1. What was Howard Schultz’s original strategic vision for Starbucks?

2. Has Starbuck’s strategy evolved as the strategic vision has evolved?

3. Which one of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely approximates the competitive approach that Starbucks is employing?

4. What are the key policies, practices, business principles, and procedures that underlie how Howard Schultz and Starbucks’ management have implemented and executed the company’s strategy?

5. What “values” does Starbucks have? How well do they connect to the strategy and to the manner in which the company conducts its business?

6. What is your evaluation of Starbucks social responsibility strategy? Is it sincere or just something the company does and talks about to create a good public image?

7. What is your assessment of Starbucks financial performance during fiscal years 2007-2011?

8. What issues confront the company? What should Starbuck’s management be worried about?

9. What recommendations would you make to sustain the company’s growth and support continued strong financial performance in the years ahead?

10. What evidence do you find in this case, either explicitly or implicitly, that indicates the management of Starbucks is practicing decision-making that would comport with a Christian world view.

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1 Howard Schults trip to Milan in 1983 inspired him to build a clear mission of a company where Italian coffee bar culture was to be introduced to the USA to not only serve the finest coffee but to ru... View the full answer