Ben and Jerry's Homemade Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ben and Jerry's Homemade - Case Study Example It is interesting to inquire how the earning of Yocream International was lesser (9.4) than that of Ben and Jerry’s (19.8) although both sold on the same price line (1.8). The above analysis reveals that other companies were earning higher than Ben and Jerry’s and their shareholders were profiting better than the shareholders of Ben & Jerry’s. 2. Do you think that, in general, it is possible for a for-profit company to be committed to â€Å"improve the quality of life of a broad community† and still maximize shareholder value? Why or why not? In general, it is not possible for a for-profit company to be committed to improve the quality of life of a broad community and still maximize shareholder value because approach towards the community and overall society is different. The traditional business approach has been money-minded. Companies strive to reduce costs and increase profits. This is a simplistic view of business and profit-making. Not only simple but it is conservative as well. In old times, it used to depend on company proprietors whether to spend their hard-earned money on personal pursuits or on the community welfare. Improving the quality of life was not counted to be relied on the shoulders of private sector. It used to be the responsibility of the government. If I were Henry Morgan, I would recommend the Board to decide in favor of the takeover offers being made. Shareholders’ profit-earning interests cannot be ignored at the cost of playing a greater role of attending to the needs of social, economic, and environmental concerns. No doubt, providing a canopy to the social values through such efforts as providing demand for harvestable tropical rainforest products sounds nice and caters to deep human welfare emotions, but the primary job of a listed company is to earn profit for the shareholders. Community welfare needs to be a secondary thought. 4. If you are thinking about starting a new business, would social consciousness