Starbucks Corporation: Competing in a Global Market

Starbucks

In major cities in America and in other major metropolis in the world one could scarcely walk down a busy intersection without seeing a person holding a cup of coffee . The ubiquitous coffee product is usually inside a tall Styrofoam cup . And wrapped around its midsection is a piece of cardboard , placed there for insulation , protecting the customer from the hot contents . The cup is usually covered with a lid that has a small hole on top where one can sip the beverage . And this makes it possible to bring it

anywhere or as the barista ' would like to refer to it - one of Starbucks coffee , to go

Before the Starbucks era , Americans were very much contented to consume their daily caffeine needs at home , via a traditional cup and canned coffee granules or powder . It is convenient and would only require less than a minute to prepare . If ever coffee is taken out of the home or the office , one has to be contented in pouring it in thermos or in small Styrofoam cups and risk the chance of spilling it on someone 's clothes or the car 's upholstery . But today , lugging around coffee in canisters is seen to be too primitive and the more popular way of doing it is through the aforementioned modified Styrofoam containers - preferably the one with the mermaid logo . The equally popular mermaid design is Starbucks ' guarantee that the customer will be getting not only great tasting coffee but also an experience ' brought about by the store 's ambience and the quality of service one will receive from committed employees and the coffee that is exceptionally good

The Starbucks brand is one of the most recognizable brands in the world . It is also one of the most successful suppliers of whole bean coffee products in America . Duane Knapp points out , Today , Starbucks is North America 's leading brand retailer and roaster of specialty coffee (2000 ,

. 195 . Soon it would make the same claim in the global market . With thousands of international stores in major cities outside the U .S . like in Japan , Spain , Germany , China , Thailand , Philippines New Zealand , Malaysia , Kuwait , Korea , Canada , Switzerland , Austria and many more countries in the Middle East . As of last year (July 2006 there are 11 ,496 stores worldwide (Allison , 2006

This will look into the secret of Starbucks ' success how it redefined the way coffee is served and consumed in the U .S . and around the world . Moreover this study will also try to shed light on the globalization issues bothering the company , especially now that they are considered to be one of the top money earners for corporate America . But before all that , a little background information is needed to fully understand how a great brand was made from scratch

History

The Innovators

When Starbucks began to make a name in the U .S . market and when it began to attract the attention of Wall Street , the brand was immediately associated...