Group work: profit-focused shareholders (group 1)

English for Professional Purposes

Author
Affiliation

Ben Stanley

Department of Social Sciences, SWPS University

Published

September 1, 2026

Profit-focused shareholders

Your role

You represent profit-focused shareholders who have invested significant capital in Origin Grounds. Your background includes investments in several food and beverage startups, and you have seen many idealistic ventures fail due to insufficient attention to financial fundamentals. While you appreciate the appeal of an ethical coffee brand, your primary concern is ensuring the business generates acceptable returns on investment.

Most of you come from corporate backgrounds in finance, consulting, or larger food and beverage companies. You understand market realities and competitive pressures in the specialty coffee industry. Several members of your shareholder group initially invested because of personal connections to Maya or because you saw potential in the specialty coffee market—not primarily because of the ethical mission.

You’ve seen the financial projections with fair trade sourcing, and you’re concerned about the extended timeline to profitability. With London’s high rents and operating costs, you believe Origin Grounds needs a more pragmatic approach to survive its crucial first years.

Your perspective

You believe:

  • A business must be financially viable before it can pursue ethical goals

  • Many consumers claim to value ethics but make actual purchasing decisions based primarily on price, quality, and convenience

  • Origin Grounds operates in a highly competitive market with thin margins

  • Maya’s ethical vision, while admirable, may be too idealistic for current market realities

  • Ethical considerations should be balanced against financial imperatives, not treated as absolute requirements

  • A failed business serves no stakeholders, ethical or otherwise

Your task

Prepare a 5-minute presentation that makes a persuasive case for a more pragmatic approach to Origin Grounds’ ethical challenges. Your goal is to convince Maya and the board that a more financially-grounded strategy will ensure both business survival and reasonable ethical standards.