Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a major player in the fast-food industry in the North American region. With the company being valued at an astonishing $23 billion before the E.coli crisis, the well-established Mexican restaurant was able to enjoy the strong market leadership in the U.S. Being a company with nearly 59,330 staff, it is accountable to various stakeholders such as customers, employees, and shareholders. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Chipotle restaurants have come under the spotlight after several E.coli outbreaks in their food. CSR is a company's continuous dedication to contribute to economic development, while also improving the quality of life of all internal and external stakeholders such as local community and society …show more content…
Farmers utilized chemical herbicides and pesticides etc., to grow crops, while Chipotle’s consumers’ were told that the ingredients were all natural and GMO-free. Therefore, this led to an ethical dilemma relating to the supply of raw ingredients to Chipotle. Ethics refers to the moral principles that guide decision-making and strategy. In order for Chipotle to address this ethical dilemma, Chipotle refined and named their core mission as “Food with Integrity” and increasingly made an effort to partner with farmers, and other suppliers whose practices emphasize quality and environmental responsibility. This left a positive impact on the external stakeholders such as the raw ingredients suppliers and consumers, as Chipotle’s appeared as a business who took into consideration the ethical and environmental practices, and wellbeing of society as a whole. Ultimately, this corporate image of Chipotle offers a competitive advantage as consumers’ trust the ethical brands and remain loyal to