A Review of the Starbuck’s Current Corporate Social Responsibility Status

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Over the past few years, businesses have been implementing a wide range of strategies in order to be successful in the current highly competitive world of business, but corporate social responsibility has proved to be one of the most effective tools for Starbucks, a coffee company established in 1971. Companies have an important role to play in the development of the society and environment since there is a growing demand for products and services from companies that are believed to be socially responsible (Coombs & Holladay, 2012). According to Starbucks, CSR can be well-defined as the conduct of a business that’s ethically and socially supportive, law abiding and economically profitable. Therefore, the company believes that to be socially responsible, profitability and obedience to the law are the most important preconditions. In essence, Starbucks strives to give back to its key stakeholders, such as consumers, employees and investors (Ferrell & Fraedrich, 2014). A Review of the Starbuck’s Current CSR Status As mentioned earlier, Starbucks strives to be a socially responsible company so as to gain a competitive advantage over its core rivals in the business like Second Cup, a Canadian franchiser. Currently, the company’s CSR program focuses on three strands, such as ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and community involvement. i) Ethical sourcing The coffee, tea, and cocoa bought from farmers by Starbucks are usually grown in a responsible manner, as well as traded ethically. To ensure that its coffee meets these two requirements, the company is currently working with Conservation International, a firm responsible for fostering environmental friendly and economically sound farming practices. Nonetheless, Starbucks ... ... middle of paper ... ... company is highly concerned with the impacts of its business activities on the environment, it should invest in innovative technologies to advance environmental friendliness with respect to the packaging of its products, for instance, by introducing 100 percent recyclable or disposable cups or by increasing the number of its reusable cups in circulation (Mullerat & Brennan, 2011). The company has acknowledged high levels of water and non-renewable energy consumption. Therefore, Starbucks should focus on the adoption of high pressure spray cleaners as an alternative for the controversial dipper wells. This way, the company will reduce water consumption by nearly half the current consumption. Finally, Starbucks can create a virtuous circle powered by individuals who are dedicated to an aligned CSR vision by enhancing talent recruitment (Coombs & Holladay, 2012).

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