Coffee isn’t the only thing brewing at Dunkin’ Donuts.

Social responsibility initiatives are a part of the central operation that oversees more than 11,500

Dunkin’ and 7,600 Baskin Robbins restaurants spread across nearly 60 nations. And, that stirred the interest of Ariana Scurti ’17 (CLAS) who gained experience with the parent company as an intern this summer.

The social responsibility office at Dunkin’ Brands Group is charged with analysing how the company best serves its customers, treats its employees and business partners, and how the company impacts the planet and local communities.

“It’s really interesting to see how interconnected everything is,” Scurti says.

As one of 29 interns at the headquarters in Canton, Mass., Scurti researched a variety of topics— from eggs to diversity in the workplace. In addition to the day-to-day tasks, each student was assigned a summer project based on the needs or business goals of their department, says Kristin Reynolds, the company’s human resources senior specialist.

Scurti’s project was to look for trends in the way data is reported across the industry, helping the

Dunkin’ Brands Group prepare for its next biannual corporate social responsibility report.

“The goal of the Dunkin’ Brands summer internship program is to create meaningful work experience and resume building opportunities for the students,” Reynolds says. “Also, the summer program provides leadership and mentoring experience to employees.

“We believe internship experience is very important and sets candidates apart when hiring for our entry level opportunities.”

Scurti also benefited from the many meetings she attended. As her team discussed various strategies and how they would be implemented, Scurti witnessed how corporate meetings are run and was amazed to see how many people it takes to complete a project.
Scurti’s paid internship opportunity wasn’t easy to find. With her graduation from UConn only one year away, 21-year-old Scurti had attended several career fairs, but never felt she had any viable options given her unique course of study. She is pursuing a double major: an individualised major in international relations with a focus in human rights and development, and Spanish. She is also earning a minor in economics.

In a final attempt to secure an internship, Scurti attended an information session held by the UConnCenter for Career Development and learned of a few online search engines that could help her. Savvy searching led her to the Dunkin’ Brands Group, which is conveniently located near her hometown of Easton, Mass. “The rest is history,” Scurti says. “It’s been a good fit.”

The internship changed how she looks at different industries. Many people view corporations as evil and the enemy, but they really work toward sustainability, she says.

“I had no idea how much is being done in the corporate social responsibility world,” Scurti says. “Companies like Dunkin’ Brands are making a serious commitment to be social responsible.”

She had to learn to pace herself throughout each work day, taking short breaks when possible. That’s when the free Baskin Robbins ice cream came in handy, she says. Free coffee and donuts were also options.

“It’s a great perk,” says Scurti, who favours the cookie dough ice cream.

Questions:

1.1. “The social responsibility office at Dunkin’ Brands Group is charged with analysing how the company best serves its customers, treats its employees and business partners, and how the company impacts the planet and local communities.”
Critically analyse the concept of social responsibility in business and comment on the extent to which Dunkin’s Brands Group is successful in this. (20)

1.2. According to Ariana, “Many people view corporations as evil and the enemy, but they really work toward sustainability”. Why do you think Ariana make that comment and what did she refer to? What in your view is the relation between this observation and the sustainability goals of a business, observed by Ariana? (10)

QUESTION TWO [20] Discuss the theory associated with the following statement: “Actions are right if they respect rules and wrong if they violate them”.

QUESTION THREE [30]

3.1. There is conflict between the imperatives of technology on the one side and the needs of people on the other. Explain the problems posed by this ambiguity of ethics. (15)
3.2. Describe the issue of gender bias in psychological research. (15)

QUESTION FOUR [20]

With reference to the image below, critically analyse the issue of sustainability in business and the ethics of ecology.

Answers to Above Case Study Questions

Answer 1: Corporate social responsibility is an important concept that indicates about the social and environmental responsibility of an organisation. Its requires organisation to undertake its activities in a way that results into minimum or no impact on the environment. An analysis of the given case study of Dunkin brand indicates that the company has considered corporate social responsibility as a key aspect in its entire operations. There are a number of CSR initiatives undertaken by the company such as sourcing materials required for its production services in a socially responsible way, providing a safe and equitable working environment to its employees, and maintaining the standards of diversity and inclusion in its policy, and several sustainable initiatives form a part of its daily business activities such as minimising waste, increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its operations.

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