Page 170 - The Starbucks Experience

Leave Your Mark

The View from 30,000 Feet
The topic of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been
buzzing around the business world for more than a decade. Of
course, during this period, we have seen many corporate exec-
utives being taken away in handcuffs to answer a dizzying
array of charges, including insider trading, fraud, and embez-
zlement. In the United States alone, about half of all adults are
skeptical of big business and question the truthfulness and eth-
ical behavior of most companies and their leaders.
If for no other reason than to allay consumer wariness,
leaders are well advised to lift their eyes from the bottom line
and consider their communities. Businesses that thrive today
are led by managers who understand the importance of
investing in their people (beyond a competitive salary) and in
their neighborhoods (both proactively and responsively).
Multiple research studies have found that 155

• People prefer to do business with and work for
socially conscious companies.
• The most talented and qualified applicants are
increasingly considering a company’s ethics and com-
munity support when selecting their employer.
• Employee morale is three times higher in firms that
are actively involved in the community than in their
less-involved counterparts.

• When employees’ work environments match their
personal values, they are more productive.

• Companies that focus on environmental impact typi-
cally are valued up to 5 percent higher than compara-
ble organizations without that focus.