Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a very controversial topic. A question that has been debated for the past few decades is; is it corporately viable to introduce social responsibility as a proposed addition to the work ethic of business organisations. As well as, if adopting the framework of corporate social responsibility would yield positive improvements for those organisations.

Starbucks desire as the leader in the specialty coffee industry is to be acknowledged for its responsibility to coffee farmers and their families to improve their well-being. The corporation’s primary stakeholders are broad organizations such as, coffee trade associations, suppliers, and groups with interest in sustainable coffee production. Including non-profit groups focused on human rights, social justice, and environmental issues. Other stakeholders include governmental agencies such as, U. S. AID (Starbucks Corporation, 2010).

As a worldwide leader in coffee and coffeehouse chains, Starbucks has been faced with both scrutiny and praise for their practices in regards to community engagement and corporate social responsibility. With locations across the globe from the United States to Saudi Arabia to Guatemala, Starbucks has seventy-two locations spread across 26 countries. With such a large footprint, this paper will be address employees and local communities within the United States operations and the suppliers in the Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E) Practices program. Starbucks has broadcasted and built a platform upon their ethical sourcing, employee relations, and community engagement with an impressive transparency not often seen by global corporations today.

Starbucks has been around for more than four decades, and from the very beginning it has worked hard to operate in an ethical manner. Starbucks ranked as Fortune Magazine’s fifth most socially responsible company in 2012. There are a number of good reasons for the high ranking. The company looks for better ways to develop sustainable production of its coffee. It has set in place some guidelines it calls C.A.F.E Practices, ensuring environmental leadership, economic accountability, and product quality. Starbucks also supports Ethos Water, which provides clean water to more than a billion people

Starbucks wants to be an environmentally friendly company and to be sensitive to this. Starbucks wants its employees to join in their missions as a company and its social responsibilities.

Starbucks is a luxurious commodity that is available almost anywhere in the world. The mission of Starbucks is to inspire and nurture one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time (Starbucks Corporation, 2015d). A daily dose of Starbucks is healthy for the mind, body, and soul. As far as can be concerned, nothing compares to Starbucks coffee. It is a premium roast of the finest beans grown in the world. There are many Starbucks stores in the world today, as of June2015, the Starbucks Corporation (SC) owns 22,519 stores or coffeehouses (Starbucks Corporation, 2015e). Before understanding that the SC is a company that participates in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), one must first know where the company was

Starbucks sustainability and corporate social responsibility is focused on three key areas, which include community, ethical sourcing and the environment. At the community level, the company understands that its activities have the capacity to influence positively or negatively on the lives of the communities where it has its activities, whether at the retail level, or at the raw material production level of farmers. At the community level, the company strives to ensure better lives for the people through education support program, bringing people together and providing employment opportunities for people of all ages. These activities are important in supporting and making a difference in people’s lives. For instance, the company works closely with farming communities to not only ensure that the produce is of

Starbucks was founded nearly forty-five years ago as an organization that holds the belief that it was possible to balance good business with uncompromising values. (CITE 1) Starbucks is a global business that operates in over seventy countries and has more than twenty-four thousand stores. Starbucks locations serve hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, espresso, tea, and pastries. Few offerings are limited to seasonal times throughout the year or are specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks brand coffee, ice-cream, and cold drinks are available for purchase at local and nationwide grocery stores. As a business, Starbucks endures to employee business standards and practices that produce social, environmental, and economic benefits for the hundreds of communities throughout national and international stores. Starbucks continues to demonstrate its commitment to the welfare, economic improvement and sustainability of the people and places their products and services are sold.

"Starbucks mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business." (Starbucks 2014)

Starbucks is a company that always been regarded as the most significant business partner in the earth by implementing the first corporate social responsibility policy, which is executing the recycle program for environment. For example, Starbucks is giving discount for the customers who bring tumbler selling by Starbucks to buy their drinks and thus this will lead to everyone aware of the environment protection. The proportions of customers who bring their personal tumbler to Starbucks slightly increase every year, so they will continue to find innovative solution to

According to Starbucks (2013), Starbucks had solidified net revenue of $13. 3 billion, an approximately 14 percent growth, (Appendix B) shows the financial returns are consistently increasing over the years, Starbucks (2013). This net increase shows the good economic performance of Starbucks. Solely economic performance is not sustainable, Starbuck understood the importance of emphasize on corporate social responsibility. Starbucks Global Responsibility business strategy are synthesize with their culture and overall strategy. They focus on ethical sourcing that they see these plants as an agricultural sustainability, whereby C.A.F.E (Coffee And Farmer Equity) are practiced for continuous improvement on productivity, social and environmental aspects, Starbucks (2013). Other than positive corporate image, Starbucks is exposed to more business opportunity, for example one of the world largest populations, India. Recently, Starbucks and Tata Coffee invested in a new plant in India, whereby the company sees it as an

On September 13, 1970, Milton Friedman wrote and article, Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits. One of Milton’s theories suggested that the only legitimate incentive for a corporation to exist is to maximize its profits with its shareholders. As companies progress over time, so does the reason for the company existence. “What makes a stake holder?” Isabel Hilton (GE Stakeholders 2009)

globe, we are the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world.” The

When we place our first step into the world of business, we have heard businessmen speak expressively about the aim of the company is to make profit and not to address social responsibilities. This is only certain truth to this statement as the world we live in now is evolving. People in the current era are more concern about social responsibility especially with corporations and their behaviours and plans. There is an increasing demand on businesses to have a “social conscience” and taking serious responsibility for providing employment, eliminating discrimination, ethical working environment and whatever else is related to having a “social conscience”.

That is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behavior, and