Read through the following case study: Ben & Jerry's Case Study (PDF) Then, write a paper in which you answer the following questions:

• Describe which of the nine mission statement components (listed in your course text) you can find within the mission statement.
• Provide suggestions about how the mission statement can be adjusted to include more of the nine components.
• Explain how we can use the PAPA research methods model to determine if Ben & Jerry’s truly live their mission. (Note that to answer this question, you don't need to design a study; Instead, aim to connect what you have learned about research methods to this real-world situation.)

In 1978, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield made a $12,000 investment and opened an ice cream company, originally called Ben & Jerry's Homemade. Their goal was to make a profit and also pursue a social mission. As Greenfield expressed it, “We measured our success not just by how much money we made, but by how much we contributed to the community. It was a two-part bottom line,” (Folino, 2010) which some people called Ben & Jerry's “double dip” (Page & Katz, 2012). The company grew through the 1980s and 1990s and remained committed to the social mission of its founders. With the founding of the Ben & Jerry's Foundation in 1985, the company gave 7.5 percent of its pre-tax profits to community-oriented projects. Its operations emphasized environmental sustainability, and it followed enlightened employment and community-relations policies. By 1984, the company was in need of capital for expansion and undertook a public stock offering. This meant that it now had public shareholders (Folino, 2010). But by 1999, the stock had fallen from $34 to $17, and some observers said that Ben and Jerry's management style did not include the discipline that investors demanded (Caligiuri, 2012). In 2000, Ben and Jerry's announced that it was being acquired by Unilever, a large multinational corporation. The new owners offered assurance that Ben and Jerry's would remain committed to its social mission and that it would operate as an autonomous unit of Unilever, with its own board, including the founders. Unilever made a substantial gift to the Ben and Jerry's Foundation and pledged to continue its social commitment while also making the company profitable (Hayes, 2000). Since 2000, Ben and Jerry's has continued to follow many of the principles of its founders, who also have personally supported many political and social causes. But some observers have noted compromises with regard to the company's social values, even before the sale to Unilever, driven by the need to earn a profit. For example, one wrote that “much of Ben & Jerry's tie-dyed approach to life has vanished, replaced by a philosophy in which balance sheet priorities have gained the upper hand” (Hayes, 1998). Others cited the decision to discontinue some products that were deemed unprofitable as proof that the social mission had been de-emphasized (Page & Katz, 2012).

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Ben Jerrys adopted a threepart mission statement formalizing the companys business philosophy per the companys home page the mission statement is as f... View the full answer