MGMT606: Starbucks' Sustainable Future: Ethical Sourcing Research

This report, authored by a student, investigates how Starbucks can sustain its future through ethical sourcing and sustainable development. The research process involved a literature review, including the selection and critical analysis of 12 articles from 2017-2019, focusing on ethical marketing strategies, consumer preferences, and the impact of corporate social responsibility. The report examines themes such as eco-innovation, ethical judgments, and customer involvement, drawing conclusions about the importance of ethical sourcing for brand image and competitive advantage in the coffee retail sector. The report also includes a summary table outlining the objectives, methodologies, findings, and conclusions of the reviewed articles, highlighting the need for further research on ethical sourcing to ensure sustainable development in the coffee industry. The analysis covers various aspects, including the impact of activism and abdication on workplace ethics, the role of innovation in ecopreneurial markets, consumer ethical decision-making, and the effects of certification schemes on agricultural production.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
RESEARCH ON SUSTAINABLE FUTURE OF STARBUCKS
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Description of the search process...............................................................................................2
Critical analysis of the literature................................................................................................3
Implications and conclusion.......................................................................................................5
Summary table...........................................................................................................................7
References................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Management is an important parameter, which needs to be considered with effective
attention by the brands in terms of enhancing the efficiency in the operations. Using
performance management systems help the brands to monitor the business parameters for
detecting the arenas, which need further modifications. All these aspects seem true for
Starbucks, which has achieved accolades and glory for practising ethical behaviour. Ethical
sourcing is one of the components, adding to the reputation and brand image. The investors
are concerned about the feasibility of the ethical sourcing strategies adopted by Starbucks to
maintain the ethical considerations. Their concerns relate to the affectation on the
investments in the purchase of the drinks. This assignment attempts to conduct research on
the ways and means through which brands like Starbucks can sustain their future. Developing
a comparative study expands the scope and arena of the research from the food and beverage
sector.
Description of the search process
At the initial stage, the articles for literature review were reviewed for assessing its
relevance to the topic “Sustaining the future through ethical sourcing: A case study of
Starbucks”. Prior to this, research was conducted for collecting the relevant articles. This
research included readings, video recordings and learning activities related to the subject
matter. In the process of selecting the articles, the exclusion and inclusion criteria was
followed for generating validity, reliability and authenticity in the process of literature
review. As a sequential step, the keywords were generated, followed by search engine
optimization and keyword search, which assisted the researcher to proceed to the relevant
webpage in lesser time. After this, the researcher also referred to the external sources like
ProQuest for searching the articles related to the research topic. This is the stage, where

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inclusion and exclusion criteria was thoroughly followed. The time span considered for
searching the articles was 2017-2019.
Screening of the articles was the next stage in the process of searching the articles.
Mention can be made of the prisma diagram, where only 12 articles were selected out of the
14. This process develop relevancy, authenticity and reliability in the process of research.
One of the final stages in this process was accessing the articles, which was time consuming,
as ID passwords were needed. After finding the relevant articles, a summary table was
prepared, which consisted of the summarised format of the research methodology, objectives,
findings along with conclusion and recommendations. After the completion of the table,
critical analysis was prepared for enriching the awareness of the readers regarding the aspect
of sustainable development for securing the future.
Critical analysis of the literature
According to the arguments of Carrington, Detlev and Benjamin (2019), current
capitalists system has added to the superficiality in the changes related to corporate social
responsibility. The major drive behind this is the integration of abdication and activism into
the workplace ethics. The challenges encountered by the managers while maintaining the
workplace ethics are backed up by specific conditions. Hiring advocates results in driving the
performance towards positive changes. On the contrary, Rodríguez-García, María and
Agustín (2019) focuses on the ecological sector, especially on sustainable practices. Adapting
innovation helps in enhancing the value with the ecopreneurial businesses. Values and
principles are central for researching on the aspect of sustainable development in the food and
beverage sector.
According to the arguments of Gudigantala and Pelin (2019), transactions of the gray
market goods are legal, adding to the ethical considerations. Reputable brand identities are
used by the marketers, which contributes to the enhancement of the profit margin.

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Investments for the capital are not taken into consideration for the decision making process.
Confrontation with the choices is backed up with the risk scenarios, which helps in evaluating
the impact on the productivity. However, Poret (2019) suggests that partnership with the non-
governmental organizations is effective for enhancing the parameters of the corporate social
responsibility. Economics, management and complementaries are crucial for enhancing the
stability in the public relationship. Mention is made of the aspect of voluntary product
labelling, which consists of the motives of partnering, that is, to produce quality products for
the clients and customers. In the arguments of Oya et al. (2017), the issue of certification is
highlighted, which enhances the standards of the agricultural production in the low and
middle income countries. Schemes are introduced for maintaining the quality of the food
grains until it reaches to the customers. Evaluation of the schemes is a means adopted by the
staffs of the agricultural sector to map the socio-economic outcomes.
According to the opinions of Wann et al. (2018), consumer preferences are integral in
terms of harvesting special quality coffee beans in the threshold of Taiwan. Retailers, through
their creativity and innovation attempt to produce high quality coffee beans to achieve higher
competitive advantage as compared to the contemporary brands. On the other hand,
Mohamadi et al. (2019) upholds the aspect of flavour compounds in the cocoa powder
production process. Flavor is one of an important components, adding to the taste and quality
of the coffee. Volatile compound profiling is highlighted for enhancing the awareness of the
readers about the processes and its dynamics. As per the arguments of Widyastuti (2019),
trust is one of the crucial components in the marketing strategy. Consciousness towards
adopting greener marketing practices enhance the corporate social responsibility of the
brands. Evaluation of the outcomes is a means for enhancing the brand image.
On the contrary, ÖZTOPÇU (2017) is of the view that evaluation of the competitive
strategies is needed by the coffee retailers to contribute to the economic development.

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Research and development, business model and innovation are the main sources, which add
value to the strategic management of the retailers. Determination of the size of the retailers
helps in mapping the business mechanisms, especially the achievement of the customer
satisfaction. This determination is also effective for mapping the outcomes in terms of
sustaining the future of the coffee retailers. However, Pinto et al. (2017) is of the view that
innovation research is used by the brands for achieving higher competitive advantage. In this
context, light has been shed on the gap analysis for detecting the areas in which modifications
are to be added for adding meaning into the retail services. The process of achieving solutions
can be considered as an effective turning point in the coffee retail business for concretizing
the shopping experience of the clients and customers.
As stated by Kim and Seonjeong (2017), customer involvement is assistance in terms
of generating good practices. This involvement acts assistance in planning for the customer
loyalty programs. The aspects of self-congruity and service value is effective for enhancing
the brand value through the means of higher customer engagement. On the other hand,
Sakulsinlapakorn, Kongkidakarn and Jing (2019) is of the view that failure of the brands to
practice effective marketing produces negative impact on the buying behaviour of the clients
and customers. The behaviour in the situation of this negativity is considered in the
parameters of aggression, trust, attrition and perceived fairness, shaping the characteristics of
a customer. If the intensity of the failure is severe, then the effect on the consumer behaviour
is also intense indicating the chances of turnover, which can add vulnerability into the market
position of the coffee retailing brands.
Implications and conclusion
All of the articles selected for conducting literature review are directed towards
marketing strategies and tactics adopted by the coffee retailing brands for achieving
competitive advantage. Out of the 12 articles, only four articles relate to the topic of ethical

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marketing for sustaining the future of marketing in case of the coffee retailing brands. This is
a kind of deviation from the topic, indicating further research on the ethical sourcing and
sustainable development for the coffee retailing brands. Among the rest of the articles, one of
the articles is on trust, which relates to the aspect of trust and greener marketing strategies,
which adds to the corporate social responsibilities. Therefore, the researcher needs to acquire
prisma diagram for considering the articles, which are more relevant for deducing
conclusions regarding ethical sourcing for attaining sustainable development. This approach
would be effective in terms of adding authenticity, reliability and validity into the research on
sustainable development in case of the coffee retailers.
The themes of the articles relate to the marketing strategies, which the retail brands
adopt for producing quality coffee for the customers. Eco-innovation can be considered as an
agent, which strengthens the marketing foundation of the brands intending to lure the
customers through quality coffee. Ethical judgments is applicable in the process of decision-
making in terms of mapping the purchase intentions. Certification labels is accounted as an
important component of the quality controls in the agricultural production. Involving the
customers in the decision making processes is effective in terms of reducing the failure rates
and enhancing the brand image. Consciousness in this direction enhances the corporate image
of the coffee retailing brands.

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Summary table
Serial
no
Citation Research
objectives
Methodolog
y
Themes Findings Conclusion/
future research
1. Carrington,
Detlev and
Benjamin (2019)
 To assess
the
impact of
activism
and
abdicatio
n on
workplac
e ethics
Case studies
and stories
Activism,
abdication,
corporate
responsibility
Abdication
and activism
adversely
affects the
managerial
activities
practices by
the brands for
enhancing the
standards and
quality of the
business
For creating a
responsible
business, the
brands need to
achieve
sustainable
development
through the
adoption of an
efficient
ecosystem
2. Rodríguez-
García et al.
(2019)
To investigate
the importance
of innovation for
sustaining the
growth of the
ecopreneurial
markets
Clarivate
Analytics
Ecopreneurship
, innovation,
eco-innovation
Collaboration
between the
brands and the
associate
partners is the
key towards
attaining
sustainable
development.
Eco-friendly
policies attains
values when
policies are
formulated for
monitoring the
production
Theoretical
frameworks would
lure the
ecopreneurs to
conduct further
research on
environmental
sustainable
environment.
3. Gudigantala and
Pelin (2019)
To investigate
consumers’
ethical decision
making and
purchase
intentions
Case study
analysis,
validity
assessment,
correlation
matrix
Gray markets,
ethical
judgments,
purchase
intention
Deriving
profits is
effective for
mapping the
behaviour of
the customers
towards
ethical
decision
making
This research is a
secondary source
of information for
the researchers
intending to
conduct further
research on the
risks associated
with the ethical
decision making
4 Poret (2019) To assess the
partnering
techniques of
corporate brands
for conducting
voluntary
labelling for the
products
Analytical
models and
frameworks
Corporate
social
responsibility,
sustainability
labels, motives,
risks
Partnerships
enhance the
corporate
social
responsibilitie
s of the
brands. Shared
goals adds
This research can
be carried forward
for gaining an
insight into the
risks in the process
of analysing the
information
exchange and cost

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value to the
stability in the
public
relationship
benefit.
5 Oya et al. (2019) To examine the
effects of
certification
schemes on
sustainable
agricultural
production in the
low and middle
income countries
Meta-
analysis
Certification
schemes,
agricultural
production, low
and middle
income group
countries
Fairtrade
certification is
practiced for
improving the
standards and
quality of the
agricultural
production in
the low and
middle income
group
countries
Dominance, weak
and not
statistically
significant are the
tags attaches to the
statistical analysis
on the certification
for the agricultural
production.
Scarcity of the
high quality
impact is a ground
for the researchers
to review the
quality of the
schemes in the last
10 years
6. Wann et al.
(2019)
To understand the
consumer
assessments and
attributes related
to the purchase of
coffee in Taiwan
Survey,
attribute set
analysis,
choice
method,
modelling
approach
Consumer
preferences,
locally grown
speciality crops
The retailers
consider
detailed
consumer
approaches
preparing the
strategies for
niche
marketing
This research acts
as a secondary
source of
information for the
managers to
enhance the taste
and quality of the
coffee for the
customers in
Taiwan
7. Mohamadi et al.
(2019)
To investigate the
flavour
compounds in the
production of
cocoa powder
Statistical
analysis
Flavor
compounds,
cocoa powder
production
There are
various
compounds in
the stages of
producing
cocoa.
Relative
investments
are considered
in these stages
for yielding
higher
investment
returns
This research can
be an effective
source of
information for the
researchers
intending to study
further about the
process of
producing cocoa
powder
8. Widyastuti et al.
(2019)
To study the
consumption
patterns of the
green products
Survey Customer trust,
green corporate
image,
marketing
strategy, social
The aspect of
consumer
engagement
needs to be
catered for
Social
responsibility
programs are an
agent for
expanding the

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responsibility enhancing the
aspect of
greener
marketing
scope and arena of
the business to
community
9. ÖZTOPÇU
(2017)
To investigate the
competitive
strategies
formulated by the
coffee retailers for
contributing to the
market economy
Case study
analysis
Competitive
strategies,
coffee retailing
Latest and
modern
technologies
are needed for
enhancing the
quality of
coffee
production.
Ambience of
the coffee
shops
adversely
affects the
purchase
decisions
This research is a
secondary source
of information for
the researchers
intending to
conduct further
research on
competitive
strategies of coffee
retailing brands
10. Pinto et al.
(2017)
To investigate the
ways in which
retail services can
achieve higher
competitive
advantage
Case study
analysis
Innovation
strategies, retail
services,
solutions,
meaning and
experience
Radical
innovation
upgrades the
standards of
the retail
marketing,
concretizing
the shopping
experience for
the customers
Expanding the
horizons of the
research beyond
shopping would
add new insights
into the
applicability of the
design driven
innovation on
production
11 Kim, Soon-Ho
and Ally (2017)
To study the ways
in which service
brand loyalty can
be improved
Symbolic
interaction
theory
Customer
involvement,
service brands,
brand loyalty,
self-service,
self-congruity
Customer
brand
identification
and service
value have
high impact
on the
decision
making of the
customers
This research can
be used for further
researching on the
loyalty programs
12 Sakulsinlapakorn
, Kongkidakarn,
and Jing (2019)
To investigate the
impact of brand
failure on the
purchase response
of the customers
Survey Failure
severity,
consumer
retaliation
When the
brands fail to
enhance the
brand image,
the consumers
are adversely
affected in
case of
making
purchasing
decisions
This research acts
as secondary
source of
information for the
researchers
intending to
conduct further
study on
enhancing the
brand image

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References
Carrington, Michal, Detlev Zwick, and Benjamin Neville. "Activism and abdication on the
inside: The effect of everyday practice on corporate responsibility." Journal of Business
Ethics 160, no. 4 (2019): 973-999.
Gudigantala, Naveen, and Pelin Bicen. "Do Consumers’ Ethical Judgments Matter for
Purchase Intentions in Online Gray Markets?." Journal of Marketing Development and
Competitiveness 13, no. 4 (2019).
Kim, Soon-Ho, and Seonjeong Ally Lee. "Promoting customers’ involvement with service
brands: evidence from coffee shop customers." Journal of Services Marketing (2017).
Mohamadi Alasti, Fariba, Narmela Asefi, Ramin Maleki, and Seiied Sadegh SeiiedlouHeris.
"Investigating the flavor compounds in the cocoa powder production process." Food Science
& Nutrition (2019).
Oya, Carlos, Florian Schaefer, Dafni Skalidou, Catherine McCosker, and Laurenz Langer.
"Effects of certification schemes for agricultural production on socio‐economic outcomes in
low‐and middle‐income countries: a systematic review." Campbell Systematic Reviews 13,
no. 1 (2017): 1-346.
ÖZTOPÇU, Aslı. "EVALUATION OF COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES OF COFFEE
RETAILING IN ASPECT OF MARKET ECONOMY." Business & Management Studies:
An International Journal 5, no. 2 (2017): 246-267.
Pinto, Giuseppe Leonardo, Claudio Dell’Era, Roberto Verganti, and Emilio Bellini.
"Innovation strategies in retail services: solutions, experiences and meanings." European
Journal of Innovation Management (2017).

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Poret, Sylvaine. "Corporate–NGO partnerships through sustainability labeling schemes:
motives and risks." Sustainability 11, no. 9 (2019): 2689.
Rodríguez-García, María, María Guijarro-García, and Agustín Carrilero-Castillo. "An
overview of ecopreneurship, eco-Innovation, and the ecological sector." Sustainability 11, no.
10 (2019): 2909.
Sakulsinlapakorn, Kongkidakarn, and Jing Zhang. "When Love-Becomes-Hate Effect
Happens: An Empirical Study of the Impact of Brand Failure Severity Upon Consumers
Negative Responses." Academy of Marketing Studies Journal (2019).
Wann, Jong-Wen, Chia-Yung Kao, and Yu-Chen Yang. "Consumer Preferences of Locally
Grown Specialty Crop: The Case of Taiwan Coffee." Sustainability 10, no. 7 (2018): 2396.
Widyastuti, Sri, Muhammad Said, Safitri Siswono, and Dian Andi Firmansyah. "Customer
trust through green corporate image, green marketing strategy and social responsibility: a
case study." (2019).