In response to objections over a public statement made earlier this year backing Washington’s same-sex marriage bill, the leadership of Starbucks Corporation assured its investors not to worry, for profits have never been better.
Starbucks President and CEO Howard Schultz fielded questions from shareholders over whether taking a stance on the controversial issue would dilute the company’s bottom line, particularly in nations where the company is expanding but homosexuality is widely considered immoral.
“I would say, candidly, since we made that decision, there has not been any dilution whatsoever in our business, and as you can see, shareholder value has increased significantly,” Schultz replied. “Performance in many ways should be one of the metrics to decide whether or not this decision in any way has been dilutive, and it hasn’t.”...