Publications
Publications
- March 24, 2015
- Harvard Business Review (website)
Starbucks' 'Race Together' Campaign and the Upside of CEO Activism
By: Aaron Chatterji and Michael W. Toffel
Abstract
When Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz asked his baristas to engage customers in a discussion about race in America, it was a clear case of the growing trend of "CEO activism." Despite the criticism of that particular initiative, CEO activism—from Shultz to Chick-Fil-A's Dan Cathy to Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg to Goldman Sach's Lloyd Blankfein—represents a step forward for corporate involvement in the public square because these efforts are unusually transparent and delimited. As such, CEO activism is a welcome counterpoint to the largely hidden involvement of corporate leaders in shaping policy through the hundreds of millions of dollars they direct to Super PACs, trade associations, and think tanks to promote liberal and conservative causes.
Keywords
Citation
Chatterji, Aaron, and Michael W. Toffel. "Starbucks' 'Race Together' Campaign and the Upside of CEO Activism." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 24, 2015).
About The Author
