$1.$ Why would a successful U$.$S$.$ coffee company enter a foreign country that loves tea?

$2.$ Can their entry strategy be used by other companies?

Assignment Tasks:

$1.$ Research, create and submit an in$-$depth report on a high$-$level strategy suitable for presentation to Starbucks to either work with, or extricate themselves from China.

$2.$ Use the course content, the text, the case and your own research.

The Case

Starbucks, which has been operating in Canada since $1987$ and now has over one thousand outlets across the country, has been doing business in China since $1999$ when it opened its first outlet in Beijing. Today, thousands of Starbucks stores sell coffee in the land of tea, including one at the Great Wall. Starbucks has become one of the most popular brands among the country's $20-$ to $40-$year$-$old upwardly mobile Chinese, or $$Chuppies$,$ as they are called. So far, China accounts for about $10$ percent of Starbucks' global sales. It$$s currently experiencing significant competition from Luckin Coffee. Former Chairman Howard Schultz believed that China will someday be the company's largest market outside North America. $$The market response,$$ he says, $$exceeded our expectations.$$

This may seem surprising when you consider the fact that the majority of China's $1\mathrm{.}3$ billion$-$plus population are tea drinkers who didn't know what coffee was until Nestle introduced a powdered version to store shelves in the $1980$s$.$ But Starbucks is betting that it can win the new generation over by marketing its signature product as an emblem of modern China's new sophistication.

$$Coffee represents the change,$$ says Wang Jinlong, then president of Starbucks Greater China $($Now CEO of Pizza Express$).$The disposable income is concentrated on the young people, and this is the place they want to come.$$ Success in China could depend on how well Starbucks markets itself to what Wang calls the, $$little emperors.$$

After surveying Chinese consumers, Starbucks compiled a list of the top reasons they go to caf$$s$.$ Surprisingly, the number one reason was $$to gather with family and friends,$$ while $$to drink coffee$$ lagged behind at number six. Living spaces are generally small and cramped in China, making places to congregate important to the Chinese.

Starbucks found success in China because it took this idea of a place to gather and gave people in the cities a $$third space$$ beyond work and home, making it cool to have a latte and hang out. Starbucks offers more food on the Chinese menu, including duck sandwiches, moon pies, and green$-$tea cheesecake, than in other countries$$and more seating as well. Only $20$ percent of Canadian customers eat and drink inside a Starbucks store after ordering, but the number is close to $90$ percent in China.

China remains a communist country, so a change in its one$-$party dictatorship could potentially affect business overnight. Schultz says the key to establishing stores there is to first find local partners who understand the changing political and business landscapes. Starbucks initially entered China by authorizing local developers to use its brand and setting up joint ventures with partners.

Industry analyst Pei Liang advised that for long$-$term success in China, Starbucks would need to acquire controlling stakes in its joint ventures. This, Pei explained, would strengthen management's control and put them in a position to reap more of the profits as the market grew. $$Licensing or holding a minority stake is an effective tool when first stepping into a new market because it involves a small investment,$$ says Pei. $$But Starbucks, the brand's owner, receives only royalty fees from the licensee.$$

In late $2006,$ Starbucks announced that it was buying out its partner in China and taking control of $60$ stores. The market had changed after Beijing entered the World Trade Organization in $2001,$ making it easier for foreign companies to navigate alone. $$Buying out one's partner is becoming more common,$$ says industry consultant Kent D$.$ Kedl. $$Starbucks probably feels they know better how China works now so they can go it on their own.$$

Starbucks will concentrate most of its future expansion efforts in China, and Kedl predicts it will see continued success there: $$It$\text{'}$s not just a drink in China. It's a destination. It's a place to be seen and a place to show how modern one is$.$ And with China's economy expected to grow over the long$-$term, the number of Chuppies willing to pay good money for a Mocha Frappuccino Grande is likely to grow too.

Currently, Starbucks has opened more than $4,300$ stores in $180$ cities in mainland China, employing over $58,000$ partners $$ a successful entry by a U$.$S$.$ coffee company in the land of tea.

Points to Consider

Many of the same environmental factors, such as cultural factors, that operate in the domestic market also exist internationally. Discuss key cultural factors Starbucks had to consider as it expanded into China.

Discuss the key political and legal factor