Explain why good research habits are important and how they relate to personal integrity and ethics.
Howard Schultz, Starbucks president and CEO, has been described as a “classic entrepreneur: optimistic, relentless, mercurial, and eager to prove people wrong.” Schultz has followed his gut instinct mostly to success while scoffing as established management practices. Unlike other executives, until the Great Recession hit, he was not interested in cost control, advertising, and customer research. “I despise research,” he said. “I think it is a crutch. But people smarter than me pushed me in this direction, and I’ve gone along.” Starbucks continues to be one of the most followed companies on Facebook. For the most recent year on record, Starbucks’s net income reached $359 million. What do you think Howard Schultz meant when he called consumer research a “crutch”? Can you explain why the corporate maverick hates it so much?