Cultural Diversity in the Workplace Starbucks

Starbucks- Cultural Diversity a Management Challenge Katy Hollenbeck This essay shows how Starbucks grew from its one store in Seattle to the global brand it is now. It also covers briefly how the message of diversity has evolved in recent times for Starbucks with Starbucks cooperating with ethnic organizations, promoting a more literal sense of inclusion among various ethnicities, races, ages, genders, and religions. Starbucks has a long history of being a socially conscious company.

This has led to some extent, Starbucks to be viewed as a quality company that makes quality coffee. When people see a Starbucks store, they associate quality and a slightly higher price. That is why people from the rich and famous to the everyman; go to get their cup of coffee at Starbucks. Because Starbucks is one of the largest coffee chains in the world and the largest coffee chain in America, they must keep reinventing themselves in order to stay current and remain the most popular brand.

Social awareness imparts social value as well as lends to increasing the economic value of a company. Starbucks knows how to impart social value by promoting ethical farming practices for their coffee as well as conserving the environment. Since 2009, they have shifted focus towards branding practices and promoting a consistent look and feel over their thousands of stores, especially internationally. They began this endeavor in their hometown, Seattle. As of recently, they remain a popular brand and number one.

Since the company remains at such a peak position, it also approach diversity in the workplace by imparting a sense of inclusion amongst their leaders. A core fundamental for leadership in the company is diversity and inclusion. Starbucks aims to provide value to customers in more than one context. Social when people see someone carrying a cup of Starbucks, they see and think quality.

They attach the person with the Starbucks drink with someone that either cares for quality or has enough money to spend on a somewhat higher cost beverage. This kind of social and economic value imparted on the brand known as Starbucks, has generated the success the company sees today with celebrities and other types going to Starbucks for their coffee needs. As Leavy explains, adding social value along with economic value promotes profit and growth within a company (Leavy, 2012).

How did Starbucks grow to be so successful and synonymous with quality? The history of Starbucks shows the beginnings of what would one day be a worldwide, easily recognizable brand. As well as in recent history, Starbucks proves it will continue to be the brand for quality coffee for the masses. Starbucks first opened its doors almost half a century ago, 43 years to be precise. They had a single store.