Practice of Ethical Leadership: Implicit Bias and Racial Profiling in the Starbucks Incident
Overview
This paper examines the 2018 Starbucks incident involving the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia location, analyzing the ethical failures in leadership and decision-making. The paper identifies implicit bias and racial profiling as the core ethical issues, demonstrating how unconscious stereotypes and discriminatory practices led to an unjustified arrest that violated both company values and social responsibility.
What this essay covers
- Introduction and case narrative: Details of the April 2018 arrest of Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson at Starbucks
- Ethical analysis: Examination of implicit bias as unconscious attitudes and stereotyping affecting staff behavior
- Racial profiling discussion: Analysis of how ethnicity-based suspicion and stereotypes about black men influenced the discriminatory response
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Practice of Ethical Leadership
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Practice of Ethical Leadership
Just a year into his tenure, the CEO of Starbucks, Kevin Johnson, was forced to confront widespread criticisms about the company's treatment of two black men, Rashon Nelson, and Donte Robinson. They were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks shop in April 2018. The two men had earlier walked into the coffee shop to wait for their business partner, Andrew Yaffe, who was running late: Yaffe managed a real estate development firm and wanted to talk over business opportunities with the two men (Siegel, 2018). Because Starbucks was somewhat of a community hub and had a flexible policy about people waiting in their premises without spending money, the two men sat as they waited for their acquaintance. The men’s request to use the restroom was denied, and they were further asked to leave the shop because they had not ordered anything. After refusing to do so, a female employee called the police accusing them of causing a disturbance and trespassing.
Philadelphia Police officers arrived a short while later and arrested Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson. The two were held for nearly nine hours before being released after no charges were filed: there was insufficient evidence of any crime. One patron had recorded the arrest on her cell phone.