Name: Ice Cream Social
ISBN: 9781609948139

Brad Edmondson

Explores the up-and-down history of ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's, a company committed to making great ice cream, supporting progressive causes, and spreading its wealth to employees and stakeholders.

The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry's

Ice Cream Social

Great if you want to see a case study of a company with good intentions trying to build a company that fosters progressive change.

Ben Burns

Ben and Jerry are friends of my wife's family, but their professional history doesn't come up when we're sitting around the porch, and it would be kind of awkward to ask. So I wanted to familiarize myself with the story of the company's ups and downs - their growth, the sale, the rough patches, and the way they pioneered the ethical corporation. This book did the trick.

I'm a big believer in the idea that the religion of shareholder value has been a huge mistake, and that we need to evolve to an inclusive, long-term-focused version of capitalism ASAP. As Ben says in the book, "Businesses are the most powerful institutions on the planet." Just by demonstrating that that power can be used for good, the team at Ben and Jerry's has gone a long way toward realizing their vision of "linked prosperity" between their business, their employees, their suppliers, their customers and local communities, and the world at large. It's inspiring stuff.

Ice Cream Social The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry's

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