Preview

The Ideal Role for Business in Society

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1246 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Ideal Role for Business in Society
The Ideal Role for Business in Society

Introduction
Business has been going along since long before money, insurance plans, and global warming were even a glimmer in someone’s mind. The days of trading your skill for what you needed are still present today, but in a much different realm. Most people do not rely on their neighbor to grow vegetables for their family to eat while they herd the sheep. Disposing of chemicals and building a greener society were not a worry on the mind of anyone many moons ago. It has changed and businesses can overlook people’s personal issues, individual need, and impact on the environment. The ideal role for business in society is to treat their employees fairly by providing respectable employment plans that fit individual needs and being greener in society by caring to implement plans to reduce their carbon footprint.
Ben and Jerry’s
Ben and Jerry’s started out as small ice cream makers in Vermont with a very small company that grew astronomically. They did not intend on having a plan for responsibility to employees, society, and the planet. They are a prime example of how a business that is not focused solely on the bottom line can make a difference in the community and the world. In 2010 to make the company greener they said, “Our vision is that the entire country will switch over to hydrocarbon (HC) freezers that are significantly more energy-efficient and use gases with lower global warming potential than standard freezers, which use hydrofluorocarbons (HFC).” (Ben and Jerry’s Social and Responsibility Report 2010). They are making effort to do something to improve the environment even if it does cost them some profits.

They give back to the community and support jobs with their foundaiton stating, “Through the Foundation, we’re helping immigrant workers, neighborhood groups, farm workers and dozens of other groups around the country to get organized and fight for a fair deal. In 2011, Ben & Jerry’s contributed

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    It is no mystery that companies exist and desire to make a profit from their product or service being offered. However, it is becoming increasing popular that companies desire to achieve social responsibility in order to increase their public image, which in turn should lead to increased profits. In this class, we learned that social responsibility is the duty to take an action that will benefit the interests of society and the organization (Kinicki & Williams 2011). One of the ways to become more socially responsible that is adopted by many companies is through green management, which is referred to using various policies to reduce environmental problems (Tim Barnett, n.d.). More and more companies are becoming concerned about the impact their organization is having on the natural environment.…

    • 2523 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    business and society

    • 1717 Words
    • 12 Pages

    The collection of private, commercially oriented organizations, ranging in size from sole proprietorships to large corporations is referred to as…

    • 1717 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many who admire Ben & Jerry’s iconic status as a socially responsible company began to worry about the organizations standards once it was sold in 2000 to Unilever. From its beginning Ben & Jerry’s brand just like its mission stood for both the pursuit of values and making an excellent product. Most people knew one thing about Ben & Jerry’s brand it’s that the mission and the company were not only about crazily named ice cream, but the brand also stood for taking action to improve the lives of people.…

    • 1882 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ben and Jerry's

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ben and Jerry 's ice cream and the amazing success the company has experience over the years could be loosely summed up as a story that began with two friends coming together with a vision to create a company that did not adhere to the traditional corporate rules of running a business. They both had certain ideals and a socially and economic responsible opinion on how a capitalist business should be run. There are a lot of similarities in the way this company is run and operated when compared to South West Airlines. They are of course offering two different things to there customers, South West providing a service where Ben and Jerry 's are providing a product but the way that they go about there daily business in the spirit of treating people a certain way, and setting out to complete a different kind of vision then say a more traditional company would is very similar.…

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Business and Society

    • 1788 Words
    • 8 Pages

    General Motors has been called a "template for 21st century capitalism." True False A business is any organization that is engaged in making a product or providing a service for a profit. True False Businesses and society are independent of one another. True False The stakeholder theory of the firm argues that a firm's sole purpose is to create value for its shareholders. True False The instrumental argument for the stakeholder theory of the firm says that companies perform better if they consider the rights and concerns of multiple groups in society. True False The normative argument for the stakeholder theory of the firm says that the stakeholder view is simply a more realistic description of how companies really work. True False Nonmarket stakeholders are those that engage in economic transactions with the company as it carries out its primary purpose of providing society with goods and services. True False Market stakeholders include nongovernmental organizations and the media. True False Each stakeholder group has only one source of power in relation to a firm. True False…

    • 1788 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ecology of Commerce Paper

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Our business practices are destroying our Earth, cutting away our forests, wiping out protected and non-protected animals, using up natural resources and most don’t know or sadly don’t care. Businesses don’t have the time or patience to worry about the environment but when all the resources are depleted, then what will they do? Big companies are trying to do small things like telling the workers to recycle or dedicating trees on their property to help stimulate the environment, but what they don’t…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Unit 37 Task M1

    • 1489 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ben and Jerry’s take on corporate social responsibilities, taking action to achieve more desired goals to expand their business growth and also maintaining open line communication with employees to gain a better outcome.…

    • 1489 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ben & Jerry's Stakeholders

    • 1323 Words
    • 6 Pages

    As cases mentioned, Ben & Jerry’s possess high reputation that emphasis on socially causes and community. Ben & Jerry's has collaborated with a large number of organizations, including many NGOs. Recently, the company has worked with the World Wildlife Fund and explorer Marc Cornelissen to open the Climate Change College.…

    • 1323 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ben And Jerry's Timeline

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of super premium ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet in unique and regular flavors. The Ice Cream Company embraces a philosophy of being real and "down to earth", being humorous and having fun, being non-traditional and alternative and, at times, being activists around progressive values. Co-founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have been seen as role models for running a business that is both profitable and socially responsible and committed to using only natural ingredients in its products. With flavors like Cherry Garcia, Chubby Hubby, Chunky Monkey, Phish Food, and Rainforest Crunch its no wonder that they are known as the "Woodstock of ice cream".…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The business environment is never stable. It experiences changes that are constant and the companies need to be dynamic in order to adapt itself to the changing environment. The business leaders now have more social responsibilities on their shoulders than they had only 20 years ago. With the rapid growth in technology, the activities of any business are becoming more and more transparent and hence it is no longer possible for businesses to ignore externalities. As the impacts of business on the environment, on society, and on individuals became too substantial to ignore in many realms, and cheaper and easier ways to measure those impacts were devised, the rules of doing business shifted. Considerations that hadn’t previously complicated the plans of corporate leaders have now started getting factored in.…

    • 2433 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Consumers are going to most likely use or purchase a product from a company that social ties in the communities or globally. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Inc. is an example of a company with social responsibility. Ben and Jerry’s company, social mission benefits many of their stakeholders like their employees, and community not just their shareholders. Ben and Jerry’s company belief in “linked prosperity” that as the company grows the owners are going to share the wealth with not only their share holder but the community and employees (“Who are We”, 2013). Ben and Jerry’s was the first company to publicly issue, an annual social performance report (“The Journal of Applied Business Research”2013).In the mid 80’s, the company started a public stock to support the growth of the company, Ben and Jerry’s created a Ben and Jerry’s Foundation which Ben donated 50,000 shares and board of director commits about 7.5% of the pretax profit from the company annual profit to the foundation(“Who are We”,2013). The main goal of the foundation was to give away the profit that Ben and Jerry’s ice cream company generated. Later on the Ben and Jerry’s had major change in the ownership structure and now is owned by Unilver. However, even with new ownership the foundation still gains support from Unilver to continue to foundation fund the grants. The Ben and Jerry’s foundation receive about 2 million dollars in 2009 from Unviler. Ben and…

    • 1517 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Yum! The cold, soothing taste of a frozen treat! There's nothing like ice cream to just simply make your day better! Imagine, you buy a fresh pint of Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough, you carefully break the seal and open the lid, waiting for you is a beautiful untouched smooth cup of heaven, you grab your favorite spoon and ever so gently plunge your spoon into the soft surface of this dairy delight, however are you aware of the roots behind the people and places that grow and make these ingredients? Ben & Jerry's is known for its delicious ice cream treats, but the company itself is an eco friendly, people loving, company that values the quality of life.…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ben and Jerry’s strives to have a positive impact on the environment. The company has a philosophy of producing food in a way that is not wasteful or harmful to the environment. Some of the ways Ben and Jerry’s is trying to help the economy and use safe food methods is by using family farms in rural communities to produce their ice cream products. While this helps keeps the environment clean and cut down on waste, it also helps family farms prosper. The company realizes that the economic wealth of the country is wide and they want to produce ice cream in a way that provides prosperity to farmer while ensuring corporate profitability.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    It is also vital for businesses that are trying to become more environmentally friendly - so even if you’re more motivated by saving the planet than making money, there might be a place for you in the world of business.…

    • 1893 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ba 342 Essay

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As one of the important things that Debora mentions, sustainable business practices can be used as some guidelines to ensure that every business entity achieves sustainability, while at the same time being able to make their profits. This means that businesses would be able to meet their targets of profits, be able to sustain their workers and make sure that people do not interfere with the main purpose of sustaining the business and the planet. This is in consideration of the fact that people and businesses rely on the resources that are generated by the planet. With every business targeting to make profits, the planet should not get depleted just because of the projections of the business entities, there needs to be a balance among people, the business targets or profits, and the planet’s state of resources.…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays