Case Study: Race Relations With That Soy Latte The Old Days
Case Study Race Relations With That Soy Latte The Old Days Before
Case Study race relations with that soy latte? In the old days, before CEOs made 330 times more than the average worker, the men (and they were all mostly “men”) who ran America’s biggest corporations were eager to communicate to the public, by standing up for what they stood for. CEOs like Chase’s David Rockefeller, General Electric’s Jack Welch, Citicorp’s Walter Wriston, and Dupont’s Irving Shapiro would regularly give speeches, testify before Congress, and meet with the media to forward their own and their corporations’ viewpoints. Not so much anymore. Today’s CEOs, with few exceptions, are timid, more inclined to be not seen and not heard, while they rake in their excessive bounty.
One glowing exception, however, is Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks. Mr. Schultz is a concerned, fearless, plain-speaking Brooklyn native, who cares about his country and isn’t afraid to use his corporate muscle to communicate his views. Sometimes, it gets him and his company into the kind of hot water that isn’t compatible with brewing.
Drop Your Weapons
In 2013, with America reeling in the wake of horrific gun violence in movie theaters, shipyards, and elementary schools, Howard Schultz wrote an “Open Letter” to gun owners and placed it in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and other major newspapers.
It said in part: Dear Fellow Americans, Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That’s why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas. From the beginning, our vision at Starbucks has been to create a “third place” between home and work where people can come together to enjoy the peace and pleasure of coffee and community.