made significant changes to the ethical cultures within different organizations. A lot of these women and men have been victims of physical violence within the workplace and/or involving their co-workers. Recognition. In the Code of Conduct for the Armed Forces of the United States, thereRead MoreThe Citizen Consumer Hybrid Of Ben Jerry s Marketing Strategy1624 Words   |  7 PagesCITIZEN-CONSUMER HYBRID IN BEN JERRY’S MS 2 THE CITIZEN-CONSUMER HYBRID IN BEN JERRY’S MS The Citizen-consumer Hybrid in Ben Jerry’s Marketing Strategy Yilin Zhang Media, Culture and Environment Dr. Andy Opel Nov 1, 2017 The Citizen-consumer Hybrid in Ben Jerry’s Marketing Strategy Today, the ice cream industry has been developed mainly in the United States (Arbuckle, 2013). As a frozen product, ice cream is often related to environmental issue. As Gwanpua (2015) pointsRead MoreEssay on Strategic Plan, Part I: Conceptualizing a Business1277 Words   |  6 Pagesexperience. Ben Jerry’s has elevated the ‘ice cream experience’ to a whole new level with their company philosophy, the product they offer and the service they provide to their customers. It is important to understand how the vision, mission and values of a company can affect the business. Lip service is not something any consumer deserves, and Ben Jerry’s has taken this to heart. Their three-part mission statement, progressive value statement and their stand on current social issues show theyRead MoreMm Case Seminar1149 Words   |  5 Pagesands not to lose their market shares to others.    Ben Jerrys  Ã‚   1. How does Ben Jerrys values help execute the marketing strategy?   Social values take an important part of Ben Jerry’s company values. The company aims to build a strong relationship with its customers therefore creates a long-term loyalty. Ben Jerry’s social values is the foundation of its marketing strategy. The product and promotion of marketing mix in Ben Jerry’s are good examples of how their company values affectRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility And Its Effects On Environmental And Social Wellbeing Essay2027 Words   |  9 Pagesresponsibility is something that is practiced in every company. However, every company is different and is portrayed in the way they complete their Corporate social responsibilities. Because of this, each company is unique, especially Ben and Jerry’s. Ben and Jerry’s needs very specific corporate social responsibilities and because they are environmentally friendly. First, what is CSR? CSR is corporate social responsibility, which â€Å"refers to business practices involving initiatives that benefit societyRead MoreWhat are Benefit Corporations?2336 Words   |  9 Pagesfor of change in passing legislation and investing capital to make a difference in the world. Besides being accountable to all stakeholders, B Corporations are more transparent than that of traditional corporations as they are required to annually issue a report to the public, assessing their overall financial and environmental performance against a quoted threshold known as the B Impact Assessment. In acting socially responsible as a mission rather than an option for businesses, Benefit CorporationsRead MoreMarketing Strategy1138 Words   |  5 PagesReynolds’ marketing strategies. Which issues seem to be perennial problems for the company? 2. How has R.J. Reynolds used its marketing strategy to counteract negative influences within its operating environments? Exercise 3.2 Ben Jerry’s http://www.benjerry.com 1. Based on Ben Jerry’s website, can you determine the characteristics of the firm’s customers? How are these customer groups related to selling ice cream? 2. How is Ben Jerry’s website used to collect customer informationRead MoreAdvertising And Their Influence On Children1516 Words   |  7 Pagesmarketers might overlook the ethical policies. Ethics in advertising has become critical in today’s scandal ridden ere and it affects the practices of human’s lives. Hence ethics is considered most important feature of advertising. Ethical advertising is constantly beneath the scrutiny of the public and shelled with criticism and has been through many moral ethical issues involved in â€Å"fair† advertising. Also, unethical practices may endure to raise question from an ethical standpoint. Advertising canRead MoreChallenges Faced By Hybrid Models1271 Words   |  6 PagesHowever, to a certain extent, for-profit corporations are limited in their capacity to address social issues as a result of their responsibility to their shareholders to maximize share value. While legal scholars continue to debate this claim, it is generally accepted that shareholders reserve the right to demand that corporations put profits above all else. The Unilever forced buyout of Ben Jerry’s in 2000 is one notable example often cited as evidence that corporations, even those that have operated