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Ethics Article Review Paper

Rachel Nilles

OGL 345

October 3, 2021
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Prompt 1

“Ethics is the discipline dealing with what is good and bad with moral duty and

obligation,” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). I feel like this is a good definition of ethics because it is

discipline, you continue to learn about it every day. You will continually learn what is bad and

what is good. You will continue to train to be better and learn right from wrong. That is the

incredible thing of all of this, you can always continue to learn, there is always progress to be

made.

Prompt 2

This dilemma I chose to research and talk about relates to my current professional

industry because I currently work at Starbucks. I wanted to review this very prevalent topic and

go over everything that Starbucks did and is continuing to do to be on top of issues like this.

How they are training their partners and trying to keep their standards not just up to par but

exceeding them. Starbucks is all about creating a welcoming environment for all, they want the

store to be a third place for all. Which means, a home away from home, and Starbucks did not

achieve this that day in 2018. Although I did not work for Starbucks back in 2018, I do

remember hearing all about this incident when I was hired in 2019 and it is still talked about to

this day.

Prompt 3

https://www.npr.org/2018/04/18/603693170/arrests-at-philadelphia-starbucks-store-raise-

uncomfortable-questions-for-compan

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/starbucks-philadelphia-arrests-black-men-video-viral-

protests-background-20180416.html

https://twitter.com/i/status/984539713016094721
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Starbucks had a very unfortunate incident at a store in Philadelphia. The stakeholders

would be anyone involved in this situation, so everyone working for the company, companies

like Starbucks, and their customers. In this event, two Black men came into a Philadelphia

Starbucks where they were waiting for a friend. They asked an employee to use the restroom and

were told they needed to leave because they had not bought anything, (Rose, 2018). The

restroom was for paying customers only. The store manager then called the police and the two

were taken out of the store in handcuffs, (Tornoe, 2018). In the video link above, you can see

they were extremely calm, and the other customers were baffled and what was happening right

before their eyes. This store manager made a horrible decision that caused a lot of turmoil for the

company. If the store manager would have just let them be and wait for their friend to show up,

this all could have been avoided. Starbucks is meant to be a third place, but it was awfully

disrupted that day by the decisions of the store manager. The company responds quickly to

come up with a nationwide training program for each store to go through. By updating their

training for this, they showed the world that they do not put up with this kind of behavior and

will never tolerate it. Starbucks has never been that kind of company to not make everyone feel

welcomed. They aspire to always go above and beyond, and will continue to do so, and that the

actions of one store manager, does not define the entire company. Starbucks has their partners go

through regular training, in fact, I just went through some two days ago. They are always

updating and improving.

Prompt 4

Starbucks is a third place for all, it should not matter if they bought a coffee or not.

Anyone is welcome. This was an ethical dilemma because of everything that led up to that point.

Police should not have been involved at all, no turmoil, just communication. After the men were
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asked if they would like anything to drink, that is where it should have all ended. This was

supposed to be a safe place for everyone that day, but it turned for the worse. Everyone involved

became unsafe. This whole situation was unethical. Understanding this ethical dilemma is super

important and helpful for my leadership development because of all the training we have been

through to help with situations like this. We are always to assume positive intent of everyone,

customers, and partners alike. I feel as if, Starbucks has helped many people become better

leaders since all of this has happened. They care deeply for who they put into those leadership

roles and want everyone to succeed.

Prompt 5

Anyone could learn something from this ethical dilemma. It does not matter what

profession you are in. I am sure many companies revamped their trainings when this happened to

Starbucks back in 2018. It was all over the news, so I am sure others thought about what they

could be doing differently. Although it was a horrible situation, a lot came out of it. Progress was

made that year, and I am pleased with what Starbucks did to improve their third place. Always

assume positive intent.

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Works Cited

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Ethics. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethics.

Rose, J. (2018, April 18). Not everyone feels welcome camping out in 'third spaces' like

Starbucks. NPR. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from

https://www.npr.org/2018/04/18/603693170/arrests-at-philadelphia-starbucks-store-raise-

uncomfortable-questions-for-compan.

Tornoe, R. (2018, April 16). What happened at Starbucks in Philadelphia?

https://www.inquirer.com. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/starbucks-philadelphia-arrests-black-men-video-

viral-protests-background-20180416.html.