Corporate Responsibility

Many Americans take the safety of their food supply for granted, but that isn’t the case in China, a nation characterized by open air wet markets and a regulatory environment in which it can appear foreign companies are held to a higher standard.

New York -- Starbucks Corp. is launching an innovative program in partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) whereby the coffee giant will help pay for the cost of an online degree for its part-time and full-time associates who work at least 20 hours a week. In a twist from the standard tuition reimbursement program, Starbucks employees who participate in the program will not be obligated to stay on with the company after graduation.

All 10 members of Target’s board of directors were re-elected at the retailer’s annual meeting on June 11, but there was strong opposition to several members and a proposal requiring an independent chairman nearly passed.

By Jules Polonetsky, executive director, Future of Privacy Forum

In mid- May, over 30,000 professionals from the shopping center industry gathered in Las Vegas for the ICSC’s annual RECon event.

In addition to discussing leasing and the state of the retail market, for the first the first time a new topic was on the agenda – consumer privacy.

New York — Target Corp. is introducing a new policy by imposing new rules on the cleaning companies it hires to clean its stores in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Businessweek reported.

Cincinnati — The Kroger Co. has been named Employer of the Year by the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities. The Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities fosters the employment of young people with disabilities.

Kohl’s has further endeared itself to residents of America’s Dairyland with a sizable donation to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

A lot of change is taking place at Target these days, but one thing the company isn’t messing with is a generous dividend that has helped sustain the value of the stock price.

The Target board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of 52 cents a share this week, a 21% increase from the 43 cents paid last quarter. Target is among an elite group of companies that has paid a dividend for 188 consecutive quarters since it became publicly held in October 1967.