From The Novel To The Real World: Starbucks By Sandy Hall

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?

As mentioned earlier, our research method of choice is naturalistic observations. Each group member will be going to different Starbucks locations in the lower mainland. By going to different locations, we are expecting to prevent all of us from getting the same results from the same repeat customers if there does end up being any. This may also show us if there are different patterns in different Starbucks locations.

World views do not arise from a lot of propositions, but rather emerge like a narrative. “That makes us individuality and provides a theoretical account for our convictions which serve as the foundation for our ethics and values”. (Wilkens, S. and M. Sanford 2009)

I.     Strategic Problem: How can Starbucks Coffee Corporation continue to provide exceptional employee benefits package while

An Analysis of Starbucks Company History Starbucks was opened its first coffee company in Seattle’s Pike place Market on 1971. The name was taken from the first mate in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (Company Profile, 2005).

Using Internet resources, identify the product attributes customers seek when buying hot coffee. (10 marks)

For some people Starbucks is a part of their morning rituals for others it is just a coffee shop for their Frappuccino’s. However, for some Starbucks is much more, those who work at Starbucks are members of their own subculture. A subculture is a group within society that shares the same values and interests. The people who work at Starbucks are made up by baristas, the entry level employee, shift supervisors, and managers. This team of employees’ works together closely to provide customers with the best experience and produce possible. Through working so intimately with one’s coworkers creates the aspects of a subculture. Without them Starbucks as a company and per store would not be able to run as efficiently as they do today. Starbucks

With Starbucks increasing the accessibility of their product for in home, offices, airports, grocery stores, and alongside other locations and through other entities has caused customers to lose interest in actual storefronts and cafes. Therefore, more customers are able to gain quality brand Starbucks coffee through various avenues now such as supermarkets and outside of the actual physical Starbucks location without having to leave the comforts of their homes (Ferrell & Hartline, 2014). Furthermore, the increased number of drive-through windows at some locations caused customers to lose interest as in many cases this took away from people coming into the actual facilities to sit and enjoy their fresh coffee.In addition, the utilization of the drive-through windows were only offered at some locations and not all. Moreover, some stores had greater offerings than other actual Starbucks locations and therefore some consumers lost interest because they essentially had to travel farther to the locations to gain in-store food and certain products that were not offered at their frequently visited location.

Cognition gives the companies information on how consumers respond to different marketing stimuli they face for the products used. It has to do with customer’s thinking and how do they behave toward a particular product. To be more specific and also reading the book “cognition refers to the mental structures and processes involved in thinking, understanding, and interpreting stimuli and events.” (Peter & Olson, pg. 21)

National culture is a strong shaper of a people´s values, attitudes, customs, beliefs, and communication. However, culture often forces companies to adjust their business policies and practices. Howard Schultz, who is the chief executive officer and chairman of Starbucks keep respect for every local culture. He summed it up when he said, “We remain highly respectful of the culture and traditions of the countries in which we do business. We recognize that our success is not an entitlement, and we must continue to earn the trust and respect of customers every day.” Starbucks could not have predicted the enormous change it was about to go through almost 20 years ago. There are more than 24,000 stores in 70 countries, and it is clear that their passion for great coffee, genuine service and community connection transcends language and culture. With expansion and growth, come several challenges. Therefore, Starbucks stores in China, India, Russia, Mexico, South Africa or Italy have certain unique characteristics such as environment, prices,

a) The nature of Starbucks’ business is to generate income based on operating activities. When referencing the Statement of Cash Flows and looking at their operating activities, you can see that Starbucks generates $2,908.3M in net cash provided by operating activities. Investment is a significant item in this statement as well. The company spent $785.9M in investments in the year ending September 29th, 2013. Strong investment activities show that Starbucks is investing through buying and selling (Sales, maturities, and calls of investments $1,040.2M) and using their spare cash to invigorate future growth and fund future obligations.

As I approach the doors of Starbucks there is two little kids outside running around. My Godmother opened the smell of strong freshly brewed coffee hit my nose. The Starbucks is  a small café with a drive through, with tables and chairs in a L shape setting. My Godmother tells me to have a seat at one of the tables away from her and her co-workers. They are already sitting and started their meeting. There are two young women behind the counter conversing about music. One had run to the a room that is also behind the counter she had to grab something to so that she could refill whatever she was refilling. The little girl and boy that were outside when my godmother and I walked into Starbucks came in and sat at the next to me and was yelling at each other. The woman that was sitting next to my godmother got up and came up to the kids and whispered something to them. They got up and walked over to the counter, the woman asked one of the women that was behind the counter for a cup of ice water. The woman then gives the kids the water. They sit back at the table to drink the water but instead they started blowing bubbles into the cup. The little boy says , "Stop blowing bubbles." The little girl said "Now let's mix it up." As I look to my right a man comes from a back area on the other side other entrance door walks behind the counter as if he was going to clock in. He started singing and one of the young women started doing the running man while singing, “ at night I think

If you’re searching for a warm, friendly environment, you can find it at Starbucks. The establishment not only serves as a place for drinks and food, but it also doubles as a friendly hangout for all people. Even before you step foot in the establishment, the iconic two-tailed mermaid smiles warmly at you as the soft guitar of the café music softly plays. As soon as you push open the glass door, the smell of coffee and the sound of relaxing guitar amplifies, almost completely muting the raucous traffic outside. The style of music and the strong scent immediately changes the environment, and you find yourself in a place of warmth and comfort.

As someone who was born and raised in Seattle, I am very proud to say I am from the “home” of Starbucks coffee. The company of Starbucks, started in Pike Place Seattle in 1971, has become a globally known company. It is known for putting customers first, taking critique and fixing the issue, and treating its employees very well. I have worked for Starbucks in past years and I have found all of these to be true.

Despite or because of its ubiquity in nearly every city in America, Starbucks is currently facing an existential crisis. On one hand, it began as a relatively democratic company, with a green image. All Starbucks workers, even part-time employees receive benefits. Starbucks brought the coffeehouse experience of Europe to the United States in an accessible manner. However, its success, relatively high prices, and market-saturation strategy has provoked hostility in the young, hip, urban (or urban-identified) demographic that makes up the core of its consumer base.