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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I think even Howard would agree: a balanced look at the giant, January 21, 2008
This review is from: Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture (Hardcover)
"Starbucked" is a tremendous piece of journalism. It strikes just the right balance - serious but with a sharp sense of humor (it had me laughing outright in many places because Taylor Clark is wickedly funny), and neither pro- nor anti-Starbucks. Given Clark's street cred with alt-weekly Willamette Week, some might expect something bordering on a screed. But, as other writers point out here, it is a balanced, nuanced and simply finely researched piece of work. Most notably, Clark scores an interview with Howard Schultz. I think even Schultz (though he occasionally suffers, as co-workers note, from believing his own PR) would, however begrudgingly, admit that his company gets more than a fair shake from the author.
For example, Clark puts to rest the fallacy that - like Wal-Mart - Starbucks puts Mom and Pop stores out of business. [Actually, sales in those stores rise when Starbucks drops anchor near-by.] He also notes of Schultz's genuineness on the issues of health insurance and stock options, noting that Schultz offered these to even part-time workers "as a matter of principle...[He] has always taken his employers' welfare seriously." Nothing in Clark's research refutes that statement. It's stated and accepted here as a fact. He also clarifies that Starbucks bears little responsibility for the drop in coffee bean prices, noting that the "Big Four" (Nestle, P&G, Philip Morris, Massimo Zanetti - owner of the Hills Bros. and MJB brands) "provide 60% of America's coffee supply" and roil the market by cutting their product with the low-quality, highly available robusta plant (incrementally substituting it for the Arabica that Starbucks and others use).
Taylor Clark's excellent book reminds me Charles Fishman's equally compelling and balanced look at Wal-Mart ( The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--and How It's Transforming the American Economy). These are two works I can highly recommend without reservation.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 5-star cup of coffee, November 19, 2007
This review is from: Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture (Hardcover)
Reviewed by Muhammed Hassanali
Starbucked is divided into two parts. The first part describes the rise of Starbucks. Clark briefly summarizes coffee drinking practices outside the United States and moves to Prescott's work on coffee at MIT in the 1920s. From there Clark outlines the changes in American coffee consumption. The main focus of the first part is rightly on Starbucks - especially after Howard Schultz took over the company, making it into the coffee juggernaut it has become.
The second part focuses on the criticisms that are levied against Starbucks. Clark divides these into five main categories, which he lists as [pg. 145]:
* Killing the character of neighborhoods and employing predatory tactics to take out locally owned coffeehouses.
* Causing the suffering of millions of Third World coffee farmers by paying unfair prices for beans.
* Peddling a product that is harmful to our health (and our delicate palates).
* Exploiting its employees and crushing their attempts to unionize.
* Homogenizing the planet and destroying cultural diversity by saturating the world with its stores.
It is in this section that one would find the most contentious parts of the book. While Clark does address all of the categories above, and draws upon all the major criticisms leveled against Starbucks, to some readers he may come across as being pro-Starbucks. Other readers would contend that Clark is merely mapping the fault lines of the debate. Whatever the reader's stand, most would agree that Clark has outlined both sides of the debate. It was instructive for me to read the epilogue, titled "The Last Drop." It recounts Clark's personal encounter with Starbucks as it entered his home town and probably influenced his ambivalence towards the company.
Starbucked does not purport to be a management book or a book on how to create a culture (as some books on Starbucks are). This book outlines its rise from a historical perspective and reports both sides of the ethical transgressions that Starbucks has been accused of. The journalistic writing style is crisp and flows well. Overall, it is well researched and well written.
Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended for those who are passionate about Starbucks.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific Research, Balanced Reporting, Outstanding Writing, November 28, 2007
This review is from: Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture (Hardcover)
Clark's research, reporting, and writing are superb. You'll learn a number of things about Starbucks, coffees from around the world, and coffee drinks of all ilks that you never knew before. If you're looking for a book bashing Starbucks this is NOT it. It is, however, one of the most fair and balanced books I've read on any subject on which there is at least some disagreement. Clark will have you thinking critically about both sides of many issues, including the company's treatment of employees, coffee and your health, even cultural imperialism. This is a VERY interesting read.
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