Corporations exist to make profits, not change the world, so the response to controversy generally is to hope it fades quickly. Typically, the goal of any response is to protect the brand’s reputation and not lose customers. Sometimes, though, events blow up in a way that puts a high-profile company at the center of a big social and political moment, which is what happened with ABC and Starbucks: Both companies took decisive actions to combat allegations of racism at a time when broader issues of discrimination, including racism and sexism, are galvanizing and dividing the country.