Starbucks

Starbucks, is the leading specialty coffee company that collaborated with the environmental nonprofit Conservation International. Together they created a strategic alliance promoting organic coffee-growing practices that would help both companies reach their goals. Through this alliance, Conservation International promotes farmers' shade-grown practices and protects endangered habitats. As for Starbucks, they receive high quality coffee and fulfills its social responsibility strategy. This is a win-win alliance where both accomplish their goals by finding a common ground that they are able to cooperate on to improve one another. This is one of the alliances that worked out best for Starbucks, especially compared to the other situation they were in with the Fair Trade movement. There was no cooperation or collaboration but, more stubborn business demands from the Fair Trade movement. The reason Starbucks is working with these two companies is in the hopes of creating a "network of industry leaders who will join in finding a way to create positive changes within the global coffee community" (Austin, p. 13). Starbucks with Conservation International made a new coffee-purchasing guidelines that was overall effective in improving existing supplier relations and commitment to buying environmentally friendly grown coffee. The key factors contributing to the successful alliance between Starbucks and Conservation International was their understanding and willingness to create a collaborative network to reach their common goals. It allowed them to share risks and promoted a long-term relationship. By Conservation International realizing that coffee is an important commodity that was replacing millions of acres of land, they needed to preserve the environment by helping struggling shade-grown coffee farmers. Thus the need from Starbucks to financially aid their Chiapas Project and in return Starbucks would have an enhanced social reputation, gain more control over their