Company Aanalysis: Starbucks

Seaford, B., Culp, R., & Brooks, B. (2012). STARBUCKS: MAINTAINING A CLEAR POSITION. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, 18(3), 39-57. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/pqcentral/docview/1037815154/F93C2836F2E04403PQ/2?accountid=40195

When the word coffee is said, many times the first thing that pops into a person’s head is Starbucks. Starbucks has become a household name and has been in business for over 40 years. They are constantly trying to get into new opportunities to branch out further into the marketplace as to reach more potential customers.

Brief Background: 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.

Starbucks Corporation is a clearly thriving, popular, and cosmopolitan business. It is widely known throughout the world, and only continues to grow. Being the most well known coffee corporation in the world, Starbucks is a very influential part of the lives of Americans today.

Abstract Starbucks started out in a “single store in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market” (Starbucks, 2017, p. 2). Starbucks only offered fresh roasted whole bean coffees and dark roasted in small bags. In 1981, Howard Schultz stepped into his first Starbucks and had his first drink (Starbucks, 2017). Howard ended up becoming the chairman and CEO for Starbucks.

1. Starbucks Corporation's rise seems to be out of a storybook for Howard Schultz. Starbucks began selling whole bean coffee in 1971 under Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker. Business grew at a slow and steady pace until Schulz joined the company as manager of retail sales and marketing. After a visit to Milan, Italy, Schultz was inspired by a vision. He saw how important coffee was to the romantic culture of Italy. He believed that if Americans had such places to socialize over a cup of coffee, espresso, cappuccino, etc., that they would pay good money for his quality product. The owners of the Starbucks Corporation were not as excited and did not want to operate in the restaurant business. Schultz filmed these coffee bars and began to pitch his ideas to investors. By April of 1985, his first coffee bar had opened and by 1987 he had bought the Starbucks name. Although the first few years of the company were less than profitable, Schultz looked at the long-term opportunities and never let his idea die. Within a few years sales shot up 84%. This left room for expansion. By 1995 there were almost 200 stores opened across the U.S. and Starbucks was already looking international at this point and began operations to look to Asia. Starbucks now has opened bars all over the world and is one of the most successful businesses in the world.

Starbucks Company was established in 1971 with their first store in Western Avenue from that same year to 1976. They started as retailers of ground coffee tea and spices with a single in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Starbucks is named after the first mate in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and their logo is inspired by the sea-featuring a twin-tailed siren from Greek mythology. Starbucks had always wanted to inspire the human spirit. They believe in serving the best coffee by growing the coffee under quality standards. Starbucks believes rendering good services to customers is very significant to the success of the company. From just a narrow storefront, Starbucks now has more than 20,000 stores in over 60 countries and they offer some of the world’s finest fresh-roasted whole bean coffees. Their coffee houses have become a beacon for coffee lovers everywhere. Starbucks believe that they can elevate their customers, partners, suppliers and neighbours to create positive change. They call their corporate offices “a support centre” for some reasons. They try to make everything they do there to support their retail store partners and make an impact on the communities they serve. They have a research and development team of over 200 people which are responsible for the science behind their great products. They are the innovators of delicious beverages and brewing equipments. They drive the innovations, conduct the research and test products. They have a public affairs, communications and community team of over 50 people who promotes and protects the company’s reputation all around the world. They also have a partner resources team of over 500 people that help their partners all around the world become their very best...

Starbucks is a worldwide coffee house series founded in the United States. Starbucks is one of the biggest coffee house company in the world with more than thirteen thousand stores situated in the US and more than twenty thousand stores in 62 countries.

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.

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)