Starbucks and Globalization’s Discontents

Starbucks. It’s a corporate symbol that some people love to love, and others love to hate. So what is it: epitome of the evils of globalization or a righteous sign of progressive business practices? Kim Fellner investigates.

Okay, so it’s not exactly an “investigation,” but the author does cover some interesting and thought-provoking topics, disabusing us of certain notions (e.g., that Starbucks is a monolith, lacking diversity in its workforce) while reasserting others (e.g., that Starbucks doesn’t do so hot with unions).

Anyway, it’s an interesting article that’s worth a read if the topic’s one that resonates with you.

(ColorLines: “The Starbucks Paradox” by Kim Fellner [April 27, 2004] via AlterNet)