Starbucks has long been celebrated for its progressive image and support of social justice causes. But when it comes to unionization and better benefits, the company’s actions tell a different story. Internal policies—like cracking down on union activities—raise doubts about how committed it truly is to the values it champions.
Starbucks is a prime example of a wider trend: companies quickly embrace progressive causes, but only when they don’t hurt the bottom line. This is Bandwagon Branding—when businesses latch onto the latest popular cause, whether it’s social justice, climate change, or equality, to align with dominant public values. They roll out hashtags, social media campaigns, and limited-edition products to show support. But once the spotlight fades, they quietly move on to the next issue. Remember when founder-CEO Howard Schultz launched the “Race Together” initiative, letting baristas at 12,000 locations write it on cups to spark conversations about race?
This cycle—big gestures, minimal change, quick pivots—reveals a harsh truth: corporations are profit-driven. Their true loyalty is to shareholders, not social causes. Corporate virtue-signaling often rings hollow.
Last quarter, Starbucks 
In business, every sale may feel like a win, but some sales can actually harm you more than help.
In 1981, Rangaswamy Srinivasan, a chemist at IBM Research, and his colleagues embarked on 
The notion of directly 
While serving as a management advisor at Rexall Drugstores in the 1950s, Coulombe, a Stanford Business School graduate, delved into .jpg "'Becoming Trader Joe' by Joe Coulombe (ISBN 1400225434)")
.jpg "'Made in Japan' by Akio Morita (ISBN 0452259878)")
Ibuka concentrated on research and development, and Morita took charge of obtaining funding and managing sales, as well as overseeing marketing activities from an abandoned department store. Despite 
Morita’s strategic foresight, coupled with Sony’s dedication to quality and creativity, positioned the company as a trendsetter, influencing the global perception of Japanese goods and cementing its legacy as the trailblazer of the early technological era. Morita even went to lengths like designing special white shirts with oversized pockets for salesmen to showcase the Walkman’s portability during its American launch.
In the early days, founders 
As a freelancer, you’ll constantly receive requests to write blogs, help with videos, provide ‘expert’ advice, perform a show, or attend events—all without pay, but with promises of experience, prestige, or that 
Former entrepreneurs often switch to corporate gigs, aiming for a better work-life balance and a touch of structure. While their creative mojo can jazz up your team, there’s a flip side: culture clashes. Entrepreneurs are used to doing things their way; so the corporate world, with its hierarchy and risk aversion, might feel like a straightjacket to them.