Starbucks Case Study

In addition to the trade-offs Howard Schultz and Starbucks made. Another consists of the company’s management deciding to invest a significant amount of capital to provide the highest quality coffee products for their customers. Providing quality coffee requires extreme dedication and

Starbucks has developed a brand image that has revolutionized coffee drinking experience. It has created an ambiance that is designed to attract customers and keep them coming back to Starbucks stores. It offers wide varieties of services such as comfortable seating areas with unique music and free wireless Internet for their customers while sipping their favorite coffee. This distinctiveness sets Starbucks apart from most of its competitors and has allowed the company to successfully grow and profit while charging premium prices for their products.

starbucks Corp., an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington, has expanded rapidly since its opening in 1971. These outrageous success was due to its well-developed strategy vision which lay out the company's strategic course in developing and strengthening its business. Starbucks is a global corporation that sells authentic coffee in 30 countries, reporting revenues of nearly $5.1 billion in 2006. The main goal of Starbucks is to embrace diversity by applying the highest standards of excellence. Starbucks strives to perfect the relationship with the working class by making the service as fast as possible because they believe that every customer has their own personal rate. One

1. In the beginning, how was Starbucks different from other coffee options for coffee drinkers in the United States? What activities and assets did Starbucks leverage to differentiate itself from competitors?

The extraordinary success Starbucks experienced during the early 1990s resulted from Howard Schultz’s passion and vision to create a coffee culture in the United States similar to the coffee culture he experienced while traveling to Italy. Schultz’s vision of the Starbucks brand evolved around providing a quality product while delivering exceptional customer service in an inviting atmosphere. Starbucks’ success can be attributable to the following factors:

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

Just like the first time he walked into Starbucks in 1981, Schultz wanted to be transported by the aromas and the ambience. He found the corporation he came back to missing those points. Making of breakfast sandwiches, added to compete with

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon. New York: Rodale, Inc., 2011. 331 pages.

When Schultz returned to the States he presented his new-found discoveries, of what he believes a coffee shop should be like. However, his bosses didn’t share the same belief, that creating a coffee shop with “artistic and joyful experiences” was less as important as making coffee that sells well. So, Schultz quit and he went on to raise money to fund his own coffee shop establishment , “Il Giornale.” The store started very small, with only two, or three employees, to keep labor costs down. Only sixteen months into his new founded company, Schultz found himself in the position to buy his former employers’ small scale coffee shop. To Schultz it was a no brainer to buy the company which first sparked his love for coffee, so he did. And at only thirty-four years old Schultz had one-hundred employees, several locations throughout the city of Seattle, and a dream to create a nationally recognized brand of “Starbucks Coffee.”

1. In the early 1980’s, how did Howard Schultz view the possibilities for the fledgling specialty coffee market? What were the most important factors in shaping his perspective and its success?

In general the coffeehouse industry in the United States was experiencing an increase in coffee consumption per capita due to the “Starbucks effect”. At this time Starbucks was operating approximately 20,000 stores in the United States and was living a fast expansion strategy worldwide.

Starbucks dates back from 1971 and is based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded by Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin and Zev Siegl and it

Starbucks faced various challenges in moving forward. The first of which was brand image and a lack of product differentiation. Customers often saw little or no difference between Starbucks and smaller coffee chains. Also, in a market research study it was found that more that half of customers felt, at an increasing rate from previous years, that Starbucks only cared about profit and expansion.

The company has a focus on innovation through an emphasis of introducing new products and coffees such as “instant coffee” Via which generated a large sales growth of over 200 million. These new products consistently help Starbucks evolve as a

Coffee is one of the most beloved beverages in the world. When you think of coffee, one company always spring to mind - Starbucks. There seems to be one on every block. Who is one of the geniuses in charge of this force to be reckoned with? Willard Dub Hay joined the Starbucks family in November 2002 as the senior vice president. His team handles the purchasing, blending, roasting, recipe development, and the education of Starbucks employees in coffee. He gained responsibility in 2005 by becoming responsible for all of their global coffee procurement. He travels to different regions which grow coffee all over the world, building