Business Commons^™

Starbucks: Social Responsibility And Tax Avoidance, Katherine Campbell, Duane Helleloid

Management Faculty Publications

This instructional case is designed to explore how accounting choices, and specifically tax minimization practices, should consider a company's overall strategy and positioning within multiple stakeholder groups. Starbucks had been successful in growing its stores and presence in the United Kingdom (UK), and described the profitable growth to investors as something it wanted to build on in other international markets. However, in its 15 years of operations in the UK, the company had paid UK corporate income taxes only once. Using a combination of legal tax avoidance practices (e.g., transfer prices, royalty payments, interest expense), Starbucks UK had effectively shifted …