Starbucks Case Accounting

2. Starbucks enjoyed strong financial performance in 2011. The company did not explicitly attribute this, but with an 8% rise in same store sales it seems that either the consumer market bounced back, or Starbucks made changes that attracted more consumers. The company feels that it offered better products and a better experience at its stores. The company also credited operating efficiencies and tight control of spending for improved profits. In addition, the company continued its global expansion, which improved the top line, and used the economies of scale it generated as part of its cost control program.

Thesis: While Starbucks has been an industry leader in the specialty coffee market, rapid overexpansion and current economic conditions have caused it to lose its market dominance. Is the company strong enough to recover?

Starbuck 's has become a staple of American culture and for the most part, if you are in your 20 's, you have grown up with it and this has become what you expect coffee to be. Who can blame you, it is everywhere, so "wake up and smell the coffee"! I plan to tell you about the strategies that this giant uses, that have taken it from humble beginnings to a worldwide phenomenon. I also intend to explain how Starbucks is taking China by storm, mainly because marketer / entrepreneur Howard Schultz 's vision and mission statement is shared by everyone in the company!An excerpt from the London Financial Times published in February 2006 states the following in regards to Starbucks entering the Chinese market; "Mr Schultz said the company was

(3a): What trade-offs has Starbucks made? What different activity choices has it made from its rivals?

I believe their growth is the result of both practices. First Starbucks offers a product the consumers want, and they offer an atmosphere unlike any other. As a result of the recession, they looked at more affordable offerings to keep the customer base they already have. I feel this is one reason the company has continued to being profitable during this last recession. If I was a Starbucks customer, I would still continue

As Starbucks' strategic vision evolved over the years, so did its strategy. Starbucks current strategy in comparison to its original competitive strategy are: to continue the focus on growth; to establish a leadership with company owned stores in key markets such as USA, Japan, Australia, and UK; to pre-emptively enter and aggressively grow in all targeted markets; to leverage the brand into new product categories and channels; to continue operations improvement; to growth through innovation; to develop and maintain leadership talent; and to maintain their values, culture, and guiding principles. The key elements of Starbucks current strategy is to expand Starbucks globally, and to further develop its internet business. The strategy has changed over time as the business has grown exceptionally well in North America, and now they want to take that success over sea.

What marketing recommendations would you make to Starbucks in Turkey to help them sustain and/or improve sales growth, and remain competitive as they look towards the future?

Starbucks financial statements were analyzed for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2015. Like all public companies, annual and quarterly financial statements are required to allow regulators and other interested parties to analyze the financial status and management decision making of the company. This analysis focuses on the results of Starbucks most recent published annual report containing their balance sheets, statement of earnings and cash flows. These statements will be analyzed against the results of one of its competitors, Dunkin Donuts, to investigate how the two companies compare to each other. It was noted that Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts do not have corresponding fiscal year ends. The data therefore is not directly comparable since the reports do not reflect the same time period of data but should provide additional insight. The paper will attempt to provide a brief analysis of Starbucks operations in terms of its liquidity, leverage, activity, profitability and growth ratios used by analysts in the industry.

2. When Starbucks was rapidly expanding its store locations in 2006–2009 it made specific changes in order to facilitate that growth. What did Starbucks gain—and give up—as a result of each change?

Starbucks is known for their Frappuccino’s; unfortunately they are on a downward spiral in sales due to competitors such as McDonalds. In 2008 Starbucks admits to its losses due to their competitors. “Company executives now freely admit that such thinking is largely to blame for the woes that led to Tuesday’s announcement that Starbucks will close 600 U.S. stores and eliminate thousands of jobs. The coffee giant’s missteps have come at a spectacularly bad time, hitting as the economic slump deepens and consumers are seeing their discretionary spending eaten up by rising gas prices and grocery bills (Linn).”

When Howard Schultz launched Starbucks, its main targets were the competitors and the customers. Schultz’s brand aimed at gaining dominance in the coffee industry in addition creating a Italian coffee shop feel in the United States (Buchanan & Simmons, 2009). The strategy of Starbucks was based on new products, listening to customers wants and ensure future expansion (Buchanan & Simmons, 2009). In creating convenience for customers, Starbucks created stores almost on top of eachother. They hinged on the idea that, they did not want to lose out on a sale if a line was too long. This action, of placing stores in heavy populated areas, basing need on projected growth of an area caused some decline in sales during economic trouble with the economy. The 2007 recession, failure of subprime mortgages, increased competition from McDonald 's McCafe brand, and Dunkin Doughnuts all led to a decline in sales for Starbucks in the fourth quarter of 2007 (Buchanan & Simmons, 2009). To attempt to regain market share and recover after the

Starbucks should have a growth strategy to focus in increasing their sales and market share even more. Since, Starbucks is in the maturity stage in the business life cycle implementing growth strategy will make sure to keep Starbucks company in this phase a longer time. Moreover, Starbucks should maintain an efficient fast supply chain and continue employing well trained and skilled people. Because it is easy for the rivals to copy Starbucks strategies but

I've chosen the Starbucks Corporation on which to do my case assignment for the session. I first became interested in Starbucks while working on a paper for a previous marketing class. I became intrigued at the entrepreneurial spirit that such a large corporation had managed to maintain throughout its massive expansion. Starbucks corporation, unlike many of its now-defunct rivals, has done an outstanding job since its meager beginnings in 1970 with the execution of its strategic process; resulting in it currently owning 40% of the specialty coffee market and boosting annual sales exceeding $7 billion according to Burt Helm. Historic successes and recent turmoil within the company, including a near 40% decline in 2007 in profits (Sullivan

Please answer all the following questions as they relate to the case. Please utilize as much outside resources as you deem necessary to reinforce your answers—especially the last question. Remember that this case is over 10 years old and Starbucks has changed since then.

3. When Schultz returned to Starbucks as CEO in 2008, how had the competitive context changed since his first tenure running the firm? What had caused or facilitated the changes?