Introduction
After reviewing the Ben & Jerry’s Case Study, by Nan S. Ellis and Lisa M. Fairchild, we have determined three possible options for Ben and Jerry to choose from in regards to the Unilever buy-out offer or merger with Dreyer’s and/or Unilever. Since, Ben and Jerry’s has distribution problems inhibiting the company’s growth, our options weigh this factor heavily. The unique social responsibility aspect is of great concern to Ben and Jerry and they do not wish to compromise this. We will weigh the costs and benefits of not selling, merging, and selling to Unilever.
The Decision to Not Sell
Ben & Jerry’s chose not to sell in the case study because they placed a high value on their bottom …show more content…
Ben & Jerry’s “two-part bottom line” is unique and is something that neither of the founders wanted to compromise by merging or being bought out by another company. The company’s values for helping others were worth more than the $16.10 per share profit that selling the company would have gained. Ben & Jerry’s is a company that is invested in social responsibility they invest in a not-for-profit Time Square Hotel that supports housing projects for homeless …show more content…
This could be done with either Dreyer or Unilever; both companies with whom Ben & Jerry’s had discussed other purchasing options. Ben & Jerry’s was suffering from some distribution problems that a merger with Dreyer’s would help. In the past, a distribution joint venture with Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream was proposed. Ben & Jerry’s did not believe this was an appropriate decision to make as it did not secure the independence of Ben & Jerry’s after the merger. This option was thus determined to be “economically infeasible.” During this time, Unilever was expressing interest in purchasing Ben & Jerry’s. Seeing as Ben and Jerry had a strong emotional attachment and sense of social responsibility with the company, a merger would have been a practicable option. In this merger agreement, it would be of Ben and Jerry’s best interest to allow Unilever to control distribution, while Ben and Jerry manage the social aspect of the company. This would give Ben and Jerry less responsibility, while permitting them to continue doing what they