Introduction
Starbucks has become a global coffee brand. Its position in the market has revolutionized the way people perceive and consume their coffee. It is estimated that Starbucks has over 87,000 different combinations of coffee, which offers the widest range of coffee brands in the world.
Company Overview & Mission
Company Background
Starbucks opened its doors on March 30, 1971 in Seattle, Washington (SC. 2014). The company was started by three students from University of San Francisco. Originally the company was named Pequod and later renamed whaling ship and Moby-Dick (SC. 2014). However, these names were rejected by the pioneers of the company and they had to come up with a name that was relatively consistent with the business.
Past Strategies and Key Factors
The first five years were critical in the progress of the company and thus the need to concentrate operations at 2000 Western Avenue (SC. 2014). Once the brand had picked pace in the market, it was relocated to 1912 Pike Place Market. Apparently, the company’s concentrated on selling roasted whole coffee beans to hotels and companies around rather than brewing coffee at their facilities. Reduction in revenue generated led to the company’s decision to expand its production through diversification. Between 1982 and 1990, the company experienced rapid growth (SC. 2014). This revenue enticed investors to invest in the company leading to the company offering IPO (initial public offer) in June 1992. The IPO generated $ 25 million, which was instrumental in the company opening twice as much stores as there were initially.
Following a successful IPO, Starbucks was able to embark on rapid expansion in Tokyo, Japan in 1996 and United Kingdom in 1998 (SC. 2014). Over the year...
... middle of paper ...
...tation teams who will treat the proposed approaches as project with a concise rollout timeframe.
Works Cited
Lee, K. (2011). Case study: Starbucks Coffee. Retrieved May 21, 2014 from http://www.slideshare.net/vincentwfnb/starbucks-15242339#
Shahi, T., Omar, J., Aufscla ̈ger, M., Schmerling, T. & Gassner, S. (2007). Case Study Report: How Starbucks Corp. should improve its business. Sydney: Macquarie University.
Starbucks Corp [SBUX]. (2014). Morning Star. Retrieved May 21, 2014 from http://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=SBUX
Starbucks Corporation [SC]. (2014). Our Company. Retrieved May 21, 2014 from http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information
Thompson, A., Peteraf, M., Gamble, J., & Strickland III, A. J. (2014). Crafting and executing strategy: The quest for competitive advantage; Concepts and cases. (19th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Starbucks is the world’s largest specialty coffee retailer, Starbucks has more than 16,000 retail outlets in more than 35 countries. Starbucks owns more than 8,500 of its outlets, while licensees and franchisees operate more than 6,500 units worldwide, primarily in shopping centers and airports. The outlets offer coffee drinks and food items such as pastries and confections, as well as roasted beans, coffee accessories, teas and a line of compact discs. The company also owns the Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia coffee brands. In addition, Starbucks markets its coffee through grocery stores and licenses its brand for other food and beverage products. Starbucks Corporation was founded in 1985 and is based in Seattle, Washington. (Bramhall)
The company started its activity in 1971 as small coffee shop located in Seattle specialized in selling whole arabica coffee beans. After being taken over by Howard Schultz in 1982, following a rapid and impressive growth, by mid 2002 the company was the dominant specialty-coffee brand in North America, running about 4,500 stores, 400 international stores and 930 licenses.
Starbucks primary business is that of selling high premium coffee. They have been able to cater a specific product to a specific demographic. Specialization allows for the Starbucks company to deliver great quality and continue to maintain their customer base. Although there is a great amount of coffee flavors the coffee bean is still the constant ingredient in the great tasting coffee.
Entrepreneur Howard Schultz joined the company in 1982, and, after a trip to Milan, suggested that the company sell coffee and espresso drinks as well as beans. The owners rejected this idea, believing that getting into the beverage business would distract the company from its focus. To them, coffee was something to be prepared in the home. Certain there was much money to be made selling drinks to on-the-go Americans, Schultz started the Il Giornale coffee bar chain in 1985.
Schultz, H. (2011). Onward: How Starbucks fought for its life without losing its soul. New York: Rodale.
Starbucks is one of the most recognizable and successful coffee brands in the world. Starbucks believes in serving the best coffee possible. Starbucks’ international market that was expanded into China in 2002, still has only a tiny part of the Chinese beverage market (Harrison et al., 2005). The company President, Charles Shultz is ascertaining the possibility of establishing new coffee houses in China.
As we know, Starbucks has made a name for itself making and selling coffee and specialty coffee drinks. It has made its biggest impression by becoming the espresso expert and public educator of how to make the perfect espresso; "Roasters" of the company are trained for one year.
Schultz, Howard, and Joanne Gordon. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul. New York: Rodale, 2011. N. pag. Print.
Starbucks is currently the industry leader in specialty coffee. They purchased more high quality coffee beans than anyone else in the world and keep in good standings with the producers to ensure they get the best beans. Getting the best beans is only the first part, Starbucks also has a “closed loop system” that protects the beans from oxygen immediately after roasting to the time of packaging. They did this through their invention of a one-way valve which let the natural gasses escape but keeping oxygen out. This gave them the unique ability to ensure freshness and extended the shelf life to 26 weeks. Starbucks isn’t only about the coffee, it’s also about a place where people can escape to enjoy music, reflect, read, or just chat. It is a total coffee experience. The retail outlet has been responsible for much of Starbucks growth and has contributed substantially to their brand equity.
Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin and Ziv Siegl founded Starbucks in 1971. Their goal was to sell the finest quality whole beans and ground coffees (Starbucks timeline and history, 2004). In 1982, Starbucks had grown to five stores and started serving coffee to restaurants and espresso bars. Harold Schultz was employed as the director of retail operations and marketing. Harold Schultz convinced the founders of Starbucks to open a downtown Seattle coffee bar, which opened in 1984. With the success of Seattle coffee bar, Schultz left Starbucks to start his own company named Il Giornale. In 1987, Il Giornale acquired Starbucks retail operations for 4 million dollars. In addition, Il Giornale changed its name to Starbucks Corporation and opened locations in Chicago and Vancouver, B.C. (Starbucks timeline and history, 2004).
Starbucks is an international coffee house and it was created in 1971 when they opened the first store in Seattle, Newcastle. Currently, they own 21,000 stores in 65 different countries of the world, and their passion for the great coffee, excellent service and community interaction exceeds cultures and languages (Starbucks, 2014). This company is the number 1 brand coffeehouse chain in the world due to the best roaster, marketer and seller of speciality coffee. Its main slogan: “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time” (Jurevicius, 2013).
With clear core values towards providing quality coffee, the best service, and atmosphere, Starbucks has enjoyed great success since it was founded 30 years ago. The company has being doing very well for last 11 years with 5% or more store sales increase, even with the rest economy still reeling from the post-9/11 recession. However recent research, conducted to Starbucks, have showed some concerns regarding company’s problem meeting customers’ expectations.
Thompson, A.A., Strickland, A.J., & Gamble, J. E. (2010). Crafting and executing strategy: The quest for competitive advantage: Concepts and cases: 2009 custom edition (17th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill-Irwin
Starbucks is a worldwide company, known for is delicious brews of coffee and seasonal varieties of tasty drinks for any occasion. Starbucks opened with two main goals, sharing great coffee with friends and to help make the world a little better. It originated in the historic Pike Place Market of Seattle, Washington in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker. The creation of Starbucks’ name came from the seafaring tradition of early coffee traders and the romance evoked from Moby Dick. At the time, this individual shop specialized in the towering quality of coffee over competitors and other brewing services enabling its growth to becoming the largest coffee chain in Washington with numerous locations. In the early 1980s, the current CEO Schultz saw an opportunity for growth in the niche market. After a trip to Italy he brought back the idea of a café style environment of leisure and social meetings to the United States we now see in Starbucks locations today. Schultz ultimately left Starbucks to open his own coffee shop, Il Giornale which turned out to be a tremendous success. Fast forward a year later, Schultz got wind that Starbucks was going to sell all their components of Starbucks including their stores and factories, he immediately acquired the funds to buy Starbucks and linked both operations. Within five years he was able to open more than 125 stores starting in New England, Boston, Chicago, and gradually entered California. He wanted Starbucks to be a franchise system based on the mission of telling the truth and emphasize the quality,
One of the main problems that Starbucks is facing at the present time is the ability to maintain national competitive advantage (Monash South Africa, 2014). Due to their local demand conditions, Starbucks tries to satisfy all customers by trying “to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time” (Starbucks Corporation, 2014). Local demand conditons consist of a company trying satisfy needs of their closest customers and expanding their competitive advantage by upgrading their strategic management policies (Monash South Africa, 2014).