Ben & Jerry's: The Inside Scoop: How Two Real Guys Built a Business with a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor

Book Description

The former CEO of Ben & Jerry's tells how two '60s holdovers built a single ice cream store into one of America's hottest companies. "Deftly and compassionately captures [Ben's] genius in all its entrepreneurial splendor...This tale will keep you entertained."-- New York Times Book Review.

Customer Reviews:

Good view of the how Ben and Jerry's developed.......2003-10-13

A good recount of how the company got going, but the last few chapters dragged.

There are things to learn about how Ben and Jerry developed their company:
1)They are geniuses at this. They actually figured out mass production without knowing what they were doing, they figured out marketing from scratch, they encountered financing and survived.
2)They had a near masochistic willingness to work. Boy did these guys work hard (it would kill me to do what they did, even if I had the will to do it).
3)They could adapt incredibly.

4) and finally: There are pitfalls and prices to trying to make social profits and business profits at the same time and to not planning your company to be as big as it already is.

You can learn about businesses in their growth phase from this book. You can learn about making sure a company has sufficient controls in place for its size. You may be able to learn whether you have what it takes to be an entrepeneur.

The first 3/4th of the book were fun to read but for some reason the last couple of chapters, when Ben and Jerry were playing less of a part in the business, were slow and boring (I don't exactly know why but I know they dragged).

Not for serious business interest.......2003-04-24

I read this book at the suggestion of a business school professor. It was supposedly a great illustration of the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurs.

I found that the book tried more to be humorous than to convey any business knowledge to the reader. Everything seemed to be an inside joke. Rather than producing a well thought-out account of a business experience, the book fell flat with dumb humor. I was very unimpressed with how the company was run, and I don't feel like I got much from the book.

The Inside Scoop is just that !.......2001-02-26

It's a chronicle of the intriguing journey of junior high friends who split the $5 cost of a home study course in making homemade ice cream and turn it into a $237 million company (1999 sales). Ben & Jerry's antics of giving away ice cream so they can 'get the ice cream into people's mouths so they will buy it,' take on some unusual situations. Free cones are offered to folks who register to vote, donate books to Head Start, or send postcards to elected officials for a variety of causes, and to celebrate at Fall Down Festivals with block long stilt walking races, music and other amusements. Solar-powered mobiles are used to transport the ice cream and a show on the road. They still sponsor customer appreciation day once a year when free cones are dipped all day.

It's hard to resist a bowl or cone of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Cherry Garcia as you read this humorous show and tell of two guys who really want (and do) make a difference. You'll be ready to book a snow shoe tour of the Vermont plant by the time you finish reading about these guys' mission. Their values-led business (in addition to having fun) is to produce the best ice cream from Vermont dairy products, to increase the value of the of the company for the stockholders and create career opportunities and financial rewards for employees, and to improve the quality of life for the community. (They donate 7.5% of pretax profits to Ben & Jerry's Foundation that supports a variety of causes that improve the quality of life for children.)

I'm using this book as a project for an organizational communications course and enjoyed the reading (and eating) more than I ever expected. It was the most fun I've had doing homework!

the subtitle says it all.......2001-01-24

This was a really good book that shows "How Two Real Guys Built a Business With a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor." This should be required reading for MBA's along with Hawkin's Growing a Business.

Hope for the Little Guy.......2000-04-04

Although Ben & Jerry's: The Inside Scoop was a little long-winded at times, I thought it was a good easy-to-read book for non-business majors wanting to start a business. Lager's style of writing makes Ben & Jerry seem like two regular guys up the street who had a dream and went after it with all the gusto they could muster. The book would not serve as a business plan protocol necessarily, however, it does display the true entrepeneriual spirit needed in order to make a business successful. Lager does a wonderful job of showing how Ben & Jerry fed off of each other and when one door closed in their face, they found another way in through a different door or window -- exactly what has to be done if you are going to grow a successful business.

Lager captured the realism of the trials and tribulations experienced by most individuals who begin their own business. I would recommend this book to anyone who was thinking of beginning his/her own business because it gives a look at the real side of starting your own business by making Ben & Jerry two real guys who simply wanted to start their own business so they did not have to work from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for someone else. By putting all the business jargon aside, I felt this was a worthwhile read for someone who needs the reassurance that anyone can start a business and this is how Ben & Jerry started theirs.

Book Description

Al MacInnis: The Defenseman is more than just a biographical snapshot of the career of the All-Star defenseman for the St. Louis Blues. In a unique combination of words provided by Jeff Gordon, sportswriter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and photos provided by photo agencies from around the United States, hockey fans will come to know Al MacInnis from his childhood in Inverness, Nova Scotia through the 1997-1998 hockey season. Al's hockey tips for kids, his game-day routine and Coach Joel Quenneville's break down of Al's hockey strengths in the "Q" system are a few of the features of this book.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of info on Al MacInnis.......1999-09-16

I think this book has a lot of great info on one of the greatest players to ever play defense-Al MacInnis. This book has information on his scoring, his defense, and has a lot of great tips for young players!

The Illustrated History of the Soviet Cinema
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The Illustrated History of the Soviet Cinema
Neya Zorkaya
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Kino: A History of the Russian and Soviet Film

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ASIN: 0870521349

The Illustrated History of the Soviet Cinema
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The Illustrated History of the Soviet Cinema
Neia Markovna Zorkaia
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBUF84

Average customer rating:
The Illustrated History of the Soviet Cinema
Neya Zorkaya
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQM5QS

Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture: Theories and Methods
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Nobody does it better...

A concise variety of theories for examining popular culture

Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture: Theories and Methods
John Storey
Manufacturer: University of Georgia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Cultural Theory And Popular Culture: An Introduction

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The Cultural Studies Reader: Second Edition

Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and Evaluation of Taste

Rethinking Popular Culture: Contempory Perspectives in Cultural Studies

ASIN: 082032566X

Book Description

Using case studies to illustrate the range of theories and methods that can be used to study contemporary popular culture, this book covers such topics as television, fiction, film, newspapers and magazines, popular music, and consumption (fan culture and shopping).

For this new edition, examples have been updated, photographs have been added, and a greater emphasis has been has been placed on identity and consumption. Also included are new sections on television audiences, hermeneutics and reception theory, and globalization.

Customer Reviews:

Nobody does it better..........2006-11-08

Remember the theme song from James Bond, A Spy Who Loved Me? "Nobody does it better, though sometimes I wish someone would..." Well, much as I liked John Storey's study, when it comes to popular culture studies there is an even better study around. So together with a recommendation for Storey's book, here is an even more enthusiastic recommendation for Peter Swirski's "From Lowbrow to Nobrow" (2006), a book that puts all the hard facts (and insightful interpretations) of "nobrow" and popular culture right at your fingertips. Happy reading to readers of both.

A concise variety of theories for examining popular culture.......2001-11-09

I am using "Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture" as the primary textbook in an "Introduction to Popular Culture" class. Now, on the one hand it is clear John Storey's book is not written at an introductory level, which would have been a reason for me not to select it for my class. But this volume has two strengths that overcome that particular liability. The first is that Storey looks at six types of cultural texts: Television, Fiction, Films, Magazines & Newspapers, Popular Music, and Consumption (a.k.a. shopping). That pretty much covers everything you would want to look at in an introduction pop culture class so that students can get excited (relatively speaking) about analyzing their favorite television show or CD. The second strength is that each chapter focuses on two or three key concepts/theories. For example, with television Storey looks at Hall's notions of encoding/decoding television discourse, how television represents the ideology of mass culture, and how there are competing economies of television. So even if the writing level is for the advances student (quality), students being introduced to cultural studies are being presented with only a few concepts to absorb (quantity). Even if he is writing chapters rather than providing essays, each chapter does offer a specific case study (e.g., James Bond novels) that will facilitate student comprehension of the concepts, which they, in turn, should be able to apply in their own papers. Storey does have another volume that is specifically "An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture," but it is structured by theories (culturalism, structuralism, Marxism, etc.). Ideally I would like to be working with a book from Storey that had the structure of the book I am using with the writing style of the other, but clearly you have a choice here as to which way you can go given both your preferences and the level of your course. Storey does a nice job of explicating these concepts without rendering personal judgments, which I think is important when you are trying to get students to actually use such analytical tools. Final note: Storey's "Cultural Theory & Popular Culture: A Reader" is intended as a companion volume for his "Introduction" text and not this one.

Beyond the Cultural Turn: New Directions in the Study of Society and Culture (Studies on the History of Society and Culture , No 34)

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Beyond the Cultural Turn: New Directions in the Study of Society and Culture (Studies on the History of Society and Culture , No 34)

Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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The New Cultural History (Studies on the History of Society and Culture)
Telling the Truth About History
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Varieties of Cultural History
The Content of the Form: Narrative Discourse and Historical Representation

ASIN: 0520216792

Book Description

Nothing has generated more controversy in the social sciences than the turn toward culture, variously known as the linguistic turn, culturalism, or postmodernism. This book examines the impact of the cultural turn on two prominent social science disciplines, history and sociology, and proposes new directions in the theory and practice of historical research.
The editors provide an introduction analyzing the origins and implications of the cultural turn and its postmodernist critiques of knowledge. Essays by leading historians and historical sociologists reflect on the uses of cultural theories and show both their promise and their limitations. The afterword by Hayden White provides an assessment of the trend toward culturalism by one its most influential proponents.
Beyond the Cultural Turn offers fresh theoretical readings of the most persistent issues created by the cultural turn and provocative empirical studies focusing on diverse social practices, the uses of narrative, and the body and self as critical junctures where culture and society intersect.

Potboilers: Methods, Concepts and Case Studies in Popular Fiction (Communication and Society Series)

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Potboilers: Methods, Concepts and Case Studies in Popular Fiction (Communication and Society Series)
Mr Jerry Palmer
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Communications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0415009782

Book Description

Why is popular fiction loved by many and yet studied by few? Why is it despised by those who study "high culture"?

Popular narrative has not traditionally been well-regarded in academic institutions (the clearest expression of this disregard is silence.) Potboilers is an introduction to the main methods available for the analysis of popular fiction, regardless of the medium in which it appears. Popular fiction cannot be analyzed using the methods developed for understanding "literature," therefore new methods are essential.

Potboilers looks at the many forms of popular narrative in print, film, and television, and considers the ways they have been analyzed in literary criticism, sociology, communications, and media and cultural studies.

Jerry Palmer introduces and summarizes two decades of debate about mass-produced fictions and their position within popular culture. He focuses on both narrative analysis and the communications process, exploring generic conventions, the role of commercial strategies, and the nature of the audience with reference to crime fiction, soap opera, romance novel, and sitcom.

The analysis of the debates surrounding popular fiction gives a clear account of existing work and provides an invaluable guide for students and teachers of literature, communications, media, and cultural studies.

Too Soon Too Late: History in Popular Culture (Theories of Contemporary Culture)

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Cultural criticism at its global/local wry perverse best...

Too Soon Too Late: History in Popular Culture (Theories of Contemporary Culture)
Meaghn Morris
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Australia | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books

Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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Foucault
Neoliberalism as Exception: Mutations in Citizenship and Sovereignty

ASIN: 0253211883

Customer Reviews:

Cultural criticism at its global/local wry perverse best..........2000-05-09

Meaghan Morris, early and late, writes cultural criticism at its global/local,wry perverse best. Lest this sound too late-capitalist cynical or rude, I should say that she writes from and as the local and national site of Australia, making this political and libidinal space of transnational cultural studies resonate with the most urgent, critical, and international issues that trouble our politics and poetics.

As such, she reinvents Asia/Pacific as she writes, showing us (or should I say the writerly obsessive "me") how to work and affiliate in a space of writing and moral-political concern. When I read her essays, I face the panic white sublimity of awe and admiration, clotted and displaced. She invents topics and tropes for each essay or book, reframing tourism, mass media, film, movement, embodied location, identity, without falling into the "banality of cultural studies" or the throwaway language and motel spaces that haunt our politics.

She is an untimely critic, whose writing is both too soon and too late for the market. But the "tyranny of space" in the Pacific has been overcome, and I for one am very grateful such an artist and cultural critic and scholar exists all packed into one person, Meaghan Morris.

Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))
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Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))
BradyGames
Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Video & Electronic Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Video Games | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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Spyhunter Nowhere To Run

Yakuza Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))

ASIN: 0744008328

Book Description

BradyGames’ SpyHunter: Nowhere to Run Official Strategy Guide includes the following:

A comprehensive walkthrough of the entire game.
Detailed area maps.
Extensive listing of all available items and equipment.
Expert boss strategies to defeat even the toughest boss.

Platform: PlayStation 2 and Xbox

Genre: Action/Adventure

This product is available for sale worldwide.

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Spy Hunter Official Strategy Guide
Shane Mooney
Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Video Games | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0744001218

Book Description

BradyGames Spy Hunter Official Strategy Guide features detailed strategies for the missions in the game. A comprehensive walkthrough of the various environments, including coverage of weapons, vehicles, and bosses is also provided. Tips for finding short cuts and secret paths in the levels. Secrets and cheats revealed to unlock hidden missions.

Spy Hunter Official Strategy Guide for Xbox & GameCube
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Spy Hunter Official Strategy Guide for Xbox & GameCube
Shane Mooney
Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Strategy Guides | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Video Games | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Video & Electronic Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0744001587

Book Description

BradyGames Spy Hunter Official Strategy Guide for Xbox & GameCube provides strategies for the missions in the game. Detailed mission maps to guide players are also included. Item locations provided to help gamers advance through the game, plus coverage of all primary and secondary goals.

Book Description

Global entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has built a business empire and made billions, yet is renowned for his approachability, ability to challenge and succeed against the odds. Screw It, Lets Do It reveals the lessons from life that have helped him through his business and personal lifesuch as, believe it can be done and that, if others disagree with you, try and try again until you achieve your goal; or that you must love what you do. These and other lessons, with examples of how he learned them and how hes used them, are included in this stirring and candid look at his lessons from an exceptional life, which will inspire you to make a difference in your own life.

Customer Reviews:

Buy "Losing my Virginity" instead!.......2007-09-24

This is a nice book, a very quick read, as it briefly and superficially tells the major stories of this life, as he writes his "lessons", but without any of the great details! Hold out on the quick fix and just read Losing my Virginity instead. Or just buy both, but read this one AFTER you read the long one.

Losing my Virginity, his full biography, is probably the best book I've ever read so far. Its not a business book, so read it as you would "literature"... but its filled with great entertaining stories and helps you see how this guy's life has been.

If you are an entrepreneur, you MUST read Losing my Virginity!

quick & easy read.......2007-09-05

This book is straight to the point, easy to read. I'd recommend it to anyone in business and one who wants to learn more about Richard. He is a go getter!

Very Practical, Fun & Down to Earth!.......2007-08-28

Richard Branson's way of doing business is definetely a subject that anyone thinking of going into business should study.

In this book Richard tells the stories of how he developed different businesses and he is also open about where sometimes things didn't work out.

His basic philosophy is to have fun and to not be afraid of trying something different.

The book is written very well and you'll get through it quickly and really enjoy it!

Excellent Quick Read Book.......2007-07-30

Quick Reads books are an excellent initiative to get people back to fiction and non fiction book reading who usually read magazines or newspapers during a flight, bus, train journey or while commuting to work. They are also designed to get those new to English or who are put of by a normal sized novel to take an interest in reading. Screw It, Let's Do It certainly achieves these goals, those complaining this is a short read really don't understand the purpose of these books. Branson should be congratulated for supporting this great initiative. If you want a long read get a copy of Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way instead, no one's forcing you to order this book or pick it up off the shelf instead of his top selling autobiography. A book of only 106 pages is obviously not going to be able to provide the depth and overall information that a full sized book does. But for a quick read non fiction book it does cram a lot in.

Screw It, Let's Do It is published after Losing My Virginity was written (although there is an advertisement in the back for an updated version of Losing My Virginity) so for those who have read that book it is an excellent quick update as well as way to refresh your memory of Branson's life from the former read. For those who haven't yet read Losing My Virginity and are just interested in finding out about Richard Branson's life I would recommend reading Losing My Virginity first as key parts of his life are told in this book and reading this first is like reading spoilers for a fiction novel. Since there seems to be an updated version of Losing My Virginity either on the market or about to hit the market my advice would be to wait for that one (the previous one was published in the late 90's). If you've got a plane to catch though and want a good quick read you can't go wrong with this though. Another great quick read non ficiton book is Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe.

Life's learnings from a great entrepreneur.......2007-07-29

For people strapped for time, the book is 106 pages and a quick read with all the teaching's from a great entrepreneur. There are 9 chapters and each chapter can be read in short chunks of time. In each chapter, Mr. Branson takes a theme like "Live the Moment", "Challenge Yourself" etc. and provides concrete real life examples of what they mean to him and the importance.

The synopsis of his book can be captured in the epilogue on page 103:

Just do it
Think Yes,not no
Challenge yourself
Have goals
Have fun
Make a difference
Stand on your feet
Be Loyal
Live life to the full.

I would encourage that you read the book once and capture what is important to you.

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