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1、Ben and Jerrys SWOTStrengthsPrestigious, established, successful, global operation, with sales in USA, Europe and Asia, which is synonymous with social responsibility and environmentalism. For example, its products are packed in unbleached cardboard containers. Ben & Jerrys also donates a minimum of
2、 $1.1 million of pretax profits to philanthropic causes yearly. The company sponsors PartnerShops, which are Ben & Jerry outlets independently owned and operated by nonprofit organizations such as Goodwill Industries. The company is also involved in other good causes, including global warming, gun c
3、ontrol and saving family farms.The company sells its colorfully named ice cream, ice-cream novelties, and frozen yogurt under brand names such as Chunky Monkey, Phish Food, and Cherry Garcia. It also franchises some 750 Ben & Jerrys Scoop Shops worldwide. Ben and Jerrys were bought by consumer produ
4、cts manufacturer Unilever in 2000, but were still able to retain their social responsibility platform and kept both co-founders closely involved with product development. Their brands complement Unilevers existing ice cream brands. In 2009 Ben and Jerrys Chunky Monkey ice cream flavor was named in a
5、 top ten list of the best ice cream in London. In 2007 Ben and Jerrys co-founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were asked to join Lance Armstrong in speaking about clean technology and alternative energy at the Ernst and Young national entrepreneur of the year awards. In 2008, their market share
6、was second only Haagen-Dazs who had a 44% market share while Ben and Jerrys had 36%. This was achieved in spite of a premium price point. The premium price of the product was supported by a high quality image, and high quality products. WeaknessesIn 2006, former CFO Stuart Wiles was convicted of emb
7、ezzling some $300,000 from the company during his tenure at Ben & Jerrys, which ran from 2000 to 2004. In 2006 they had to stop using Michael Foods as their egg supplier, due to bad PR from the Humane Society, which alleged that Michel Foods treated chickens inhumanely. They achieved success despite
8、 several corporate weaknesses. The most obvious was a lack of professionalism in its management, and no clear mission statement (which they have amended). They reinvested huge amounts of property and equipment in 1994 increasing their long-term debts by almost 45% in 1993. They increased marketing a
9、nd selling expenses and administrative infrastructure, which increased 28% to $36.3 million in 1994 from $28.3 million in 1993 and increased as a percentage of net sales to 24.4% in 1994 from 20.2% in 1993. They took out a vast amount of capital lease in their aim to automate their production to kee
10、p up with the intense competition. Their clear focus on multiple social responsibility issues could hurt the company by shifting the focus away from important business matters, and also add unnecessary costs. They need more experienced management to fuel aggressive growth in a downturned economy and
11、 change flat sales in their premium product lines. OpportunitiesIn todays health conscious societies the introduction of more fat-free and healthy alternative ice cream and frozen yogurt products. Provide allergen free food items, such as gluten free and peanut free. In 2009 Ben & Jerrys announced p
12、lans to roll out the countrys first HFC-free freezers; freezers that would be sold to grocery stores and would not emit harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. In 2008 they acquired Best foods and Slim-fast which will allow them to enter a new industry of weight loss products. In turn they can now ex
13、pand into new geographic markets-more countries, like Europe, where the weight loss/management trend is taking hold. They could expand their existing product lines to compete with the private-in house brands offered by supermarkets, and in developing countries. Selling Ben and Jerrys premium ice cre
14、am in South America (which is an emerging market that has yet to be capitalized upon). There is a growing demand for premium ice cream in new markets like Asia. ThreatsMuch of their target market is constantly changing its product preferences (desiring to prevent diabetes, obesity etc.). That, coupl
15、ed with a decrease in household sizes and discretionary income, has left sales flat in recent years. Consumers are concerned about fattening dessert products. Especially Ben and Jerrys target market, which are accustomed to reading nutrition labels. Any contamination of the food supply, especially e
16、-coli. Major competitors, like Nestle (Pillsbury), Kraft Foods, Dunkin Donuts, and Dean Foods. They also have competition from global food companies with similar products and any grocery store label products. Much of their competition seems to be merging together, in order to remain marketable in th
17、is tough economy. Experts say that animal feed prices are rising, partly because biofuel crops are replacing cow fodder. In turn, the high priced animal feed pushes up the cost of milk. Prices of all milk products are rising worldwide, due to what some call a perfect storm of low supply and high dem
18、and. There is a distinct possibility that their may not be enough milk to meet demand, and that there could be a global milk shortage. Agricultural economists say todays milk shortage is basically a case of low supply and high demand worldwide. Supply is down for many reasons. A bad drought in Austr
19、alia dried up the grass that the countrys cows eat. New export taxes were added on Argentinas milk in an attempt to keep the countrys food prices under control. Also, European farmers cant significantly increase production until a quota system is phased out eight years from now. The U.S. and Europe
20、always used to have spare dairy products to sell cheaply around the globe, but thats no longer the case, says market expert Erhard Richarts. Skim Milk powder (which is easier to transport than fresh milk) is used in a wide range of foodstuffs, and in 2007 its price shot up to record levels worldwide - almost twice as high as the year before. Then retail prices went up, a butter shortage, cheese prices went up, and then wholesale prices went up, and there doesnt seem to be an end to it.