Session-Long Project
Module 1 Session Long Project The purpose Session Long Project give opportunity explore applicability Module life, work, place space time, experiment Module academically rigorous presentation a topic, work / trauma, " close personal."
Business session-long project: Starbucks
The mission of Starbucks is defined as "to inspire and nurture the human spirit -- one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time" (Mission statement, 2013, Starbucks). Starbucks began as an American company determined to bring the European coffeehouse experience to Seattle and the company now exists as a worldwide enterprise with a distinct brand image. Starbucks stresses the personal attention it devotes to its customers. Each store has a neighborhood, regional, or national 'flavor' to it. Starbucks has faced criticism in recent years that the quality of its coffee does not justify its price and even took a day to close down all of its stores for a barista-retraining effort to fight such allegations. It has struggled to compete against the rise popularity of similar specialty coffee beverages from lower-cost competitors such as McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts in the domestic market (Allison 2010).
Starbucks is neither a low-priced nor a premium coffee company. Its coffee is an 'affordable luxury' characterized by consistency and quality. Starbucks promotes itself as an ethical company, widely...
Starbucks' financial information is public, given that it is a well-known publically-traded company and is frequently covered in the business press. Starbucks' current strategy is to deemphasize its U.S. expansion, close unprofitable domestic stores and focus more upon international markets, specifically in China. "The new focus is on: Expanding the number of foreign stores, which Starbucks often opens with business partners who share the cost and risk" (Allison 2010). However, "Starbucks' foreign stores are not as profitable as those in the U.S.…. Being stretched thin, with 5,500 foreign stores in 51 countries, eats up some of the money Starbucks saves by having business partners run more than half those stores" (Allison 2010). Options include launching cheaper prepackaged Starbucks products like bottled Frappucinos and packaged coffee before opening up stores in coveted start-up locations that Starbucks has been eyeing for years in the developing world.
Objective/Measure/Target/Action: Three objectives
Expand internationally to highly international profitable locations/Sales figures/Increase in percentage of profits from international locations/Bring products to underserved target models in desirable international locations
Improve perceptions of product value/Sales figures and consumer satisfaction…
