Page 171 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 5

• The participation of employees in community-based
activities strengthens their teamwork, leadership
skills, and corporate identity.

Most leaders would be happy to see the benefits just listed
reflected in their annual report. However, the effects of social
responsibility are extremely difficult to quantify and articu-
late. Over the years, business executives have even struggled
to identify what it means to be socially responsible. Some-
times the definition is so narrow that it is reduced to fund-
raising efforts in the community. Other times it is so broad
that it sounds like a beauty pageant contestant who, when
asked for her primary goal in life, answers “world peace.”
Steve Priest, founder of the ethics and compliance con-
sulting firm Ethical Leadership Group, offers a very accessi-
ble definition of “leaving a mark.” In an article for Global
156
Finance, Steve shares,
A company is socially responsible if it takes seriously its
obligations to all of its stakeholders. It’s not about
whether a company sponsors local events or environ-
mental programs, or has a foundation that gives money
to charitable causes. It’s about developing a reputation
of integrity so there is trust with employees, investors,
customers, suppliers, and their communities.
Socially committed business leaders, like those at Starbucks,
depend on the trust that they earn when the company suc-
cessfully fulfills its obligations.

Building Trust
The value of the Starbucks brand is 100 percent linked to the
trust that stakeholders place in the company. Starbucks is