KEHADIRAN STARBUCKS SEBAGAI LAMBANG KAPITALISME AMERIKA SERIKAT DI TIONGKOK

This paper discusses the impact of Starbucks presence as a style of Western capitalism in China through the analysis of Conscious Capitalism developed by John Mackey and Professor Raj Sisodia. The glory of Starbucks in China has started since the opening of its first outlet in 1999. The high level of consumerism in China is the reason behind the success and glory of Starbucks capitalism in China. In contrast to other patterns of consumerism and business capitalism, which tend to cause economic, ecological and humanistic crises, in this paper the author argue that the presence of Starbucks in China has a positive impact. This can be proven by the application of the principles of Conscious Capitalism by Starbucks in the midst of the flow of Chinese consumption, consumerism and capitalism. The principles of conscious capitalism applied by Starbucks are; (1) higher purpose; (2) stakeholder orientation; (3) culture orientation; and (4) conscious leadership.

Conscious capitalism and the organizational propensity to fight corruption

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how much the basic tenets of conscious capitalism could favor organizational change and anticorruption strategies. Design/methodology/approach The paper questions the vagueness of the tenets and principles of conscious capitalism. It unveils the idealized worldview of conscious capitalism, as it is based on a “pseudo-humanistic and pseudo-holistic” philosophy. The paper analyzes various kinds of rationale for justifying anticorruption measures and explains how the conscious capitalism movement should assume the challenge to develop one or the other rationale. Findings The conscious capitalism movement does not have basic rationale for any self-justified discourse about anticorruption measures. The principles of conscious capitalism organizations can be coherent with a rationale of individual and organizational compliance. They could be suitable with a rationale of legal, industry and international compliance. We could expect that the principles of conscious capitalism allow radical changes in the organizational culture. However, the main principles of conscious capitalism are not explicitly related to any rationale for a corporate self-justified discourse about anticorruption measures. Research limitations/implications The three kinds of rationale for corporate self-justified discourse about anticorruption measures are not exhaustive. There can be other kinds of corporate rationale. Moreover, the conscious capitalism movement appeared in 2000s and is still evolving. So, we should never take for granted that the present ideals and principles of conscious capitalism will never be improved and deepened. Originality/value The paper explains how the conscious capitalism movement remains unable to present its rationale for justifying anticorruption measures. In doing so, it provides three kinds of rationale that conscious capitalism organizations could use to develop their corporate self-justified discourse about anticorruption policies, measures and programs.

The Impacts of Complexity on Knowledge Management Processes

Knowledge management has already determined its true importance and stands as a consistent, necessary, present, and concurrently futuristic process in the physical and digital environments where people are present. In the transitional economic, social, cultural, and technological contexts, given the anguish of establishing or not the information and knowledge society, it is purely remarkable that informational conflicts happen in a devastating manner, negatively affecting the producers, recipients, and makers of this world: people. Many refute the efficiency and effectiveness of the knowledge management process, with the justification that managing knowledge is impossible, since it is not palpable. On the other hand, there are those who argue that knowledge management is a process composed of activities that aim to make possible the production, availability and sharing of consistent, effective, functional, and true knowledge in environments, in order to make it available for better decision-making, since before it became known, it was necessary to deal with data and information. Therefore, knowledge management does not deal with autocracy, as it is a democratic, conscious process that is committed to the truth and that fights against misinformation, as well as against false news that contributes to people's authoritarianism, ignorance, and inferiority, precisely because untrue information will be assimilated and will result in malicious knowledge. For Edgar Morin, who defends the theory of complexity, the classic thinking of science is based on three pillars, among them order, separability, and reason. What can be inferred is that the excess of reason can become blind to the point that subjective aspects, which are also part of the process of transforming objectivity, suffer a certain negation. In addition, order and separability, during all these years, have also been responsible for the lack of synergy and interdependence that exists in corporations, organizations, social networks and people's homes. It may even sound strange to say that there is no synergy and interdependence in social networks, but this statement is precisely defended when visualizing the loneliness and despair established in these environments, justified by the eternal and constant search for acceptance and belonging, which most of the times do not becomes contemplated. Also, according to the author Edgar Morin, complex thinking does not aim to replace separability with inseparability but defends a dialogical relationship that uses separability in an inseparable context, that is, that calls for responsible action by all sectors of society here already mentioned: economic, social, cultural, scientific, and technological. Thus, this chapter aims to approach the concept of knowledge management from a more expansive perspective, which is not only in the business sphere, based on the complexity theory. As a hypothesis, having knowledge management as a concept originating from information science, the author argues that this is a scientific field that contributes to a more conscious capitalism in consumption and informational production, even because it is necessary for the control of other types of consumption, as private, public, essential, and superfluous, among others. To address the aspects of complexity in knowledge management and reflect on the referred hypothesis, a qualitative and bibliographic research was carried out.

Woolton after 1945

This draws together the threads of Woolton’s actions immediately following the General Election of July 1945. It explores, using his Memoirs, correspondence and other sources, the factors and reasoning behind his decision to abandon his non-party status and to join the Conservative Party, and the shock of figures like Clement Attlee over that decision, given his commitment to social welfare policies, revealed particularly during his period at Reconstruction. The importance of his commitment, as a businessman, to a modern version of morally conscious capitalism is briefly discussed, and his contribution to Churchill’s post-war government is also covered in outline.

Peace Love Yoga

Peace Love Yoga analyzes growing spiritual industries and their coherence with neoliberal capitalism. “Personal growth,” “self-care,” and “transformation” are just some of the generative tropes in the narrative of these industries. The book illuminates the power dynamics underlying what the author calls neoliberal spirituality, illustrating how spiritual commodities are rooted in concerns about deviancy, not only in the form of low productivity but also forms of social deviancy. The book, however, does not just offer one more voice bemoaning the commodification of spirituality as a numbing device through which consumers ignore the problems of neoliberal capitalism or as the corruption or loss of “authentic” religious forms. Instead, it asks what we should make of subversive spiritual discourses that call on adherents to think beyond the individual and even out into the environment, claims to counter the problems of unbridled capitalism with charitable giving or “conscious capitalism,” challenges to the imperialism behind the appropriation and commodification of products from yoga to mindfulness, calls for women’s empowerment, and efforts to greenwash commodities, making them more environmentally “friendly” or “sustainable.” Rather than a mode through which consumers ignore, escape, or are numbed to the problems of neoliberal capitalism, many spiritual industries, corporations, entrepreneurs, and consumers, the book suggests, do actually acknowledge those problems and, in fact, subvert them; but they subvert them through mere gestures. From provocative taglines printed across T-shirts or packaging to calls for “conscious capitalism,” commodification serves as a strategy through which subversion itself is contained.