While it may be tempting to go
after companies for hypocrisy on corporate social responsibility, even deeper
criticism may be closer to the bottom line, financially. Even though social
media castigated Starbucks for its impact on carbon emissions in agreeing to
fly its Southern Californian CEO Brian Niccol to Seattle on a company plane each
week, I submit that the amount of spending entailed raises questions about
cost-containment and even cast some doubt on whether the company’s price
increases in 2024 were wholly justified, and thus even on whether the industry
was competitive or an oligarchy.
The full essay is at "Beyond Climate Change: Starbucks Awash in Cash."