Month: October 2012

Under US federal guidelines, as long as someone can adequately perform the required duties, it is illegal to deny them employment based on their national origin, religion, sex, or race. However, while it can be agreed upon that the above protections are typically warranted, when it comes to the ethical issue of “aesthetic labour hiring” in the restaurant industry, red flags immediately go up. Is it ethical to hire restaurant staff on the basis of attractiveness?

While this matter typically raises discrepancies between both female and male perspectives, this time, my feminine perspective is aligned with a male perspective on this ethical issue from Varun Banthia.

The restaurant industry is not solely built around great tasting food. As Varun mentioned, it is about the entire experience. There is a reason why people go out to eat in the first place versus simply ordering take-out.

Therefore, from a business perspective, I agree that “aesthetic labour” hiring is “fair game”. While critics continue arguing that hiring on the basis of attractiveness is discrimination and a violation of human rights, I believe that a restaurant should be free to hire “appropriate staff” – a strategy to appeal to their target demographic and keep the business rolling.

Further Reading

In response to Rupinder’s blog post on the joint venture between Tata Global Beverages and Starbucks, I am convinced that Indian consumers will be split between associating this new venture with either one of the companies.

Starbucks, operating over 17,000 stores internationally, is famous for their unique customer experience, included with each cup. This point of difference has associated their brand name with words such as “exclusive”, “high-class”, and “elite”, making holding a Starbucks cup a privilege in itself.

In comparison, Tata Global Beverages is the world’s largest tea company – a company focused on a stable line of alimentary beverages that are made from locally sourced espresso.

As Rupinder mentioned, Starbucks plans to “try and tap into India’s emerging market”. In my mind, Starbucks is guaranteeing their success in a foreign market by introducing their brand name alongside with Tata’s name: this way, Starbucks is hopeful that their ties to Tata will gain them customer loyalty.

Tata on the other hand, will be represented alongside one of the world’s most iconic beverage brands. Perhaps this will benefit Tata in improving the profile of Indian-grown arabica coffees around the world, and fuel their expansion power to North America.

Further reading: http://news.starbucks.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=703

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Tata-Starbucks-readies-for-India-entry-by-end-of-October/articleshow/16585414.cms

Image Reference: http://eater.com/uploads/starbucks-taj-mahal.jpg