Ben & Jerry’s Japan:
1) Ben and Jerry should not commit to entering the Japanese market the following summer. This is because the market for super premium ice cream in Japan is already saturated. If Ben and Jerry decides to enter the Japanese market, it would have to work very hard in terms of advertising and brand positioning due to the presence of a large number of competitors. It would have to convince the Japanese consumers as to why they should choose Ben and Jerry's ice cream over that of its competitors'.
Moreover, if the economic crisis of Asia starts affecting Japan's deteriorating economy then exporting ice cream from Vermont to Japan wouldn't be profitable anymore. Not only that, if the currency rate of Yen goes up rapidly, say for instance to 160 Yen to Dollar then this will cause the price of Ben and Jerry's ice creams to go up which in turn might lead to a decrease in demand for Ben and Jerry's ice creams in Japan.
2) Despite knowing the risks associated with entering the Japanese market, if Ben and Jerry’s still decides to enter the market the following summer, it should do it with Seven Eleven. This is because unlike Mr. Yamada’s offer, with Seven Eleven, Ben and Jerry would be in control of the marketing of its ice-cream. Moreover, since Ben and Jerry is already a major supplier of Seven Eleven in the U.S, doing business with Seven Eleven in Japan might be a wise idea since Seven Eleven is a known company to Ben and Jerry and two companies share good
