Analysing the Gap
According to the Ben & Jerry’s Mission Statement, the goal of the company is to integrate product quality with economic success and social responsibility. The key that successfully links these three missions together is the differentiation strategy. A differentiation strategy involves the firm creating a product/service, which is considered unique in some aspect that the customer values because the customer’s needs are satisfied. It calls for the development of a product or service that offers unique attributes that are valued by customers and that customers perceive to be better than or different from the products of the competition. (Dirisu, et al., 2013) through the use of a differentiation strategy the company provides a better product that consumers perceive as being worth the premium price (Thompson and Strickland, 1998) The product aspect of the differentiation strategy requires Ben & Jerry’s to maintain the strictest standards of product quality. This attention to detail can be seen from “cow to cone” as the company says; this means that each step of its supply chain must comply with the company’s three-part mission statement. In its manufacturing operations specifically, Ben & Jerry’s maintains quality procedures for key performance indicators (KPIs) that ensure consistent product quality for every pint produced. (Ackerman & Padilla, 2013) The company wants a brand of ice cream that would be a healthier alternative to the other brands available in