Starbucks Red Cup Controversy Analysis

Introduction Starbucks has shown an exemplary understanding of conflict management. Through the analysis of two recent scandals, the coffee giant clearly understands the relationship between conflict and performance as well as the different approaches to managing conflict.

Annotated Bibliography for Article One Citation.

(2015). Starbucks’ Red Cup Controversy, Explained. Eater, Vox Media Inc. Retrieved from: http://www.eater.com/2015/11/10/9705570/starbucks-red-cups-christmas-donald-trump Summary. Since 1997, in celebration of the holiday season, Starbucks introduces a new cup design to spread holiday cheer -- usually with a variety of holiday designs on a red cup. This year, however, Starbucks decided to pursue a new route; the familiar green logo on top of a solid red cup. This minimal design, the

Earlier this year, Starbucks started a new campaign titled “Race Together.” In an attempt to spark a conversation about racial issues in the U.S., employees began writing “Race Together” on cups. Additionally, employees were encouraged to engage customers with stickers for the campaign. Customers criticized Starbucks on multiple fronts. Some claim that employees do not have the training, nor the time, necessary to properly conduct these discussions. Others turned to the campaign’s promotions -- noting most of the models used in their advertising campaigns were mainly white. Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, has been discussing race related issues for months before the launch of this campaign. The company released a press statement surrounding the issues customers have with this campaign. Starbucks maintains that the efforts began with a company wide meeting of Starbucks Support Center employees in December and the movement quickly spread across the country. Moreover, the company mentioned that it was the employees who wanted to begin conversations with customers to encourage, “greater understanding, empathy [sic] and compassion toward one another”