Antecedents and consequences of Starbucks’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) implementation

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study explores the antecedents and consequences of environmental, social and governance (ESG) execution in the case of Starbucks. Eco-friendliness, quarantining, food healthiness, and ethical governance are the elements of ESG implementation. The antecedents are hygiene, food healthiness, and the use of organic ingredients. The ESG execution attributes explained in this study are brand trust and repurchase intentions. Survey participants were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk to collect US market data. The resulting number of observations for the data analysis was 438. Structural equation modeling was used for statistical inference. The results indicate that food healthiness is positively influenced by hygiene and perceptions of organic food use. Brand trust is positively affected by eco-friendliness, quarantining, food healthiness, and ethical governance. Moreover, quarantining and brand trust positively impact repurchase intentions. This study contributes to the literature by validating the reliability of ESG theory in the food service business domain.