Starbucks: a brief response
In response to the aesthetic realist:
I don't think of Starbucks as a representative of the American Dream. If my dream was to be the next Howard Schultz, multi-millionaire and owner of a chain of stores across the U.S., I'd be depressed.
Thanks a lot, Adam Smith. Conservatives are as obsessed over economics as Marxists were, just in a different way. Quality of life is so much more than raw economics. Don't get me wrong, the state government should stay out of market regulation. But responsible business owners need to focus on more than the bottom line, tempting as it may be to do otherwise. I admit that many big business owners are very conscious of doing good. But is the damage that big businesses do to the closeness local communities any better than the dehumanizing aspects of big government? Lets not worship the bottom line. I know that businesses need a profit to survive. But could we say that profit is not the primary purpose of a business? I know my grandpa's blueberry farm isn't. When I start a small one-man teaching business some day I hope it will provide for my family, but otherwise profit is not a significant part of my reason for it.
Life is so much more than money. Although Dewey had a lot of things wrong, all Americans (and most of the world) desperately need to acquire the value he placed on community.
I don't think of Starbucks as a representative of the American Dream. If my dream was to be the next Howard Schultz, multi-millionaire and owner of a chain of stores across the U.S., I'd be depressed.
Thanks a lot, Adam Smith. Conservatives are as obsessed over economics as Marxists were, just in a different way. Quality of life is so much more than raw economics. Don't get me wrong, the state government should stay out of market regulation. But responsible business owners need to focus on more than the bottom line, tempting as it may be to do otherwise. I admit that many big business owners are very conscious of doing good. But is the damage that big businesses do to the closeness local communities any better than the dehumanizing aspects of big government? Lets not worship the bottom line. I know that businesses need a profit to survive. But could we say that profit is not the primary purpose of a business? I know my grandpa's blueberry farm isn't. When I start a small one-man teaching business some day I hope it will provide for my family, but otherwise profit is not a significant part of my reason for it.
Life is so much more than money. Although Dewey had a lot of things wrong, all Americans (and most of the world) desperately need to acquire the value he placed on community.
posted by Derby at 23:24
1 Comments:
I agree, while necessary, profit is definitely not the primary purpose of business. Small town (family owned…etc.) coffee shops are far more attractive than the fast paced, metropolitan coffee shops. There isn’t any comparison… in terms of quality. While this is all wonderful and good, it still misses the point. Starbucks does fill an important niche. Starbucks is not the bottom line, if they were the bottom line than they would be quickly weeded out of competition. Starbucks has benefited the American economy for years (if measured in terms of the stock market), Starbucks first introduced Italian coffee bars to the United States, and Starbucks provides me with fast coffee when I’m on the run. No, don’t worship Starbucks; just be careful not to dis every small business that makes it big.
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