Cultural Hybridization Of Starbucks

For my ethnography project, I decided to observe the Starbucks on Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio. My plan was to observe the subculture of Starbucks’ customers. A subculture is defined as a “structured social inequality or, more specifically, systematic inequalities between groups of people that arise as intended or unintended consequences of social processes and relationships.” My question was twofold. Does Starbucks appeal to certain social statuses? And if so, does Starbucks serve as another example of social inequality?

I chose to do the Starbucks Ethnography over all of the other options because Starbucks currently plays a large role in the social behaviors of today’s society. It has grown significantly from when it was first founded and is currently dominating the coffee market worldwide. Starbucks has become a social and cultural phenomenon because, “...it is at once a globalized consumer institution and a local place in which the mundane daily activities of sipping coffee, writing in journals, and conversing with friends are practiced” (Dickinson 7). Since I am in the age group that Starbucks is particularly trendy with (young adults), I already have some expectations for what the results of the ethnography will be. I have also lived in Orange County for my entire life, so I had some context as to which race would be more prevalent to the Starbucks I had gone to. I wish to explore the symbolic anthropology, which, “...focuses on understanding cultures by discovering and analyzing the symbols that are most important to their members” (Nanda 35). Understanding the symbolism behind coffee and Starbucks is important since it has multiple meanings and has become deeply ingrained within our culture.

Starbucks should conduct marketing research and environmental scanning as it enters foreign markets. They have to take into account the importance of economic and political environment and how it can greatly influence the operation of its business. They should be aware of the economic situation of the market and assess how

An immigrant brings multiculturalism. This is because culture diversity can be reconciled with national identities which contribute different ways of art, language, traditions and behaviours. This can be analysed in the following. First of all, immigrants are associated ethnic diversity and cosmopolitan in their eating habits. For instance, According to Liu and Jang (2009 , cited in Mazzolari & Neumark, 2012, pp. 1134,1135) data collected from chinese restaurants in midwestern us city ,the coustomer of Caucasian were 60.2% while, Asion were 32.0%. Furthermore,Indian restaurant in Minneapolis/St.Paul. the customer of white american were 75% and 12% of customer were South Asian (Josiam and Monteiro,2004, p. 1134). From this evidence, it can be seen that ethnic restaurants simply serve new immigration from corresponding ethnic group and also expand natives’ consumption choices. The locals of

For my ethnography report, I chose to study Starbucks located inside the NJIT campus center in Newark, New Jersey. The purpose of this study was to identify the behaviors and possible needs of the people in the area that enter this establishment, and possibly all coffee shops located inside a school campus. I started my ethnography research at 1:45 Pm and ended at 3:45, it was slightly snowing which is a variable that I took into consideration. During the two hours that I spend at the coffee shop only 4 people walked in which I found unusual because people tent to grab a cup of coffee whenever the weather is unpleasant.

Starbucks was originally a small waterfront coffee shop located in Seattle that opened in 1971 (starbucks.com- Our Heritage). It is extremely convenient and now has over 24,000 stores in the 70 countries it is located in, which is one of the reasons that it is so well known today (starbucks.com- Starbucks Coffee International). There is a large variety of coffees you could get, however, they do not focus solely on coffee. They also sell teas, smoothies, pastries, and more. Their mission is to “inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time,” (starbucks.com- Our Heritage). It is a place that people can work on computers, study, or hang out at, so it is constantly in business.

I chose the Starbucks Ethnography due to Starbucks’ ubiquity and personal relevance. Every age group knows about Starbucks, from young students in elementary school to retired seniors that are spending their days relaxing. At the place I work, a fourth grader brought a drink in. That someone so young is already drinking a Frappuccino speaks to how far Starbucks’ influence has pervaded society and strongly influenced my decision to write it. Symbolic anthropology, defined as, understanding “a culture by discovering and analyzing the symbols…” (Nanda, 35), is best applied to this ethnography especially due to the green logo that is present on everything that is Starbucks.

People in North American countries are privileged enough to be able to express their religions in public places such as a coffee shop. Some of them are ignorant enough to think that a coffee shop not putting Christmas decorations on a cup is war on Christianity.

This is essay is on Starbucks which are coffee shops that have a 33% share of the American coffee market. It covers its Canadian and international history. It also goes over the customer age statistics and Starbucks’ techniques to bring in more customers from those age groups. And lastly, it explains some of the health effects its drinks have on its consumers. Starbucks was first opened in Seattle by two teachers and a writer.

The disparity between what U.S. college and high school graduates earn has more than doubled in the past thirty years, and a typical bachelor’s degree recipient can expect to earn 66 percent more than a high-school graduate over a 40-year career. We know more than 70% of our U.S. partners (employees) are students or aspiring students. We want to help. Supporting our partners’ ambitions is the very best investment Starbucks can make.

Brinkerhoff, Weitz, and Ortega (2014) define globalization of culture as “the process through which cultural elements (including musical styles, fashion trends, and cultural values) spread around the globe (p. 49). Furthermore, the cultural impact globalization has imparted on American society is clearly evident in the enormous number of choices available, which includes choices concerning food, fashion, and the arts of film, dance, and music (The Impact of Globalization on the Consumer, 2014). For instance, when I dine out and have the choice of a type of cuisine to eat, just in the small city I live, there are at least three of each type of Asian (Thai, Mongolian, Japanese, and Chinese), Mexican, and Italian restaurants.

Imaging if there was no more coffee in this world, how would you feel? Nowadays, coffee becomes an important part of people’s life. People who often work overtime, they drink coffee because caffeine can make you awake; people who have to wake up early in the morning, they drink coffee because instead of making breakfast, coffee is more convenient; people drink coffee during the free time, because it also tastes good.

Four million people worldwide make their daily stop at Starbucks in the desperate need for a coffee fix, just don’t forget to ask them to hold the side of exploitation, modern slavery and deforestation.

Starbucks used many tactics to reduce its distance from foreign markets. Firstly, Starbucks conducted extensive research in each country. They used focus groups, and quantitative analysis, to evaluate local cultural sensitivities and preferences. But it also used specific local adaptations. For

According to the case, in order to serve their customers with more than mere coffee, Starbucks strived to create their stores with a distinct feel, yet comfortable, relating to the cultural setting of a location. This made Starbucks fit its interior décor to the local architecture, especially in historic buildings. Also, Starbucks was willing (flexible) enough to adapt the food it offered in-store to local taste. For example, in Asia, Starbucks offers curry puffs and meat buns contrary to what is offered in North America or Britain.