Starbucks serves up dollops of social do-gooderism

WHILE corporate profits might seem incongruous with doing social good, Howard Schultz, the executive chairman of Starbucks, would counter that the opposite is true.

There is a great need, Mr Schultz said, "to achieve the fragile balance between profit, social impact and a moral obligation" to do everything possible "to enhance the lives of our employees and the communities we serve".

At the annual DealBook conference last week, hosted by The New York Times, he said that for such goals to be attainable, sound business practices were essential. "The price of admission to have a social impact agenda is to have financial performance." Starbucks has stood out over the years in its efforts on behalf of social do-gooderism.