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Can please read the below attached case and Answer the Case discussion question? which is last para in second page thank you ! Opening Chapter
Can please read the below attached case and Answer the Case discussion question? which is last para in second page thank you !
Opening Chapter Case: Crisis Brews at Starbucks - Part 1 Managing a restaurant is not easy. Many stakeholders are invested in the success of the business, but some can pose a potential threat. Employees can be untrustworthy or dishonest, and at their worst, can bleed the company of inventory, cash, and customer goodwill. A customer can post complaints on social media about the food and service they received, an act that can spread negative news far and wide. A vendor can provide264 spoiled or contaminated food products that can cause sickness. All of these are industry- specific examples and are potential crises that can disrupt operations and, in some cases, lead to failure. On April 12, 2018, Starbucks encountered a different kind of stakeholder-induced crisis at its Rittenhouse Square store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although there was no physical damage or any human injury, the company suffered an unexpected blow to its reputation but, more importantly, prompted the arrest of two innocent young men who were waiting on a friend inside the store. The crisis stemmed from a Starbucks employee's decision to ask the two men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, to leave the store. Neither Nelson nor Robinson had purchased anything. The men refused, so a store manager called the police, and officers eventually arrested them for trespassing and took them to jail (Joffe, 2018). It is not uncommon for restaurants to deny seating or access to restroom facilities to non-customers. This practice is usually not a concern when it involves only a small percentage of store traffic. Still, Starbucks has developed a reputation as a favorite "hangout," and the growing number of non-customers in some stores had become a problem (Jargon & Feintzeig, 2018a, 2018b). Nonetheless, the optics for Starbucks were not positive. The arrest was captured on social media and immediately went viral. Many accused Starbucks of racial bias and discrimination for initiating the arrests. However, this explanation was inconsistent with the company's professional, progressive, and inclusive philosophy. Ironically, Starbucks had demonstrated a commitment to racial justice and eliminating any bias in their restaurants (Marszalek, 2018). Still, the constant broadcast and the social media reports seemed to tell a different story. The public perception of the event evolved into a discourse on race, as some perceived it as an attack on the black community. The Black Lives Matter movement officially condemned the incident as an example of how unfounded fear arises when black males are present in white spaces (Joffe, 2018). Many called for the boycott of Starbucks, and protestors confronted management at the Rittenhouse Square store and demanded that the manager who called the police be fired. This protest resulted in a temporary closure of the restaurant. Indeed, there was trouble brewing at Starbucks. Case Discussion Questions 1. Starbucks is not the only retailer to restrict restroom access to paying customers only. Many retailers follow a similar practice citing security concerns. From a crisis management perspective, how should an establishment protect the safety of its store, customers, and employees if non-customers are allowed access to the restrooms? 2. When should managers call police about customer behaviorStep by Step Solution
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