Otd Case Ben and Jerry
KEEPING THINGS ORGANIZED AT BEN &
JERRY’S
SUMMARY:
This case is on an ice cream parlor which is Ben & Jerry’s and it was started by Ben and Jerry in 1978 at a small gas station in Burlington Vermont. The initial goal of the company was to sell ice cream just for fun, but just within no time they became so much popular that now they were a $45 million dollars company. The main reason for this was its unique culture which they followed and which was not moving on alone but to move with everyone that’s in the company and even those which are affected by them, but as the competition arose, it put stop to their rise. The company knew that in order to survive they have to find new targets so that it can attract new customers. In order to achieve this they wanted to establish a factory and for this they had made their friend and neighbor stockholders of the company. He knew that in order to keep shareholders happy they have to grow, but it wasn’t that easy because the culture and processes of Ben and Jerry’s have changed. Everything which was once on organic basis is now turned into a mechanistic culture. This created dissatisfaction among the employees due to which the department started to copy the work of others. The situation is getting even worse because all the reasons which worked in their favor at the start are now creating a barrier for them to grow.
Questions:
1. Has Ben and jerry’s been forced to grow? Explain
Answer
Ben and jerry’s were forced to grow because
• The market for super premium ice cream was maturing in the mid 1980’s and there was new host of new competitor.
• The company had to grow to retain its position on super market shelves, there market share was declining.
• Another factor was the decision in 1985, to take the company public and sell stock in order to build a factory, so, now they have stockholders to worry about 2. This case demonstrates that organizations control people as much as or people
JERRY’S
SUMMARY:
This case is on an ice cream parlor which is Ben & Jerry’s and it was started by Ben and Jerry in 1978 at a small gas station in Burlington Vermont. The initial goal of the company was to sell ice cream just for fun, but just within no time they became so much popular that now they were a $45 million dollars company. The main reason for this was its unique culture which they followed and which was not moving on alone but to move with everyone that’s in the company and even those which are affected by them, but as the competition arose, it put stop to their rise. The company knew that in order to survive they have to find new targets so that it can attract new customers. In order to achieve this they wanted to establish a factory and for this they had made their friend and neighbor stockholders of the company. He knew that in order to keep shareholders happy they have to grow, but it wasn’t that easy because the culture and processes of Ben and Jerry’s have changed. Everything which was once on organic basis is now turned into a mechanistic culture. This created dissatisfaction among the employees due to which the department started to copy the work of others. The situation is getting even worse because all the reasons which worked in their favor at the start are now creating a barrier for them to grow.
Questions:
1. Has Ben and jerry’s been forced to grow? Explain
Answer
Ben and jerry’s were forced to grow because
• The market for super premium ice cream was maturing in the mid 1980’s and there was new host of new competitor.
• The company had to grow to retain its position on super market shelves, there market share was declining.
• Another factor was the decision in 1985, to take the company public and sell stock in order to build a factory, so, now they have stockholders to worry about 2. This case demonstrates that organizations control people as much as or people