Starbucks IS Socially Responsible

Starbucks

Brewing high quality coffee since 1971, Starbucks has formed its own global culture. Serving coffee is not the only expertise Starbucks has to offer. Their globalization, community service and environmental concerns have left a heavy impact on their consumers always keeping them coming back for more.

From the day Starbucks opened it has dedicated their business to the community because they believe in earning trust and respect of their consumers. Being socially responsible and doing things that are good for the planet and good for each other is their main goal. Starbucks divides its social responsibilities into four categories: Community, Environment, Ethical Sourcing and Wellness. Each program represents a different part of society.

The Community program is their largest program. Their goal is to have Starbucks employees, partners and customers contribute more than one million community service hours by 2015. Their Youth Action Program inspires young people through innovation and youth grants. In fiscal 2009, Starbucks made 71 grants totaling $2.1 million to organizations supporting young people. Starbucks has also partnered up with Product RED to help fight AIDS in Africa.

The second program is the Environmental program. 70% of all stores recycle at least one type of waste where commercial recycling is available. Starbucks also focuses on energy and water conservation by increasing efficiency of electricity and implementing new alternatives to reduce water usage.

Ethical Sourcing directly affects the consumers making it a top priority program for the corporation. It’s their goal for all of coffee to be grown under the highest standards of quality, using ethical trading and responsible growing practices. Their merchandise, furniture and uniforms are guaranteed to be bought from suppliers and manufacturers who share the same morals and values.

The last program Starbucks offers if the Wellness program. Their commitment to wellness starts with the foods and beverages offered in their stores. All of foods are no more than 500 calories and free from unnecessary ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, dyes and artificial trans fats. Starbucks will soon be posting calories and continue to look for innovative ways to share nutritional information.

Starbucks puts as much effort into their social responsibility as they do into running their business. Each day is not a success unless they have positively affected the community in some way. Their diverse programs have allowed the corporation to reach all aspects of the community and truly make a difference. Globally, Starbucks has stayed on CNN’s top 10 Socially Responsible Corporations list for the past ten years.

The general idea of social responsibility is to inspire community involvement and improvement, but it is important to detect the corporations that are practicing this for the wrong reasons. There are many arguments that a corporation’s purpose for community involvement is only to maximize returns for the corporations and not for society as a whole. Ethical corporations that are truly socially responsible care about their community involvement as well as their profits.

As a consumer and public relations professional I see the importance of corporate social responsibility. A reputation in the community goes a long way and in order to be successful it is crucial to be seen in a positive light. Starbucks uses their community programs and involvement to spread awareness and gain popularity and it has paid off.

Summer Internship

As a
Mass Communication major at Georgia College & State University I am required to complete a 300 hour internship for course credit. Many people think sure, finding an internship would be easy right? WRONG! Many companies have had to cut their internship and learning programs due to the current economy. In the past 5 years students have really noticed the effects and have found it very difficult to land an internship.
I began my search in November and began applying to a select number of companies and organizations. I was looking for internships that dealt with PR, development, communications, and event planning. I also began to realize that I was paying extra close attention to internships in non-profit organizations. In November of 2009 my Public Relations Admin class spent the semester planning the Relay for Life Kickoff Dinner. After that night, I knew I was meant for non-profit work. Knowing your are making a difference in someone's life is rewarding in itself. Most of my work here at GC&SU has involved event planning, campaigning, writing and editing. I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have done and want to continue on to learn as much as I possibly can.
I was granted a phone interview with Make-A-Wish Foundation. I was extremely nervous but answered the questions as best I can. A week later I got a phone call from the head of HR and was asked to come in for another interview. I prepared as much as I could and left the interview feeling great. I felt it was a great fit for me and I could really shine in this organization.
I was offered a position as part of their Development Team working on the annual Season of Wishes and wrapping up the Tournamant of Wishes.
I am extremely excited about this opportunity and hope I get as much out of it as I can. Having the opportunity to see sick children in need have their wishes come true is something that will be indescribable and knowing I was a part of it will be extremely rewarding.

Digital Bridges Event: ShopLocalMilledgeville.com

ShopLocalMilledgeville.com is a new website that is being launched at the end of April as a part of Digital Bridges. This new website will allow every business in Milledgeville to have a FREE web presence. It is also a one stop shop for customers. Consumers will be able to search all possible businesses in Milledgeville and even print out coupons, search sale events, and be exposed to a business of the week.
My campaign for the semester was taking on ShopLocalMilledgeville.com. The website needed everything from promotion, promotional material, and support. Myself, Cara Wilmer, and Brooke Brookins took on this project and turned it into a success. We wanted to show the consumers of Milledgeville that staying local with your money will greatly benefit the community in the end. My team designed and ordered promotional magnets, designed flyers, and organized an event to spread the word.
In Mid-March the Milledgeville Mall hosted a business fair. My team set up a booth to help the community gain awareness of this great business opportunity. We wanted the community understand why shopping local is so important. We played a game where customers would guess how many local businesses were in local Milledgeville. A jar was filled up with pennies with the correct number of businesses. Guesses ranges everywhere from 1,200 to 450. The correct number was revealed the week after the event and many were surprised to hear it was 650. We also had handbills, candy and design work to show off to the community.
We found that our biggest challenge was getting the elderly involved. Most people over the age of 60 do not own a computer, let alone know how to work one. We wanted to show them that technology can bring great things, but it was hard to keep them interested.
I could not have asked for a better team to work with. We got along great and worked together like we have known each other for years. I would have been completely lost without Cara's dedication and design and without Brooke's attention to detail. Everyone contributed equally and I am so happy to have been able to work with them on this campaign.