Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc.

Final Campaign Research Report

SCOM 388: Campaign Research Methods
Dr. Andrea Martinez Gonzales
May 4, 2021

Researchers:
Lucas Strigel
Dana Kiger
Corey Bull
Lily Burchfield
Carly Lyvers
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Table of Contents

Part One: Secondary Research

Introduction (3)

Organization Analysis Internal Factors (3)

Organization Analysis External Factors (6)

Public Environment (7)

Issues and Problems Analysis (9)

Public Analysis (10)

SWOT Analysis (11)

Problem and Opportunity Statement (12)

Possible Hypotheses and Research Questions (12)

Part Two: Primary Research

Introduction (14)

Research Questions and Hypotheses (14)

Methods (17)

Measurements (18)

Implications (19)

Part Three: Final Report

Demographic Information and Descriptives (20)

Research Question and Hypothesis Analysis (20)

Summary of Results (22)

Theoretical Implications (23)

Practical Implications (24)

Limitations and Suggestion for Future Research (27)

References (29)
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Appendices
Final Questionnaire (32)

Data Analyses Outputs (39)

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Part One: Secondary Research
Introduction
Ben & Jerry’s organization's issue is the dairy industry’s use of recombinant bovine
growth hormone (rBGH). RBGH is a growth hormone used by dairy farmers to make cows
produce more milk, and its usage has grown in popularity over the years. Ben & Jerry’s openly
opposes the use of rBGH, and they proudly say that they require that all of their dairy providers
not use rBGH.

Organization Analysis: Internal Factors

Structure
Ben & Jerry’s as a business is different from most; they have an independent Board of
Directors, while also being a subsidiary of Unilever. The Board of Directors mission is,
“Preserving and expanding Ben & Jerry’s social mission, brand integrity, and product quality, by
providing social mission-mindful insight and guidance to ensure we’re making the best ice cream
possible in the best way possible” (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020). The company as a whole has a three-
part mission statement that is designed to help every area of their business. Their statement is,
“Ben & Jerry’s is founded on & dedicated to a sustainable corporate concept of linked
prosperity” (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020). The three parts of their mission are economic, social, and
product missions. They hope to have financial growth, make the world a better place, and make
great ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s believes that these parts guide everything they do and must
function equally to maximize their relationships with their publics (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020).
Ben & Jerry’s was originally founded in Vermont in 1978 and was independent until
2000 when Unilever bought it. When Unilever purchased the company, it was important for
Ben & Jerry’s to maintain their mission of pursuing social missions while also making ice
cream. The original co-founders were still involved after the company was bought. Ben &
Jerry’s has an independent Board of Directors, as well as two owners (Julie Williams and
Fristoe Thomas) and two presidents (Jostein Solheim and Brian Hailey) (Mergent Intellect,
2016).
Ben & Jerry’s has committed itself to a wide variety of social missions throughout
the years. They want their customers to know what they stand for. The use of rBGH goes
against Ben & Jerry’s mission as the use of the genetically engineered hormone promotes a
“chemically-intensive, high-tech food system” (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020). Ben & Jerry’s
believes that using milk from local cows not given rBGH is important to their product
quality. Therefore, being vocal about this issue fits into the organizational vision of
“providing social mission-mindful insight and guidance” (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020).
Ben & Jerry’s website shows several tabs in which people can read about Ben &
Jerry’s different values and how they do business. They also have various ways to connect
with the company via social media (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020).
They claim that their mission statements guide their decision-making process in all
circumstances. Ben & Jerry’s takes great pride in their public relations work. Sean
Greenwood, who handles most of the public relations for Ben & Jerry’s, believes that
social activism and speaking out have always been a part of their organization. He
mentions that the company went through a bit of an acclimation period when Unilever
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bought them. There was debate if this made their company less aware of social issues and
more about revenue (Moore, 2020).
Ben & Jerry’s issues are always recent as they are updated annually to reflect their
importance.
Performance
Ben & Jerry’s produces ice cream and frozen desserts. This issue is not related to one
product specifically, but rather how their ice cream is made in general. Ben & Jerry’s will not
use cows that are given the hormone rBGH in their milk production.
The company follows stringent product quality standards and aims to deliver the
utmost quality in every step of their production from “cow to cone.” The quality manager of
Ben & Jerry’s, Melissa Corcia, said, “Ensuring the final product reflects the passion and
quality that we put into each pint required a quality solution that emphasized the same
attention to details that we do” (InfinityQS, 2019).
According to Statista, Ben & Jerry’s had sales of 863.1 million in 2020 and was the
leading ice cream brand in the U.S. (Wunsch, 2020). There is no doubt that they are a
popular and well-liked brand.
By not using cows that are given rBGH, they are promoting their product quality and
excellence in their ingredients. By doing so, they appeal to customers who place high
importance on what they put into their bodies, therefore appealing to a broader range of
customers.
According to Ben & Jerry’s 1988 annual report from Mergent Online, each of their four
quarters did not reach over $65,000 (Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc.). Therefore, their total net
sales for 1988 would not reach over $260,000. Although there is growth in any business over
several years, the substantial amount of growth that Ben & Jerry’s has seen can be attributed to
decisions they made like deciding not to use cows that are given rBGH.
Some customers might not like that Ben & Jerry’s are not using cows that are given
rBGH. With recent health awareness trends, we believe that not many customers want these
cows used.
Based on our recent findings, we do not believe they need to improve their products
right now. Their sales were at the top of their industry last year, and their product quality is
high, with each of their ingredients coming from a specific place. Ben & Jerry’s should
maintain their place in the industry by keeping up with trends and finding ways to keep their
product quality high.
Internal Impediments
Ben & Jerry’s is known for its supportive internal environment for public relations
activities. According to their website and social media platforms, how employees are hired is
largely based on the interviewee's stance on the many social missions that Ben & Jerry’s aligns
themself with. By ensuring that the internal community is built off shared values, the company
can trust that their brand is represented correctly on all levels, ranging from corporate CEOs to
the ice cream scoopers at each local shop.
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While Ben & Jerry’s places a large emphasis on internal satisfaction amongst
employees and a company-wide shared set of values, according to a 2015 New York Times
article, their parent company Unilever has not always done the same. In the early years of
Unilever’s deal with Ben & Jerry’s, there was an apparent disconnect amongst how employees
were to be treated and how involved the ice cream company was allowed to be regarding
social issues. While Unilever has nearly tripled Ben & Jerry’s revenue and created several new
social justice opportunities due to the increase in funding, there will always be room for
conflict as the two companies' core, and founding values have never been the same.
To find a middle ground and allow Ben & Jerry’s to keep the core values they were
founded on without potentially hurting the brand, Unilever has since created an external board
to help oversee its social mission and culture. The board includes Ben & Jerry’s original
employees and outside experts to ensure an equal balance that keeps both parties wants and
needs satisfied.
Niche
While there are other competitors across the globe with more funding, higher revenue,
or a wider variety of flavors, there is no other ice cream and frozen treat company that takes a
stance on social justice the way that Ben & Jerry’s does. Additionally, while Ben & Jerry’s has
been owned by a much larger parent company for several years now, they have yet to lose their
independent business feel. Their one-of-a-kind flavors combined with their social change
campaigns creates an incomparable niche within the market.
Ben & Jerry’s dedication to their several different social missions creates a
unique relationship amongst consumers. Instead of just reaching average ice cream
lovers drawn in by their unique flavors, they also bring in those who support similar
social justice issues and are drawn in based on those shared values. Purchasing from and
supporting a company that cares more about people and ethics than money and politics is
certainly not common in the business world and will continue to set Ben & Jerry’s apart
from their competitors as it has already done so for many years.
Ethical Base
Ben & Jerry’s was founded on a three-part mission that continues to be their guide
for creating new flavors, new campaigns, and new ways for operating their business.
According to their website, this three-part decision-making guide combines their
economic mission that ensures sustainable financial growth, their social mission, which
promises new impactful ways to make the world a better place, and their product mission
that serves never to lose the importance of creating top-notch ice cream and products. By
pledging to operate on these grounds, Ben & Jerry’s aims to keep their original founding
values a top priority, no matter how large the company gets.

Communication Audit
With nearly two million followers on Instagram and half a million on Twitter, Ben &
Jerry’s consistently uses their platform to emphasize their core values further. Not only do they
use social media as a form of advertising while unveiling new products and campaigns, but
they also use their reach to take a stand for several different social justice movements like
support for LGBTQ+ organizations. Ben & Jerry’s active presence on social media and
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discussion about much more than just frozen treats creates a more intimate and personal
feeling amongst consumers, thus a more specialized relationship between the two.

Organizational Analysis: External Factors

Supporters
The Ben & Jerry’s organization has been very public about its progressive beliefs since
its inception in 1978 (Higgins, 2017). Ben & Jerry’s has a history of partnering with activist
groups like Black Lives Matter to spread awareness of certain issues. One of their first limited
flavors was called “Baked Alaska,” which was made with only fair-trade ingredients and was
designed to bring attention to global warming. In 2016, they released a flavor titled “Empower
Mint”; a portion of the revenue gained from this flavor was donated to the North Carolina
NAACP (Higgins, 2017). These examples of corporate activism have led to a great deal of
support from big names in the realm of social justice.
A recent example can be found in their recent partnership with former NFL
quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his Know Your Rights Camp. This partnership includes
releasing another unique flavor called “Change the Whirled” (Beer, 2020). Public support
from Colin Kaepernick is important because people like him will give the Ben & Jerry’s brand
an extensive amount of publicity. Evidence of this was found in late 2019 when Kaepernick
partnered with the Nike company to make a unique sneaker supporting the former
quarterback’s decision to kneel during the National Anthem. These unique sneakers sold out in
less than a day (Sandler, 2019), showing that partnering with social justice icons can yield
success for organizations, including Ben & Jerry’s.
Competitors
Ben & Jerry’s faces competition from General Mills’ Haagen-Dazs, Dean Food
Company’s Mayfield, and Blue Bell Creameries. The General Mills Company is a titan, with
over 35,000 employees and a net income of over 2 billion USD (General Mills, 2020). The
company bought Haagen-Dazs in 2000 and also owns brands such as Cheerios, Totino’s, and
Progresso (General Mills, 2020).
Ben & Jerry’s has a reported net income of 4 million USD and 841 employees.
However, the last time the Ben & Jerry’s organization published this information was in late
1999, so these numbers have likely increased since then (Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc.,
1999). In 2000, Ben & Jerry’s was acquired by Unilever PLC, which is its own business titan,
owning companies including Hellman’s, Lipton, and Axe and other ice cream brands such as
Magnum and Breyers. As of 2019, Unilever PLC has over 150,000 employees and an
estimated net income of over 5.5 billion USD (Unilever PLC, 2019). In short, Ben & Jerry’s
has powerful friends, just like its competitors.
The external ice-cream business environment is highly competitive and has been for
some time. According to Ben & Jerry’s, the competition has felt threatened by their business
since the early 1980s. Back in 1984, Ben & Jerry’s sued Haagen-Dazs and its parent company
at the time, The Pillsbury Company. They alleged that members of the Haagen-Dazs
organization threatened distributors in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, telling distributors
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that if they did not stop selling Ben & Jerry’s products, then they would lose access to
Haagen-Dazs products. This was back when Ben & Jerry’s was still a small, reasonably
regional enterprise (Anonymous, 1987).
Opponents
Ben & Jerry’s possible opponent is their own company, Unilever PLC, which is
unexpected. As discussed before, Unilever PLC is a giant holding company that owns a wide
variety of food and beverage subsidiaries. In 2014, the governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin,
signed a law that required foods to be specially labeled if they contained GMO ingredients.
Not surprisingly, Ben & Jerry’s publicly supported this law, which would directly challenge
food distribution company titans such as Kraft, Tyson, and ironically Unilever PLC. It is worth
noting the Unilever PLC has not commented on Ben & Jerry’s stance. It seems they are letting
Ben & Jerry’s say what they want. Andrew Wood, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, has said,
“I don't think they will ever want the potentially massive negative PR of trying to silence
B&J” (Boyle, 2014).
External Impediments
It is unlikely that regulation will impede the success of Ben & Jerry’s. Ben & Jerry’s
regularly argues for regulation in the food industry (to the dismay of their parent company, see
above). In addition to supporting a federal-level GMO labeling law, Ben & Jerry’s also
supports the disuse of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) (Ben & Jerry’s, 2021).
RBGH is a growth hormone that increases milk production in cows and has been a recent
discussion topic (Organic Consumers Organization, 2020). Although rBGH has been shown to
reduce costs (Tauer, 2016), it has increased cancer in cows and possibly even humans (Epstein
et. Al., 2007).
Statistics show that Ben & Jerry’s is ahead of their competition in terms of sales. Ben
& Jerry’s made 863.1 million USD in the year 2020. The closest their competition got was
671.4 million USD, which were the sales numbers of Blue Bell (Haagen-Dazs had around
664.4 million USD in sales) (Canning, 2020).
In 2016, Blues Live Matter, an organization advocating support for United States police
officers, announced that it would boycott Ben & Jerry’s. This was in response to Ben & Jerry’s
public support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which is known to oppose police brutality
publicly and advocate for justice reform at all levels (BLM Demands, 2021).
Ben & Jerry’s is unique because their organization has three separate mission
statements: an economic mission, social mission, and product mission (Values, 2021). They
also state that each of these must “thrive equally in a manner that commands deep respect for
individuals in and outside the company and supports the communities of which they are a
part.” Ben & Jerry’s align with many other nations worldwide in terms of progressive values.
Still, their home base of the United States of America is lagging in progressive politics. If, for
some reason, the United States had a massive surge in conservative ideology, that could prove
to hinder the success of all three of the organization’s missions.

Public Environment
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Visibility
Ben & Jerry’s is a publicly owned company founded initially in May 1978 and later
bought out by a British conglomerate, Unilever. Since Ben & Jerry’s has been around, they
have never left the public eye's attention as long as the world continues to eat ice cream. As of
2020, Unilever holds 29.1% of the market shares for the ice cream industry as a whole, thus
being at the head of the food chain (Thomas, 2020).
Reputation
In terms of the product, the general public is satisfied with the different array of ice-
cream flavors that Ben & Jerry’s has to offer. They have tons of unique names to ice cream
flavors that make their product more appealing to the average eye, rather than just your average
chocolate, vanilla, or Neapolitan.
In the eyes of the public, Ben & Jerry’s is a reputable organization under Unilever. If they
were to be categorized as good, bad, or neutral, they are on the side of “good” in the public's
eyes. Ben & Jerry’s has a lot of involvement in public matters and social movements regarding
change and social reform.
Evidence to support such claims that Ben & Jerry’s is a good organization can be seen
through various social and economic reforms. These include the support of the
#BlackLivesMatter Campaign in 2020, their choice to go against the grain with regards to the
refusal to use rBGH and GMO’s in the product line they serve, as well as their current efforts to
increase the pay rate of their employees to a liveable rate by the year 2030, even if it puts them at
a monetary deficit (Munbodh, 2021).
In terms of public perception, it is clear that Ben & Jerry’s is an ethical company. In
terms of food safety and animal treatment, as can be seen in their anti-rBGH campaigns and
their mission to accomplish change in the modern world through political and social reform.
They are a company that will stop at nothing to do what they consider is the right move in
terms of moving their organization in a forward direction.
Executives in the company are proud of where the organization is headed regarding the
sales of their product line (ice cream) and their stance on social and political reform. The co-
founders of Ben & Jerry’s, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, are even currently pushing for
reform that makes it easier to sue police officers that abuse their power, and are working with
multiple athletes/celebrities, such as Tom Brady and Drew Brees, and politicians to push these
policies forward with greater public support (Alcorn, 2021). In terms of the abstinence from
rBGH, Ben & Jerry’s is constantly looking to improve and abolish unsafe and unsanitary food
and health practices performed by other companies in the food and especially ice cream
industries.

Media Environment
Regarding online and mass media, consumers would describe Ben & Jerry’s as an
outgoing company that strives to make a difference in today’s society one scoop at a time. It has
been touched on above, but Ben & Jerry’s is involved in many social, health, and economic
reform in today’s society. Examples of this include the ones noted above (rBGH and #BLM) and
climate change (Holman & Buckley 2020).
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Not only is Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream very anti-rBGH oriented, but it also has come out
recently with a new style of ice-cream to push an even healthier agenda to the public.
According to an article posted in The Beet in mid-February of 2021 by Maxwell Rabb, Ben &
Jerry’s is currently coming out with multiple fan-favorite flavors for vegan culture as well.
They have begun to make plant-based Ice Cream flavors for consumers who stray from dairy
products (Rabb, 2021). Clearly, Ben & Jerry’s have no problem taking a stand against other
businesses and product lines that they see as unethical or unhealthy within their industry. In a
way, the focus on healthier and cleaner dairy production methods is more beneficial to the
company because they adapt to the needs and desires of the consumers.

Issue and Problems Analysis

Background on the Issue
Ben & Jerry’s was first opened in 1978 in Burlington, VT. A few years later, in 1989,
Ben & Jerry’s came out against the use of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) (Ben
& Jerry, 2020). Ben & Jerry’s believes using rBGH is a step in the wrong direction for food
production in general, despite the differences in production cost.
Consequences of the Situation
Ben & Jerry’s produces a wide variety of ice cream products with high-quality
ingredients from family farmers. The situation is significant because Ben & Jerry’s is
committed to using milk and cream from cows that have not been treated with the synthetic
hormone rBGH and states its position on rBGH on its labels (Anonymous, 2006). The use of
rBGH is widespread in the dairy industry because it gives cows the ability to produce more
milk. However, the hormone is very harmful and has been linked to different health problems
in cows (Lozanova, 2015). Ben & Jerry’s supports safe and sustainable food production, which
they accomplish through their organizational relationship with family farms from the St. Albans
Cooperative in Vermont (BenJerry, 2020). Instead of using the rBGH growth hormone, the
organization buys all their milk from family farmers who pledge not to use the hormone to treat
their cows. Although this costs Ben & Jerry’s more, they are committed to supporting humane
practices within their organization. Ben & Jerry’s spoke out about the rBGH hormone by
sourcing milk without rBGH for their own products and publicly opposing its approval and use
(Lozanova, 2015). As an organization that primarily sells ice cream, it was a large step for Ben
& Jerry’s to come out against buying from dairy farmers that use rBGH. Growth hormones are
problematic in cows because it has been shown to lead to different cancers, including prostate
and breast cancer. Other health problems have also been reported in cows, including a 50
percent increase in leg and hoof problems, a 25 percent increase in infection rate in cows’
udders, and issues with cows' reproductive systems, resulting in infertility (Lozanova, 2015).
This situation primarily affects Ben & Jerry’s as an organization, their customers, the
family farmers they buy from, and the general public and other dairy companies and ice cream
brands. The more publicly Ben & Jerry’s receives about their anti-rBGH stance, the more
likely their decision will reach the general public. People could become more informed about
the rBGH hormone and its adverse effects, making them more likely to support Ben & Jerry’s
instead of other ice cream brands. Additionally, Ben & Jerry’s approach affects dairy farmers
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who use the growth hormone because they do not get any business from Ben & Jerry’s, a very
large organization. This situation also affects the price of milk, which can also affect the price
of ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s commitment to only buy from anti-rBGH sellers makes the milk
they buy more expensive, which in turn can make their ice cream more expensive as well. In
2019-2020, milk production was expected to slow down 3-4 percent while milk consumption
would increase 6-7 percent (Gupta, 2019). As a result, this could cause an increase in the price
of milk, and thus an increase in the price of ice cream too.
A prediction associated with Ben & Jerry’s stance regarding the rBGH hormone usage
is that other ice cream companies will follow in the footsteps of Ben & Jerry’s decision. Ben
& Jerry’s as an organization is very open about its values and commitments with the public.
Their openness with communication is one of the key aspects of the organization that gives it a
family feel. This situation can be seen as an opportunity for Ben & Jerry’s because they can
influence other companies to be more sustainable. This gives Ben & Jerry’s the opportunity to
grow because the public can become more in favor of a company like Ben & Jerry’s who is
open about the ingredients that go into their ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s can be seen as an
organization that took a stand against non-humane production practices and thus, has the
opportunity to influence other companies to follow in their lead.

Resolution of the Situation

This situation can be resolved by continuing to support family farmers to promote
environmental sustainability. Ben & Jerry’s anti-rBGH stance supports smaller family farms
instead of large farms that utilize inhumane practices to get the most milk out of their cows
despite the health consequences. Ben & Jerry’s should keep their anti-rBGH stance on their
products' labels to help their customers become more aware of what the rBGH hormone is and
influence their customers not to buy from brands with the rBGH. This not only benefits Ben
& Jerry’s and small farms but benefits the general public because it makes them more aware
of the negative health effects and unsustainability associated with the rBGH.
The situation holds a lot of importance for Ben & Jerry’s public relations staff and the
top management because they are very open on their stance on different issues and topics in
society. Their choice to be open with the public about all of their values can have positive
and/or negative effects on the organization depending on how much the public
agrees/disagrees with their views. In regards to this situation precisely, Ben & Jerry’s anti-
rBGH stance receives positive feedback from their customers because it demonstrates the
organization's commitment to producing their ice cream with sustainable ingredients. Some of
the other issues Ben & Jerry’s is vocal about go hand in hand with their anti-rBGH stance,
including fair trade, GMO labeling, and climate justice. These issues can further support their
anti-rBGH because they all work together to demonstrate their commitment to supporting a
sustainable environment.

Publics Analysis
Active
Ben & Jerry’s active public includes those individuals who are both knowledgeable and
involved with the organization. This public is Ben & Jerry’s strongest customers who are very
committed to the brand. The market size of ice cream franchises in the United States grew from
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$4.5 billion (2011) to $6.68 billion (2020) and is expected to keep growing to $6.7 billion
throughout 2021 (Lock, 2021). According to a recent study in 2020, approximately 29 million
Americans consume Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (Statista Research Department, 2020).

Aware
The aware public includes knowledgeable individuals about Ben & Jerry’s but not
heavily involved with the organization. This could consist of those who chose to buy from
other ice cream brands that are Ben & Jerry’s competitors. The aware public is knowledgeable
about Ben & Jerry’s as a brand but chooses other options. According to a recent study, Store
brand ice cream (81.79 million Americans), Breyers (59.96 million), Blue Bell (45.32 million),
Haagen-Dazs (36.32 million), and Blue Bunny (32.47 million) are more commonly eaten most
often by individuals in America over Ben & Jerry’s (29 million) (Statista Research Department,
2020).

Aroused
This public includes those who are not heavily knowledgeable about Ben & Jerry’s,
but highly involved with the organization. As a group, we fit in the aroused public because
although we are not highly knowledgeable about Ben & Jerry’s products as a whole at this
time, through this project, we have become very involved with the organization and are
learning more through our involvement with research.

Inactive
The inactive public consists of those who are not knowledgeable on Ben & Jerry’s
and are not involved with the organization at all. This is the group of people Ben & Jerry’s
should try to target to gain more business and followers.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths Weaknesses
● Have a wide variety of ● Certain consumers might disagree
unique/seasonal flavors without with some of the company’s
overwhelming consumers. values.
● The Ben & Jerry’s foundation which ● Former CFO embezzled money
donates 7.5 percent of their profits to from the company.
charities around the world ● Company policies might end up
● Open and forward about their values. costing them more in the long run.
● Strong marketing and advertising
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Opportunities Threats
● A lot of market potential, the demand ● The company could lose sales if
for ice cream is predicted to grow with more conservative ideologies
a cumulative annual growth rate of 3 became popular.
percent. ● Conflicting ideas from parent
● Focus more on healthier ice cream company Unilever
options like dairy-free, sugar-free, and ● Health-conscious people refraining
light ice cream. from eating ice cream
● More innovation through social media ● Major competitors like
as a form of communication GeneralMills’ Haagen-Dazs, Dean
Food Company’s Mayfield, and
Blue Bell Creameries.

Problem / Opportunity Statement

The dairy industry’s continued use of harmful growth hormones such as rBGH has led to
Ben & Jerry’s taking their stance. Companies like Kraft are titans in the dairy world and
actively resist dairy industry regulations. Ben & Jerry’s only have a limited amount of power in
terms of influencing legislation. In other words, Ben & Jerry’s is not causing the issue, but their
competitors are.
The concept we would like to explore more regarding Ben & Jerry’s opportunities is the
emphasis on healthier ice cream options. Many other ice cream companies, like Halo Top, offer
light ice creams that are appealing to more health-conscious individuals. Ben & Jerry’s ice
cream is known for being rich and delicious. However, the nutrition label does not reflect a
healthy ice cream choice in the slightest. Ben & Jerry’s currently has light ice creams, but they
are challenging to find and not prompted often. The organization has the opportunity to appeal
to individuals who prefer lighter ice creams by increasing the advertising on media platforms
that go towards promoting their light ice cream options

Possible Research Questions / Hypotheses

Suggestions for future research
The amount of information regarding the effects of rBGH among humans is not
substantial. There is a sufficient amount of information that proves its harmful effect on cows,
but the research into humans is still fairly preliminary. In general, it is important to understand
why Ben & Jerry’s thought this position was an important one to take.
Research Questions
As stated above, there is not enough information to determine the effects of rBGH on
humans. The information gained from studying cows is still fairly recent, but it has been
enough to prove the hormone’s harmful effect on cows. In addition, these studies are not likely
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to be supported by the big names in the dairy industry (Kraft), since regulation of hormones
such as these would surely lessen profits.
The extent of the dairy industry’s involvement in influencing public policy requires
more study. Research into the harmful effects of growth hormones like rBGH is directly
against the interest of dairy titans such as Kraft Foods. How much influence these businesses
have in preventing these studies is still unknown.
Hypotheses
Based on our research, we believe that Ben & Jerry’s public values generate a great
deal of publicity for the organization. Their stance on the issue of using rBGH is not an
exception to this. It is unlikely that this behavior will result in negative consequences in
the near future.
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Part Two: Primary Research

Introduction
Research Background
Ben & Jerry’s stated that they do not support the use of recombinant bovine growth
hormone, or rBGH. RBGH is a growth hormone used by dairy farmers to make cows produce
more milk, and its usage has grown in popularity over the years. The research should be designed
to provide data regarding the relationship between a consumer’s intent to buy Ben & Jerry’s
products and a consumer’s awareness of Ben & Jerry’s stance on the use of rBGH. Essentially,
the research should examine whether or not awareness of Ben & Jerry’s position on rBGH use
affects a person’s decision to buy a Ben & Jerry’s product. Since the research team is made up of
James Madison University (JMU) students, the logical research method would be a survey.
Surveys provide data representing the attitudes and perceptions of subjects and their relationship
with subject intentions (Stacks, 2017). Since the research team comprises JMU students, survey
data will be fairly simple to collect. The research team has access to resources that allow the
researchers to distribute a survey to a readily available population easily. Essentially, the survey
method will provide researchers with valuable data, and this data will be collected fairly quickly
due to the ease of acquiring survey participants. It is important to note that all research data will
be collected solely from current JMU students since the survey is being distributed through
channels that are only accessible to current JMU students.
Purpose of the Study
The survey is designed to gather data regarding JMU students’ awareness of rBGH and
gather data regarding JMU students’ perception of Ben & Jerry’s decision not to use rBGH in
their products. The specific purpose of the survey is to study the relationship between JMU
students’ awareness of Ben & Jerry’s position on the use of rBGH and the JMU students’
intention to buy Ben & Jerry’s products.
Useful Insights
The data gathered from the survey would be essential and useful to the Ben & Jerry’s
organization. Our secondary research shows that big dairy companies like Kraft use rBGH
regularly, no doubt, because it makes the dairy product production process more cost-effective
(Boyle, 2014). Ben & Jerry’s decision not to use rBGH in their products is a noble one, but our
secondary research shows that it will almost certainly increase production costs for the company.
Our research findings will provide data that identifies whether using rBGH affects a consumer’s
intention to buy a product. Essentially, the survey will tell Ben & Jerry’s whether their position
on the use of rBGH affects their sales numbers. This data will be essential and valuable to the
Ben & Jerry’s organization because it will let the organization know if not using rBGH is worth
the increased cost of production.

Research Questions and Hypotheses

Research Questions
Frequency of Ice Cream Brand Consumption
 15

Our study found it beneficial to look at the ice cream brand our sample of JMU students
consumes the most often. This information is important because it allows us to see if our sample
of JMU students consumes Ben & Jerry’s products regularly. This question addresses the useful
knowledge of knowing whether or not our sample of students consumes Ben & Jerry’s products
the most often or if they consume products more often from one of their competitors.

RQ1: What ice cream brand do JMU students eat most often?

Familiarly with Ben & Jerry’s Products

Familiarity can be understood as the knowledge someone has on a particular topic or

product. Knowing if the public is familiar with Ben & Jerry’s product will be beneficial when
looking at our and interpreting our data as a whole. This question simply addresses whether or
not the sample is familiar with Ben & Jerry’s products.

RQ2: How familiar are JMU students with Ben & Jerry’s?

Familiarity of the rBGH Growth Hormone

As mentioned, familiarity can be understood as the knowledge someone has on a

particular topic or product. rBGH is a growth hormone used by dairy farmers
to make cows produce more milk, and its usage has grown in popularity over the years. The use
of rBGH is an issue because many people see it as an inhumane act. Ben & Jerry’s openly
opposes the use of rBGH, and they proudly say they require all of
their dairy providers not to use rBGH for milk production (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020). Knowing if the
public is familiar with the rBGH hormone will be beneficial because it will allow us to see if
students are familiar with it. This question addresses JMU students' familiarity with the usage of
rBGH.
RQ3: How familiar are JMU students with the rBGH?

Effects of Political Affiliation on Purchase Intention

Political affiliation can be defined as the political party (Democrat, Republican, or

other) that an individual identifies with and supports. Our Secondary Research Report found that
Ben & Jerry’s stands out from other organizations because they care a lot about people and ethics
over money and sales. This is not always common in the business world and sets them aside
from their competitors. Additionally, we found that Ben & Jerry’s aims to accomplish change in
the world through political and social reform and stop at nothing to do what they consider is the
right move to move their company in the right direction. Ben & Jerry’s, Ben Cohen, and Jerry
Greenfield's co-founders work with multiple athletes and celebrities, such as Tom Brady and
Drew Brees, to push specific policies forward in society with greater public support (Alcorn,
2021). With this in mind, purchase intention from customers could be affected. Individual
purchase intention can be defined as “the preference of a customer to buy the product or service”
(Younus, Rasheed, & Zia, 2015). The way buyers' political affiliation aligns with Ben & Jerry’s
actions could affect their purchase intention of Ben & Jerry’s products, leading to the following
research question being proposed.
 16

RQ4: Are political affiliations associated with intentions to purchase Ben & Jerry’s
products?

Effects of Knowledge on rBGH Consumption Intention

Knowledge can easily be understood as awareness or familiarity someone has on a fact or

situation. In this case, we refer to the knowledge an individual has on whether or not rBGH is
used and their likeness to consume that product. rBGH consumption intention can be defined as
the likeness someone will consume if they know rBGH is used. Based on our Secondary
Research Report, we reported that many people would not prefer to consume products made
from cows treated with rBGH with recent trends in health awareness. It is important to look at
this factor because it can help determine if our sample cares about the usage of rBGH in products
they consume or if they do not have an opinion on its use and their consumption of products
made with it. This led us to the following research question being proposed.

RQ5: Are JMU students more or less likely to consume products if they know rBGH is
used?

Attitude towards rBGH Usage

An attitude can be defined as “a relatively enduring system of affective, evaluative

reactions (feelings)” towards something (Shaw, 1982). We see an attitude as a person's collection
of reactions, opinions, feelings, and past experiences gathered over time. Attitudes can be
changed and altered by other people or by learning new information. As a result, Ben & Jerry’s
could benefit as an organization if they understood people's attitudes towards rBGH use in
different products. This question deals with that topic.

RQ6: What are JMU students' attitudes towards food made with artificial hormones?
Brand Support through Word of Mouth Recommendation

Support can be defined as the level of approval someone has towards an idea, product, or
organization. We think it is important to gather information on whether or not JMU students are
likely to recommend Ben & Jerry’s products to other people. Word of mouth can be defined as
talking about an idea, product, or organization with someone else. We find it important to see if
JMU students are likely to support Ben & Jerry’s as an organization through word-of-mouth
recommendations. Hence the following research question is proposed.

RQ7: Do JMU students intend to support Ben & Jerry’s through word-of-mouth
recommendations?

Hypotheses
Our questionnaire is designed to gauge JMU student’s perceptions of the Ben & Jerry’s
brand and then identify what those perceptions mean to Ben & Jerry’s as an organization. More
specifically, we hope to identify perceptions of the relationship between Ben & Jerry’s and
rBGH. The hypotheses listed below were created based on the research questions described
above.
 17
Perceptions of Progressivism

According to our secondary research, people believe Ben & Jerry’s to be a reputable
organization. We believe that the organization’s positive reputation comes from the positive
response to their public stances on social issues. In general, if people like a company more, they
are more likely to purchase that company’s products; JMU students are included when referring
to “people.” This information led us to create the following hypothesis:

H1: JMU students associate Ben & Jerry’s with progressive values.

Intentions to Purchase from a Progressive Organization

The college student demographic tends to lean left on political issues, which means they
are likely to support progressive ideas. To restate, if someone has a more positive attitude
towards an organization, they are more likely to buy the goods and/or services that the
organization provides. Based on this information, we created the following hypotheses:

H2: Knowledge of the social issues that Ben & Jerry’s supports is positively associated
with intentions to buy Ben & Jerry’s products in the future.

rBGH Familiarity

Ben & Jerry’s has taken one of these social stances is their refusal to use any suppliers
who use the rBGH growth hormone in their products. Before research, the researchers for this
report were not familiar with rBGH at all. Since our researchers are also JMU students, we
created the following hypothesis:

H3: JMU students are generally unfamiliar with rBGH

Intentions to Purchase from an Organization that Does Not Use rBGH

The researchers for this report believe that Ben & Jerry’s stance on rBGH demonstrates
the organization’s progressive values. The hypotheses discussed above imply that Ben & Jerry’s
progressive values will lead to higher intentions to buy Ben & Jerry’s products. Since we
identified that the decision not to use rBGH is a progressive stance, we created the following
hypothesis:

H4: Knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s stance on rBGH is positively associated with intentions
to buy Ben & Jerry’s products in the future.

Methods
Sampling Method:
This study was conducted to measure people’s awareness of Ben & Jerry’s position on
the use of rBGH and its possible effects on a person’s decision to buy a Ben & Jerry’s product.
The survey was distributed to James Madison University students, with feedback from 170
 18
survey responses. As Ben & Jerry’s is known as one of the top ice cream brands and is easily
accessible both in Virginia and on the James Madison University campus, using college students
as our sample population not only seemed best for the expected number of responses but also
matched the demographics for those who consume their products.

Data Collection and Procedures:

Using SONA, a university-regulated program, an online survey was sent out to JMU
students in which they were given the option to take the approximately 10-minute survey.
Students voluntarily took the survey either for credit through their account portals or just out of
desire. Questions within the survey measured variables such as intention, perception, awareness,
and recorded basic demographics. While certain students did not complete the full survey, the
170 recorded participants we gathered data from had submitted 100% complete responses.

Measurements
Brand/Product Familiarity
To start the survey, we asked students to please identify what ice cream brand(s) they
purchase most often from a list of the most popular flavors. If a specific flavor was not listed, we
asked them to please specify. Next, we needed to determine students' familiarity with Ben &
Jerry’s as an organization and if students have had their products. To determine students'
familiarity with Ben & Jerry’s, we used a Likert scale ranging from 1 (not familiar at all) through
5 (Very familiar) to gauge how familiar students are with the brand. Regarding whether students
have used their products, participants responded either “Yes” or “No.”

Social/Political Stance Familiarity

Next, we asked students how familiar they were with Ben & Jerry’s stance on rBGH
using a Likert Scale ranging from 1 (Not familiar at all) to 5 (Very Familiar). Continuing in the
same pattern, using the same Likert Scale, we asked students their familiarity with Ben & Jerry’s
social values as a whole. In measuring perceptions of progressivism, we hypothesized that James
Madison University students would associate Ben & Jerry’s with progressive values, based on
data from our secondary research report. To measure participants' views on Ben & Jerry’s social
values, we had them rank from a table with five categories from left to right whether they
considered Ben & Jerry’s to be progressive or regressive, Left-Leaning or Right-Leaning, and
Liberal or Conservative. The measurements were supposed to be reliable, with an alpha value,
𝛂=0.88.

Participant Attitudes
We then had to consider the perspective of students’ attitudes towards foods made with
rBGH and whether it truly makes a difference in the kinds of products that students are
purchasing. We did this by using a Likert Scale to record the results, ranging from 1 (Strongly
Against) to 5 (Strongly Support). Following up on that question, we used another Likert Scale to
determine how likely students are to buy a certain product if made using rBGH ranging from 1
(Not at all likely) to 5 (Very Likely). Last but not least, we used the same Likert Scale from the
above question to gauge whether students would purchase Ben & Jerry’s products, knowing their
company values regarding rBGH. The questions asking about likelihood to purchase a product
using rBGH did not yield reliable results, with an alpha value, 𝛂=0.18.
 19

Attitude to Purchase
After gauging participant attitudes, it was time to shift gears to focus on student
participants’ personal purchase intentions. We measured this on a Likert Scale from 1 (Strongly
disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree), with 2, 3, and 4 being “Somewhat Disagree, Neither Agree nor
Disagree, Somewhat Agree,” respectively. The questions in the table included three variations of
the same question that state whether students intend, plan, and expect to purchase Ben & Jerry’s
Products. The measurements were considered to be reliable, with an alpha value, 𝛂=0.94.

Attitude to Recommend
Lastly, we had to assess whether students would 1) tell their friends and family to
purchase Ben & Jerry’s, 2) recommend buying Ben & Jerry’s products to their peers, and 3) say
positive things about Ben & Jerry’s to other people. As for the student attitudes for purchasing in
the section above, we used a Likert Scale from 1-5 to their disagreement with the different
categories. The measurements were considered to be reliable, with an alpha value, 𝛂=0.92.

Implications
Ben & Jerry’s is certainly a global leader in corporate social responsibility with their
willingness to take a stance on a social issue or matter that would greatly affect their customers.
The company prides itself on its marketing team as well as its knowledge of NGOs and policies.
They understand that when issues arise, they “have this privilege, power, and ability to
communicate” (Beard, 2021). With the issue that the research team is investigating, it is
important to understand why Ben & Jerry’s implemented this change in the first place, their
customers. Ben & Jerry’s learned the effects of rBGH and why it would not be good for their
products. They considered their customers and their well-being in this choice.
As mentioned before, Ben & Jerry’s has a respected marketing and social mission. Their
social mission can deter any customer from buying their product if they disagree with Ben &
Jerry's stance on an issue. They believe their “ice cream can change the world,” and they strive to
improve and change different issues throughout the world (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020). However, some
customers do not care to know a stance. The research collected from the survey can provide Ben
& Jerry’s the information they need to understand if their stance on social issues makes a
difference in customer’s purchase intentions. The data should give insight into the increase or
decrease in sales caused by the knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s issues.
This information can help Ben & Jerry’s advertise or write about their stances in different
ways to gain more attention to increase sales. Ben & Jerry’s originally made this stance in 1989.
Therefore, their stance on the issue is not likely to change (Ben & Jerry’s, 2020). Based on the
survey findings, the company can decide how to improve its marketing to appeal to more
customers.With the information we have collected, Ben & Jerry’s can market their products in
different ways.

Part Three: Final Report

Demographic Information and Descriptives
 20
Our survey was administered through Qualtrics and a mass email was distributed to a
total of 170 students at James Madison University (JMU), however only 167 actually completed
the survey. Students that completed the online survey ranged in ages from 18 to 48, with an
average age (M=18.13) and Standard Deviation of (SD-13.32). The majority of participants were
female (N= 121, 71.2%), while males made up most of the rest of the participant base (N = 45,
45%). A small number of participants marked “Other” when asked about their gender (N = 2,
1.2%).

Research Questions and Hypotheses Analysis

Research Questions

Research Question 1 (RQ1):

RQ1 focused on the kinds of ice cream brands that JMU students eat most often. A
statistical analysis test was then performed based on the different types of ice cream that students
admitted to purchasing. The analyses concludes that of all participants (N=169) answers, the
majority of students said they purchased Ben & Jerry’s most often (50.6%), followed by Breyers
(24.7%), other (8.8%), Haagen-Dazs (7.6%), Blue Bell (3.6%), Blue Bunny (2.4%), and lastly,
Edy’s (1.8%). The results indicate that just over half the survey population would rather purchase
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream over other companies.

Research Question 2 (RQ2):

RQ2 sought to determine how familiar JMU students are with Ben & Jerry’s. Similarly to
RQ1, a statistical analysis test was performed on the results of the answers to a Likert Scale
question asking about students’ familiarity with Ben & Jerry’s organization as a whole. Of the
student answers recorded (N=167), the majority said that they were very familiar with Ben &
Jerry’s organization (53.5%), followed by a smaller majority saying they were familiar (35.9%).
Others claimed to remain neutral (5.9%), not familiar, but still aware (1.8%), and lastly not
familiar at all (1.2%).

Research Question 3 (RQ3):

RQ3 assesses students' familiarity with rBGH. This happens through a statistical analysis
of answers to another Likert Scale question run through a frequency table. The results indicate
that of all participants (N=168), the majority of students replied that they were either not familiar
at all with rBGH (44.7%), or not familiar, but to a slightly lesser degree (40.6%). A small
amount of respondents admitted to having neutral familiarity (6.5%) or some familiarity (5.3%).
Lastly, a tiny portion of respondents admitted to being very familiar (1.8%) with rBGH.

Research Question 4 (RQ4):

RQ4 seeks to determine whether participants’ political affiliations are associated with
their intentions to purchase Ben & Jerry’s products. In order to gain this information, a one-way
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was conducted between the subjects. The results indicate
that there was no significant effect of political affiliation on purchase intentions regarding Ben &
Jerry’s products, thus reflected by F (3, 165) =3.8, and p> .05.

Research Question 5 (RQ5):

 21
RQ5 explores the phenomena of students’ likelihood to purchase products if they know
that rBGH is being used. In order to ascertain this information, a simple linear regression was
calculated to predict likelihood to purchase based on knowledge of rBGH. Interestingly enough,
a regression was found ( F ( 1,165 ) =4.03 , p <.05 ), with an R2 of 0.02. Students’ likelihood to
purchase increased by .15 (β = .15, p < .05) for every unit increase in attitude toward
conservation.

Research Question 6 (RQ6):

RQ6 explores JMU students’ attitudes towards foods made with artificial hormones. This
research was very firmly based on brand support through word-of-mouth recommendations from
students. Information on student’s attitudes were calculated by using the different Measures of
Central Tendency (Mean (M), Median, Mode, and Standard Deviation (SD)). It is important to
note that the survey participants ages range from 18 to 48 (M =18.13, SD =13.32). That being
said, participants’ attitudes towards food made with rBGH were most supportive of rBGH (M =
4.17, SD = 1.25).

Research Question 7 (RQ7):

RQ7, similarly to RQ6, is firmly based on brand support through word-of-mouth
recommendations and continues in the same similar pattern of using Measures of Central
Tendency (Mean (M), Median, Mode, and Standard Deviation (SD)). However, this question
focuses more on students’ intentions to support Ben & Jerry’s, specifically. The participant age
range does not shift, but something else interesting occurs. Intentions to recommend Ben &
Jerry’s products through word-of-mouth recommendation were actually high (M = 3.7, SD =
0.92).

Hypotheses

Hypothesis 1 (H1):
H1 predicts that JMU students associate Ben & Jerry’s with progressive values. When
testing this hypothesis, Measures of Central Tendency were analyzed (Mean (M), Median, Mode,
and Standard Deviation (SD)) to examine the students' perceptions of progressiveness with the
Ben & Jerry’s organization. The findings suggest that the participants in the survey perceive Ben
& Jerry’s to be less progressive than expected. To be more specific, the figures are (M= 2.29)
and the (SD= .86). At this point, the data clearly suggests H1 to be wrong, and therefore not
supported.

Hypothesis 2 (H2):
H2 proposes that knowledge students have regarding the social issues that Ben & Jerry’s
support is positively associated with their respective intentions to purchase Ben & Jerry’s
products in the future. A regression analysis was performed in order to determine whether the
above hypothesis (H1) will be supported or rejected. Unfortunately, the data we received from
the participants in the survey was less than helpful. An important factor overlooked when
designing the survey was the assumption that students already had prior knowledge of Ben &
Jerry’s social activism. The problem therein occurs when students state their purchase intentions
of Ben & Jerry’s products based on their knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s social activism, even if
some students have no prior knowledge. Since this data is now tainted, because students were not
 22
asked their initial knowledge base of social activism within Ben & Jerry’s, the data does not
provide a clear answer for H2.

Hypothesis 3 (H3):
H3 predicts that JMU students are generally unfamiliar with rBGH. In order to prove this
hypothesis, a frequency table went under statistical analysis based on the questions asked on a
Likert Scale regarding students’ familiarity of rBGH. Similarly, to research question 3 (RQ3),
the results indicate that the majority of JMU students are not familiar at all with rBGH (44.7%)
or claim to be less familiar (40.6%). Students claiming neutral familiarity are (6.5%), others
claiming slightly more familiarity sit at (5.3%), and those students claiming to be very familiar
with rBGH hold a slight (1.8%). The data clearly posits that a majority of surveys collected
reflect JMU students' lack of familiarity with rBGH, therefore supporting the H3 claim that JMU
students are unfamiliar with rBGH.

Hypothesis 4 (H4):
H4 explored whether JMU students’ knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s stance on rBGH is
positively associated with intentions to purchase Ben & Jerry’s products in the future. To predict
this likelihood, a simple linear regression was calculated and analyzed. A regression was not
found ( F ( 1,167 )=4.01 , p <.05 ), with an R2 of 0.02. In fact, students’ likelihood to purchase Ben
& Jerry’s decreased by .15 (β = -0.15, p < .05) for every unit increase in knowledge on Ben &
Jerry’s stance on using rBGH.

Summary of Results
This study focused on Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream company. Ben & Jerry’s is a dairy
company that prides itself in its firm stance on refusing to use recombinant bovine growth
hormones, otherwise known as rBGH, in any of their product lines, regardless of the potential
loss in profit margins and/or saving face. Our survey was designed to gauge JMU students’
awareness of rBGH, and furthermore, their perception on Ben & Jerry’s refusal to use growth
hormones in their products. From this point, our survey was specifically designed to understand
the relationship that JMU students’ knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s position on rBGH had on the
participants’ own purchase intentions of Ben & Jerry’s products.
According to the study, a total of 170 James Madison University students participated in
this research survey, however only 167 students actually completed the survey. 169 students
reported their gender, and the majority of the participants identified with the female gender (N=
121, 71.2%) as opposed to male (N = 45, 45%). A very small number of participants identified
with a gender other than male or female (N = 2, 1.2%). Due to this study being targeted towards
current college students, the average age of participants was 18 years old (Mean = 18.31, SD =
13.32). 169 students also report their ethnicity, with the majority of participants being white (N =
130, 76.5%). 169 students also reported their political affiliation, with the majority of students
identifying as Democrat (N = 75, 44.1%), followed by Republican (N = 44, 25.9%), followed
very closely by Independent (N= 42, 24.7%). People that identified as an “other” political
affiliation were small in number (N = 8, 4.7%). It is worth noting that many of the manual text
entries in the “other” field were on the left side of the political spectrum (such as Leftist,
Socialist, Liberal). In this study, there were a total of 11 variables being tested through seven
 23
research questions and four hypotheses including: (RQ1) what ice cream brand do JMU students
eat most often, (RQ2) how familiar are JMU students with Ben & Jerry’s, (RQ3) how familiar
are JMU students with the rBGH, (RQ4) are political affiliations associated with intentions to
purchase Ben & Jerry’s products, (RQ5) are JMU students more or less likely to consume
products if they know rBGH is used, (RQ6) what are JMU students' attitudes towards food made
with artificial hormones, (RQ7) do JMU students intend to support Ben & Jerry’s through word-
of-mouth recommendation, (H1) JMU students associate Ben & Jerry’s with progressive values,
(H2) knowledge of the social issues that Ben & Jerry’s supports is positively associated with
intentions to buy Ben & Jerry’s products in the future, (H3) JMU students are generally
unfamiliar with rBGH, and lastly, (H4) knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s stance on rBGH is
positively associated with intentions to buy Ben & Jerry’s products in the future.
The following information was gained from all of the survey data gathered from the JMU
student participants: (1) The majority of students purchase Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream over all
other ice cream companies, (2) almost 90% of JMU students are familiar with Ben & Jerry’s as
an organization, compared to the other students that surveyed just over 1% admitting they have
no familiarity with Ben & Jerry’s at all, (3) Over 85% of participants are unfamiliar with rBGH,
with just under half of that number having no clue what it is at all. Meanwhile just over 10% of
respondents have some familiarity with rBGH, (4) JMU students’ purchase intentions towards
Ben & Jerry’s products is not significantly involved with their political affiliations, (5) JMU
students are most supportive of foods made with rBGH, (6) Ben & Jerry’s is recommended
highly to others through word-of-mouth communication by JMU students.

Although the information gathered from these surveys was collected from mainly
younger college students that attend JMU, it is still actionable data that could prove to be useful
to Ben & Jerry’s organization as a whole if they ever decide to revisit their strategy on pushing
for removal of rBGH products, or campaign on simply what rBGH is and the effects it has on the
food industry. It also sends a message as to what is truly important to college students regarding
their purchases and diet (JMU students at the minimum) which might be the push that Ben &
Jerry’s may need to emphasize their social efforts against rBGH in order to spread the word to
today's youth.

Theoretical Implications
The results of this study indicated a variety of different findings, some more surprising
than others, regarding both Ben & Jerry’s and rBGH. Some of the significant findings that came
from this collection of research are (1) participants perceive Ben & Jerry’s to be less progressive
than expected and hypothesized, and (2) due to participants’ lack of prior knowledge regarding
Ben & Jerry’s social activism, no conclusion could be made linking together knowledge of the
company’s social justice support and intention to purchase products.
According to the information discovered from the data collected from our surveys, the
data suggests that participants perceive Ben & Jerry’s to be less progressive than originally
expected. There are multiple reasons why we believe this to be the case. First off, we knew that
Ben & Jerry’s holds a positive reputation in the public eye with regards to social and political
activism. That being said, JMU is a very progressive university, and we expected such students
would be aware of Ben & Jerry’s stance on such social issues and would associate them more
 24
with progressive values and assume their organization to be progressive, as well. This however
was not the case. Along the same lines, (RQ4) indicates that JMU students’ political affiliation
has nothing to do with their purchase intentions towards Ben & Jerry’s products. This leads to
the idea that maybe JMU students are generally not associating any types of political or social
agendas to their ice cream choices. Instead, it may very well be the case that JMU students
simply buy Ben & Jerry’s because they like the exotic flavors, and make no actual association to
the company's social activism objectives at all.
The empirical findings of this research also suggest that due to participants’ lack of prior
knowledge regarding Ben & Jerry’s social activism, no conclusion could be made linking
together knowledge of the company’s social justice support and intention to purchase products.
This was not expected, to say the least. Initially, the survey was interested in finding out if JMU
students were purchasing Ben & Jerry’s products based on their knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s
social activism. The problem was that the data was unclear as to whether students were even
aware of Ben & Jerry’s social activism in the first place, similarly to what was mentioned in the
previous paragraph.
Going off research findings, Ben & Jerry’s is still a likely product to be purchased by
JMU students, although it is still difficult to pinpoint if Ben & Jerry’s political affiliation, or
student’s perceptions of their affiliations, plays a major role in their choice to purchase those
products. That is not to say that there is no way that either of these reasons will not suffice in the
near future as JMU grows and progresses, but as for now, they still remain a bit obsolete or
skewed.

Practical Implications
Revised SWOT Chart

Strengths Weaknesses
● Have a wide variety of ● Certain consumers might disagree
unique/seasonal flavors without with some of the company’s
overwhelming consumers. values.
● The Ben & Jerry’s foundation which ● Former CFO embezzled money
donates 7.5 percent of their profits to from the company.
charities around the world. ● Company policies might end up
● Open and forward about their values. costing them more in the long
● Strong marketing and advertising. run.
● Comfortable with their views and on ● Lack of advertisement related to
certain stances they have taken like rBGH and other ingredient
rBGH. factors.
 25

Opportunities Threats
● A lot of market potential, the demand ● The company could lose sales if
for ice cream is predicted to grow with more conservative ideologies
a cumulative annual growth rate of 3 became popular.
percent. ● Conflicting ideas from parent
● Focus more on healthier ice cream company Unilever.
options like dairy-free, sugar-free, and ● Health-conscious people refraining
light ice cream. from eating ice cream.
● More innovation through social media ● Major competitors like
as a form of communication. GeneralMills’ Haagen-Dazs, Dean
● Connecting with different audiences via Food Company’s Mayfield, and
their social media and their website. Blue Bell Creameries.
● Growing consumers with their ● Consumers not buying Ben &
advertisement that they do not use Jerry’s ice cream because of their
rBGH. knowledge of rBGH disuse.

Problem/ Opportunity Statement

After reviewing our secondary research, the surveys completed gave us the ability to
understand how a student's knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s social activism in general, along with a
student's specific knowledge of rBGH, impacts students' decision to purchase Ben & Jerry’s
products. It also gives us useful insight into how Ben & Jerry’s could use this information in the
future when determining the actual reach of their social campaigns, and maybe make it more
efficient for the particular age group we focused on.
Our research data indicates that students are generally unfamiliar with rBGH.
Fortunately, this was a prediction we had anticipated, and so we were not thrown off by the
results. The majority of the participants that answered the surveys admitted to their lack of
knowledge on rBGH, and over half of that majority even admitted they had zero knowledge at all
of rBGH.
Although we predicted these results, there was some difficulty when analyzing the data
because it left us to wonder as to whether or not JMU students can make an informed answer to
the questions regarding rBGH. Along the same lines, if JMU students are unaware of rBGH, then
it is likely that they will also be uniformed on Ben & Jerry’s stance, specifically, on rBGH. How
is it then reasonable to expect students to base their purchase intentions of Ben & Jerry’s
products on their lack of knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s social stance on rBGH?
Interestingly enough, participants' likelihood to purchase Ben & Jerry’s products
decreased for every unit increase in knowledge on Ben & Jerry’s stance on using rBGH. This
basically implies that JMU students would purchase Ben & Jerry’s products regardless of their
stance on rGBH. In fact, based on the results, students are less likely to purchase Ben & Jerry’s
products the more information they acquire on their stance on rBGH. This news was very
shocking to us as a group to say the least. We believed that there would be a positive influence
on students’ purchase intentions of Ben & Jerry’s products knowing Ben & Jerry’s progressive
stance on rBGH. Either way, one thing's for certain; this research study did not come without its
 26
limitations. Three out of four of our hypotheses, throughout the entirety of this research, were
proven to be correct, but needless to say there is still always room for improvement in order to
ensure even greater accuracy.
Target Publics & Characteristics
Older generations
The original public studied in this survey was JMU students. Therefore, our results
showed the views of individuals aged 18-23 years old. We believe that aiming this campaign at
older generations would increase buying intentions of Ben & Jerry’s. Specifically, those above
the age of 40 would be a potential target public. This public is likely more knowledgeable of
rBGH because they could be aware of the debates of its usage around the 1980s. An older
generation would be more willing to have some knowledge on the topic and could be making
their eating decisions based on this knowledge.
If Ben & Jerry’s were to continue advertising their disuse of rBGH and how that is
beneficial to consumers, we believe that older generations would be more likely to buy their
products because they have an increased knowledge of what rBGH is. An older generation has
been familiar with the organization, Ben & Jerry’s for longer than JMU students as well. An
older generation likely expects more quality from this organization. We recognize that it is
important to influence the younger generations so that they then grow up with a consumer
loyalty to Ben & Jerry’s.
The difficult part of having older generations as a target public is because they are not as
aware of social media channels as younger people are. It seems as though older generations are
more aware of channels like Facebook, as it has been around the longest. Therefore, older
generations would likely receive messages in a more mainstream way through newspapers,
magazines, billboards, commercials, and word of mouth. We have agreed that all generations
seem to be influenced by celebrities and what they are doing.
The age range of this older generation is above 40 years old. There are varying economic,
religious, and sociocultural statuses of this public. Ben & Jerry’s can see this public as an
opportunity because this target public reaches younger generations as well. The older generation
we speak of are likely parents or grandparents. If we can persuade and target the older generation
to purchase Ben & Jerry’s, the older generation will influence younger people to buy Ben &
Jerry’s.
With the mission of Ben & Jerry’s, they make ice cream in the best way possible, that not
only makes it taste good, but also makes it produced in the most humane and respectable way.
Consumers can benefit and learn from the priority that Ben & Jerry’s places on them and their
ice cream.
Health-conscious individuals/Dietitians
The second potential target public could be dietitians and health-conscious individuals.
These people are likely already aware of rBGH and know what ingredients to look for when
purchasing their ice cream. This target public likely feels passionate about not having rBGH in
their ice cream.
 27
This target public might not have knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s disuse of rBGH and upon
this discovery, might be more likely to purchase it. With Ben & Jerry’s increase of varying non-
dairy and healthier options, this target public is likely to be aware of the organization’s strides to
improving the ice cream and making it compatible for all people.
This public is likely to see communication through news media, organizational media,
and personal communication within health magazines, shows and books. These individuals are
looking for the best foods for them to consume.
The average age of this target public can vary as well as the religious, economic, and
sociocultural statuses. We believe that these individuals are more likely to be persuaded by facts,
based on their knowledge of food and ingredients related to health.
Ben & Jerry’s offers this public healthier and well-made products that are made with less
hormones. The target public of dietitians and health-conscious individuals would benefit from
this knowledge about Ben & Jerry’s and be more likely to grab a sweet treat!

Campaign Ideas
One message that should be conveyed to Ben & Jerry’s publics is “rBGH is widely used
in the dairy industry and it is bad”, worded a bit more eloquently of course. This message should
be delivered using the awareness communication channel. As discussed earlier in this report, our
research shows that most JMU students have little knowledge on rBGH. Sure, the decision to not
use rBGH in their dairy products is an ethical choice for the organization, but people simply are
not aware of the harms that the growth hormone can cause, let alone its existence at all. Our
researchers suggest that the Ben & Jerry’s organization start a public relations campaign that is
designed to raise awareness of the extensive use of rBGH in the dairy industry, and why rBGH is
harmful. This might lead to publics to retracting support from Ben & Jerry’s competitors in favor
of Ben & Jerry’s itself. People would be aware of the harms that Ben & Jerry’s competitors are
causing because of rBGH and would instead choose to support Ben & Jerry’s because they do
not use rBGH.
Another message that our researchers would like Ben & Jerry’s publics to be exposed to
would be “Ben & Jerry’s does not support the use of rBGH, which means that they are a better
organization compared to their competition”, or something of the sort. This message has the goal
of targeting the attitude communication channel of Ben & Jerry’s publics. According to our
research, although JMU students seemed to prefer Ben & Jerry’s ice cream over other brands,
they seemed to be at least indifferent to the use of rBGH in the products they consume. Our
research shows that it is possible that people are less likely to buy Ben & Jerry’s products, given
the knowledge that they are informed on Ben & Jerry’s stance on not using rBGH. The goal of
this campaign should be to have the publics gain a more positive attitude towards Ben & Jerry’s,
and their stance on not using rBGH.

Limitations & Suggestions for Future Research

 28
There were several different limitations that impacted our research survey and results,
respectfully. One limitation deals with the amount of students that participated in our survey and
their demographic background. There were 170 students that completed our survey, all of which
were JMU students. This makes it a bit more difficult to generalize the results of our findings to
broader populations, differing demographics and age ranges, etc. Of all the survey responses
recorded, there may be an indication that there are limitations on the responses to the survey, and
the subsequent results, because of the age range of the participants (18-48). Although the average
age of the participants came out to 18 years old, the older individuals that completed the survey
could have skewed the data because of their age and the potential access to information that they
have had access to over younger students. Another potential limitation of this survey was the
completion rate. Not all of the answers were marked for every question, thus potentially skewing
the data of the final results, which potentially impacts reliability. Lastly, the surveys were given
out through JMU and taken by various students, most likely for credit in one of their classes. If
JMU students are taking the survey for participation points, it is possible that they may have
rushed through the survey and misread the questions or answered them really fast without giving
their genuine response to the survey question at hand. Either way, in both of these instances, they
have the potential ability to reduce survey validity.
Based on this study, future research could further explore students' awareness of rBGH as
a whole, rather than simply Ben & Jerry’s stance on rBGH. As our research indicates, over 85%
of the participants in the surveys indicated that they had little, or no awareness of rBGH. Another
potential future area of study might be to try and reach a broader population size, such as
students from other schools in and out of state, so that the data represents a larger population size
and Ben & Jerry’s would have an easier time sorting and generalizing the data in order to
programmatically access their next move as an organization.
 29
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 31
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the-Factors-Affecting.pdf
 32
Appendices
Final Questionnaire
Consent to Participate in Research - Perceptions of Ben & Jerry's Corporate Social
Advocacy Campaigns
Identification of Investigators & Purpose of the Study
You are being asked to participate in a research study conducted by Corey Bull, Lily Burchfield,
Dana Kiger, Carly Lyvers, Lucas Strigel, Andrew Balgoyen, Amanda Bowen, Mary Comeford,
Abby Reardon, Ellie Scalzo, Alex Albaladejo, Tyler Cannon, Paige Cooke, Kathleen Dillon,
Jordi Silva, Craig Allison, Jenn Hauck, Amanda Horak, Kalli Perroots, and Elizabeth Skaggs
from James Madison University. This study will contribute to the researcher's completion of
SCOM 388, Campaign Research Methods. This project seeks to understand individuals'
perceptions and intentions to engage with Ben & Jerry’s based on its corporate social advocacy
efforts.
Research Procedures
This study consists of an online survey that will be administered to individual participants
through the SONA system and JMU bulk email. You will be asked to provide answers to a series
of questions related to your perceptions and intentions to engage with Ben & Jerry’s based on its
corporate social advocacy efforts.
Time Required
Participation in this study will require less than 10 minutes of your time.
Risks
The investigators perceive the risks of taking the survey to be no greater than those in everyday
exposure to daily advertisements and population polls. If you feel uncomfortable answering
questions in the survey, please discontinue the survey.
Benefits
The benefits of this survey are added knowledge of perceptions of and reactions to advertising
for pedagogical purposes.
Anonymity
We plan to share our research in research papers and conferences. Individual responses will be
obtained anonymously and recorded through SONA. No identifiable information will be
collected from the participant and no identifiable responses will be presented in the final form of
this study. All data will be destroyed at the conclusion of this study.
Participation & Withdrawal
Your participation is entirely voluntary. You have the choice not to participate. Should you
choose to participate, you can withdraw at any time without consequences of any kind. Once
your responses have been submitted and anonymously recorded you will not be able to withdraw
from this study.
 33
Questions About the Study
If you have any questions or concerns during the time of your participation in this study or after
its completion, please contact:Corey Bull (bullca@dukes.jmu.edu), Lily Burchfield
(burchfla@dukes.jmu.edu), Dana Kiger (kigerde@dukes.jmu.edu), Carly Lyvers
(lyverscn@dukes.jmu.edu), Lucas Strigel (strigelj@dukes.jmu.edu), Andrew Balgoyen
(balgoyaw@dukes.jmu.edu), Amanda Bowen (bowen2ar@dukes.jmu.edu), Mary Comerford
(comerfmm@dukes.jmu.edu), Abby Reardon (reardoar@dukes.jmu.edu), Ellie Scalzo
(scalzoem@dukes.jmu.edu), Alex Albaladejo (albalaax@dukes.jmu.edu), Tyler Cannon
(cannontj@dukes.jmu.edu), Paige Cooke (cookepa@dukes.jmu.edu), Kathleen Dillon
(dillo4ka@dukes.jmu.edu), Jordi Silva (silvajj@dukes.jmu.edu), Craig Allison
(allisocj@dukes.jmu.edu), Jenn Hauck (hauckjl@dukes.jmu.edu), Amanda Horak
(horakam@dukes.jmu.edu), Kalli Perroots (perrookf@dukes.jmu.edu), or Elizabeth Skaggs
(skaggsej@dukes.jmu.edu).
Andrea Martinez Gonzalez
Assistant Professor
James Madison University
marti8ax@jmu.edu
Questions about your rights as a research subject:
Taimi Castle
Professor
Chair, Institutional Review Board
James Madison University
(540) 568-5929
castletl@jmu.edu
Giving of Consent
I have been given the opportunity to ask questions about this study. I have read this consent and I
understand what is being requested of me as a participant in this study.
I certify that I am at least 18 years of age. By clicking on the link below, and completing and by
submitting this anonymous survey, I am consenting to participate in this research. This study has
been approved by the IRB, protocol #21-2446
First, we would like to ask you some awareness questions.
What ice cream brand do you purchase most often?
o Haagen-Dazs (1)
o Ben & Jerry's (2)
o Blue Bell (3)
 34
o Blue Bunny (4)
o Breyers (5)
o Edy's (6)
o Other (please specify) (7) ________________________________________________
How familiar are you with Ben & Jerry's?
o Not familiar at all (2)
o Not familiar (3)
o Neutral (4)
o Familiar (5)
o Very Familiar (6)
Have you ever had Ben & Jerry's products?
o Yes (1)
o No (4)
How familiar are you with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone)?
o Not familiar at all (1)
o Not familiar (2)
o Neutral (3)
o Familiar (4)
o Very familiar (5)
How familiar are you with Ben & Jerry’s stance on the use of rBGH (recombinant bovine growth
hormone)?
o Not familiar at all (1)
o Not familiar (2)
o Neutral (3)
o Familiar (4)
o Very familiar (5)
Next, please carefully read Ben & Jerry's stance on using rBGH (recombinant bovine
growth hormone).
We’ve been fighting for your right to know since 1989. Ben & Jerry's opposes the
approval and use of rBGH Fresh cream and milk makeup more than half of a pint of Ben &
Jerry’s ice cream. So we’ve always tried to make sure our Company’s values — including
support for safe and sustainable food production, family farms, and rural communities — are
reflected in the milk we buy.
In 1989, Ben & Jerry’s came out in opposition to the use of recombinant bovine growth
hormone (rBGH), a genetically engineered hormone given to cows to increase their milk
 35
production. We think rBGH is a step in the wrong direction towards a chemically-intensive,
high-tech food system that has unacceptable social and environmental costs.
For decades, we’ve been buying milk from the St. Albans Cooperative in Vermont, made
up of about 450 family farmers; and we have required all of our farmers to pledge not to treat
their cows with rBGH. In the Netherlands, where we produce ice cream for the European market,
we buy milk from CONO Cheesemakers, made up of about 500 family farmers; rBGH is not
even legal in the Netherlands, so it’s one less thing we have to worry about!
We are still working with a coalition of nonprofit groups and companies in the U.S. to
defend the consumer's right to know.
Our Partners
St. Albans Co-Operative Creamery is a member-governed dairy cooperative committed
to providing service, stable markets and the greatest achievable return to our members by
delivering the highest quality milk, milk products and services to our customers. The
Cooperative provides active leadership in the dairy industry and political environment to benefit
all dairy farmers.
Please answer the following questions with Ben & Jerry's stance on using rBGH
(recombinant bovine growth hormone) in mind.
Ben & Jerry's values regarding rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) are...
1 (1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 4 (4) 5 (5)
Progressive Not
o o o o o
Progressive

Left Right
o o o o o
Leaning Leaning

Liberal Conservative
o o o o o

What is your attitude towards food made with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone)?
o Strongly against (1)
o Against (4)
o Neutral (5)
o Support (6)
o Strongly support (7)
How likely are you to buy Ben & Jerry’s products with the knowledge of their values regarding
rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone)?
o Very unlikely (1)
o Unlikely (4)
 36
o Neutral (5)
o Likely (6)
o Very likely (7)
If a product is made using rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), how likely are you to
buy this product?
o Very unlikely (1)
o Unlikely (4)
o Neutral (5)
o Likely (6)
o Very likely (7)
After seeing Ben & Jerry’s values regarding rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone),
please indicate your agreement with the following statements.
Strongly Somewhat Neither Somewhat Strongly
disagree (1) disagree (2) agree nor agree (4) agree (5)
disagree (3)
I intend to o o o o o
buy Ben &
Jerry’s
products. (1)
I plan on o o o o o
buying Ben
& Jerry’s
products. (2)
I expect to o o o o o
buy Ben &
Jerry’s
products. (3)
After seeing Ben & Jerry’s values regarding rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone),
please indicate your agreement with the following statements.
Strongly Somewhat Neither Somewhat Strongly
disagree (1) disagree (2) agree or agree (4) agree (5)
disagree (3)
I would like o o o o o
to tell my
friends and
family to
purchase Ben
& Jerry’s
 37
products. (1)
I would o o o o o
recommend
buying Ben
& Jerry’s
products to
my peers. (2)
I would say o o o o o
positive
things about
Ben &
Jerry’s to
other people.
(3)
Before you go, we would like to know a few things about you.
What is your age? _________
What is your gender? (if other please specify)
o Male (1)
o Female (2)
o Prefer not to say (3)
o Other (4) ________________________________________________
What is your ethnicity? (if other, please specify)
o Asian or Pacific Islander (8)
o Black or African American (13)
o Hispanic or Latino (14)
o Native American or Indigenous American (15)
o White (16)
o Other: ____________ (17)
o Prefer not to answer (18)
Does your diet include cow's dairy?
o Yes (1)
o No (2)
o Unsure (3)
What is your political affiliation? (if other, please specify)
o Republican (1)
o Democrat (2)
 38
o Independent (3)
o Other (4) ________________________________________________
What is your year at the university? (if other please specify)
o Freshman (1)
o Sophomore (2)
o Junior (3)
o Senior (4)
o Other (5) ________________________________________________
Thank you for taking our survey. If you have any questions about your participation in this
research, please contact Dr. Andrea Martinez Gonzalez at marti8ax@jmu.edu. If you have any
questions about your rights as a research subject, please contact Dr.Taimi Castle at
castletl@jmu.edu or at (540)568-5929.
If you are redirected to an error page at the end of this survey, do not worry. Your
responses have been recorded. Ignore the message.
 39
Data Analysis Outputs
RQ1: What ice cream brand do JMU students eat most often?
Statistics
What ice cream brand do you
purchase most often? -
Selected Choice
N Valid 169
Missing 1

What ice cream brand do you purchase most often? - Selected Choice
Frequenc Valid Cumulative
y Percent Percent Percent
Valid Haagen-Dazs 13 7.6 7.7 7.7
Ben & Jerry's 86 50.6 50.9 58.6
Blue Bell 6 3.5 3.6 62.1
Blue Bunny 4 2.4 2.4 64.5
Breyers's 42 24.7 24.9 89.3
Edy's 3 1.8 1.8 91.1
Other (please specify) 15 8.8 8.9 100.0
Total 169 99.4 100.0
Missin -99 1 .6
g
Total 170 100.0

RQ2: How familiar are JMU students with Ben & Jerry’s?
Statistics
How familiar are you with Ben &
Jerry's?
N Valid 167
 40
Missing 3

How familiar are you with Ben & Jerry's?

Frequenc Valid Cumulative
y Percent Percent Percent
Valid Not familiar at all 2 1.2 1.2 1.2
Not familiar 3 1.8 1.8 3.0
Neutral 10 5.9 6.0 9.0
Familiar 61 35.9 36.5 45.5
Very Familiar 91 53.5 54.5 100.0
Total 167 98.2 100.0
Missing -99 3 1.8
Total 170 100.0

RQ3: How familiar are JMU students with the rBGH? (same as H3)
Statistics
How familiar are you with rBGH
(recombinant bovine growth
hormone)?
N Valid 168
Missing 2

How familiar are you with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth

hormone)?
Frequenc Valid Cumulative
y Percent Percent Percent
Valid Not familiar at all 76 44.7 45.2 45.2
 41
Not familiar 69 40.6 41.1 86.3
Neutral 11 6.5 6.5 92.9
Familiar 9 5.3 5.4 98.2
Very familiar 3 1.8 1.8 100.0
Total 168 98.8 100.0
Missing -99 2 1.2
Total 170 100.0

RQ4: Are political affiliations associated with intentions to purchase Ben & Jerry’s
products?
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Dependent Variable: COMPUTE Intention_Buy=mean(IntBuy_1,IntBuy_2,IntBuy_3)
Type III Sum Mean
Source of Squares df Square F Sig.
Corrected 10.328a 3 3.443 3.803 .011
Model
Intercept 1165.324 1 1165.324 1287.46 .000
2
PolParty 10.328 3 3.443 3.803 .011
Error 149.347 165 .905
Total 2445.250 169
Corrected Total 159.675 168
a. R Squared = .065 (Adjusted R Squared = .048)

RQ5: Are JMU students more or less likely to consume products if they know rBGH is
used?
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Model Summary
Change Statistics
Mod R Adjusted R Std. Error of R Square F Sig. F
el R Square Square the Estimate Change Change df1 df2 Change
1 .154a .024 .018 .81215 .024 4.032 1 165 .046
a. Predictors: (Constant), How familiar are you with Ben & Jerry's?

ANOVAa
Sum of Mean
Model Squares df Square F Sig.
1 Regression 2.659 1 2.659 4.032 .046b
Residual 108.832 165 .660
Total 111.491 166
a. Dependent Variable: COMPUTE Likelihood=mean(LikeBuy1,LikeBuy2)
b. Predictors: (Constant), How familiar are you with Ben & Jerry's?

Coefficientsa
Standardized
Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) 4.376 .360 12.170 .000
How familiar are you with .161 .080 .154 2.008 .046
Ben & Jerry's?
a. Dependent Variable: COMPUTE Likelihood=mean(LikeBuy1,LikeBuy2)

RQ6: What are JMU students' attitudes towards food made with artificial hormones?
Brand Support through Word of Mouth Recommendation

Statistics
What is your
attitude
towards food
made with
rBGH
(recombinant
bovine growth
Age hormone)?
N Valid 167 169
Missing 3 1
Mean 18.1317 4.17
Median 19.0000 4.00
Mode 18.00 4
Std. Deviation 13.3215 1.249
8
Minimum -99.00 1
Maximum 48.00 7
 43

RQ7: Do JMU students intend to support Ben & Jerry’s through word-of-mouth
recommendation?
Statistics
Age COMPUTE
Intention_Rec
ommend=me
an(IntRec_1,I
 44
ntRec_2,IntR
ec_3)
N Valid 167 169
Missing 3 1
Mean 18.1317 3.6982
Median 19.0000 3.6667
Mode 18.00 4.00
Std. Deviation 13.3215 .91594
8
Minimum -99.00 1.00
Maximum 48.00 5.00

Hypotheses
H1: JMU students associate Ben & Jerry’s with progressive values.

Statistics
COMPUTE
Progressive=
mean(Prog_1
,Prog_2,Prog
Age _3)
N Valid 167 168
Missing 3 2
Mean 18.1317 2.2867
Median 19.0000 2.3333
Mode 18.00 2.00
 45
Std. Deviation 13.3215 .86091
8
Minimum -99.00 1.00
Maximum 48.00 5.00

H2: Knowledge of the social issues that Ben & Jerry’s supports is positively associated with
intentions to buy Ben & Jerry’s products in the future.
Data did not give an answer, as we did not ask “Are you familiar with the social issues that Ben
& Jerry’s supports?”
H3: JMU students are generally unfamiliar with rBGH. (SAME AS R3)
Statistics
How familiar are you with rBGH
(recombinant bovine growth
hormone)?
N Valid 168
Missing 2

How familiar are you with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth

hormone)?
Frequenc Valid Cumulative
y Percent Percent Percent
Valid Not familiar at all 76 44.7 45.2 45.2
Not familiar 69 40.6 41.1 86.3
Neutral 11 6.5 6.5 92.9
Familiar 9 5.3 5.4 98.2
Very familiar 3 1.8 1.8 100.0
Total 168 98.8 100.0
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Missing -99 2 1.2
Total 170 100.0

H4: Knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s stance on rBGH is positively associated with intentions to
buy Ben & Jerry’s products in the future.
Model Summary
Change Statistics
Std. Error of
Mod R Adjusted R the R Square F Sig. F
el R Square Square Estimate Change Change df1 df2 Change
1 .153a .023 .018 .96628 .023 4.013 1 167 .047
a. Predictors: (Constant), How familiar are you with Ben & Jerry’s stance on the use of rBGH (recombinant bovine growth
hormone)?

ANOVAa
Sum of Mean
Model Squares df Square F Sig.
1 Regression 3.747 1 3.747 4.013 .047b
Residual 155.928 167 .934
Total 159.675 168
a. Dependent Variable: COMPUTE Intention_Buy=mean(IntBuy_1,IntBuy_2,IntBuy_3)
b. Predictors: (Constant), How familiar are you with Ben & Jerry’s stance on the use of rBGH
(recombinant bovine growth hormone)?

Coefficientsa
Standardized
Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) 3.948 .154 25.626 .000
 47
How familiar are you with -.163 .081 -.153 -2.003 .047
Ben & Jerry’s stance on
the use of rBGH
(recombinant bovine
growth hormone)?
a. Dependent Variable: COMPUTE Intention_Buy=mean(IntBuy_1,IntBuy_2,IntBuy_3)