？Read the following article about a company's program and the questions on the opposite pa

？For each question 15-20, mark one letter (A, B, C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.

Caught in the spotlight of hostile scrutiny, global companies from the Gap to McDonald's to Wal-Mart have launched so-called social-compliance programs to fend off critics of their supply chain practices. These new programs frequently require company suppliers to meet basic labor-practice standards. That compliance is all excellent first step, but it requires strategic thinking, not just-in-time tactical responses.

Starbucks has charted a course that suggests a new strategic template, one that other brand-driven multinationals might want to explore. When anti-globalization activists singled out Starbucks for having exploited third-world farmers, the company saw the attack as a direct threat to the brand and to its public commitments to social responsibility. But rather than assume a purely defensive posture, Starbucks launched a pilot program to fundamentally change its relationship with its suppliers. The company began to actively cultivate and reward environmentally and socially responsible suppliers a strategic gamble it calls sustainable sourcing. Not only could sustainable sourcing defend against Starbucks's critics, company executives reasoned, but it could build the brand and even drive the company's growth. This spring, Starbucks announced that it was making sustainable sourcing a cornerstone of its global strategy.

With annual growth in the late 1990s at about 20%, Starbucks executives were confident the demand was them to sustain this rate of growth. But they knew their supply chain's future was less predictable and reliable. If the flow of specialty beans from around the globe fell short, both its growth plans and the quality of its coffee would be at risk.

To protect its coffee supply, Starbucks realized it had to identify and nurture partners that could meet its quality standards and keep pace with its increasing demand. Moreover, to protect its brand, the company had to be certain that these suppliers shared its commitment to corporate citizenship. In 2001, the company launched a pilot called the preferred supplier program to attract and reward farmers committed to socially and environmentally responsible farming. The company reasoned that the farms that took the best care of their employees and land would be the most sophisticated, responsive, and responsible suppliers just the sort to help Starbucks fulfill its aggressive growth plan.

To become a preferred supplier, farmers must apply to the program. Reviewers evaluate applicants on 20 measures to determine how well they adhere to sustainable environmental practices (procedures that protect the scarce real estate on which high-quality coffee can grow ) and responsible social practices (methods, for example, that reduce the risk that deliveries will be compromised by labor unrest, corruption, or legal violations ). Suppliers accepted into the program are awarded points for meeting environmental, social, and economic criteria; the more points they earn, the more Starbucks pays them for their coffee. Preferred providers will typically receive a 5% premium on each pound of beans they sell. They can also win long-term contracts to reduce market risk and receive credit to fund improvements that promote sustainability. With the recent expansion of the pilot program to all of its supply chain, Starbucks expects that in five years 60% of its coffee will come from preferred suppliers.

Starbucks's idea is innovative and refreshingly proactive. But it's clearly a gamble. It's uncertain whether sourcing this way will pay off, either by satisfying the company's critics or by assuring adequate supplies. While the jury's still out, brand-driven companies may want to try this e

A．They are being criticized for what they have done.

B．The programs are part of their long-term strategy.

C．They want to be operating in accordance with relevant standards.

D．Their supply chain practices have lagged behind modem development.