Business Ethics Whether or Not Research Proposal

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Other measures can include sanctions against foreign companies that are engaged in bribery. This many motivate the governments of those countries to take stronger measures towards eliminating bribery.

3) There are a couple of reasons I think Starbucks has been so concerned about its corporate social responsibility. One is that it helps cultivate a positive image of the company, which can help to both attract and retain customers. Another reason is that the company comes from a culture in the Pacific Northwest where philanthropy and social responsibility is more accepted in business. This cultural difference may have impacted the overall philosophy of Starbucks with regards to this issue. Also, Starbucks is a high-profile company. They open themselves up to significant negative publicity if they engage in social irresponsible acts. Maintaining a high level of corporate social responsibility is therefore a defense against potentially damaging criticism.

Starbucks' various relationships are generally positive. Versus their peers in the coffeehouse business or in the fast food business, Starbucks treats their employees well in terms of pay and benefits. In general, they treat their customers well. They understand that customer satisfaction with "the Starbucks Experience" is a key element in their competitive strategy, so take care of the needs of their customers. The suppliers are treated reasonably well. Starbucks has a high level of power over most of their suppliers and has high expectations, but they do not squeeze their suppliers unreasonably. The company has come under fire for not using more fair trade coffee, but this is unreasonable criticism as there is not enough fair trade coffee in the world to supply Starbucks. The shareholders at Starbucks are treated well. Prior to the last couple of years, Starbucks has grown rapidly and the shares have seen significant appreciation in value.

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4) Starbucks has grown rapidly because of their product and service offering. Strong corporate social responsibility is not at the core of Starbucks' competitive mix. They have cultivated carefully their image, the Starbucks Experience and their product offerings. These drive business. The social responsibility is nice to have, but it is not what brings people into Starbucks stores.

In the future, Starbucks faces two significant threats. One is competition and the other is the economy. Economic weakness has reduced demand at Starbucks stores, as more consumers are forced to re-evaluate the value proposition that Starbucks offers. Its coffees are medium-quality but priced high-end, and that has resulted in sales declines as people seek better value propositions from their coffee.

The other major significant threat is competition. Starbucks now faces intense competition from companies like McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, both of which have dramatically improved their coffee offerings, and are undercutting Starbucks with respect to price points. These firms are strong established players. They have an interesting value proposition and are therefore taking market share from Starbucks. For Starbucks to enjoy the same success in the future that it has in the past, it will need to find new ways to convince consumers to pay its prices for its product. This may mean finding ways to improve the product, or finding new ways to improve the Starbucks Experience. It may also mean tapping international markets where there is less competition and less market saturation. The company could even emphasize its track record of corporate social responsibility, which is superior to either of those two firms......

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