Being a lead coffee retailer with over a billion customers and an annual growth rate of six percent, Starbucks coffee company had to exploit lots of opportunities, hence, enabling it to witness that kind of growth over the past years. Expanding its horizons into more and more countries outside the United States, the company has been able to broaden its customer base plunging into countries like India and Japan which have witnessed a substantial growth in the rate of coffee consumption (Pride and Ferrell 2010).
The realization of this level of success did not come easy since it required a very accurate autopsy of the prevailing conditions and consequences. This fact, hence, brought procedure to ensure that human errors of judgment would be limited as much as possible to light.
Evaluation, hence, came in quite handy so as to enhance the accuracy with which inferences on the subject matter were made. Starbucks acquisition and even collaboration with other companies like the Maxim’s Caterer by majorly depended on the inferences arrived at as a result of serious evaluation . Infrastructural developments including marketing chains, supplier chains and the physical operation of stores necessitated the carrying out of a lot of research.
When the firm opened its retail branch at the China world trade centre in Beijing witch adopted a strict resemblance to the Chinese culture, for instance, the store was still able to attract many customers despite the fact that it was decorated in an American way and offered internationally acclaimed trademark coffee brands (Wheelen and Hunger 2010).
After identifying appropriate strategies which would enhance the company’s success, its main battle would be how to implement them. The company’s improvement of its stake to fifty percent in a joint venture in Shanghai, for instance, opened an opportunity for it to fully own and operate a store outside the United States for the first time in two years (464).
Despite the opposition which was received from the Chinese residents who were opposed to the introduction of western coffee chains, continued persistence and implementation of various techniques saw the company turn tables to become the most preferred coffee retailer in China deriving approximately ten percent of its total revenue from China (Pride and Ferrell 2010).
Starbucks also implemented stringent measures to keep competitors at bay so as to enable it cut a niche for itself as a powerhouse in the coffee business. These measures worked to their advantage since a reasonably steady growth rate was witnessed during this period.
In order to achieve success in any business environment, it is important that effective management and control are put in place. Since Starbucks had no option but to join hands with other firms when it first plunged into markets outside the United States, effective control was deemed necessary.
Control created an atmosphere that allowed other stake holders the autonomy to actively engage in the running of the partnerships and, hence, encouraging profit maximization (Wheelen and Hunger 2010).
Since the acquired companies did not share the same work ethics with the Midwestern culture, effective control also enabled the westward leaning managers to cultivate these ethical values in their employees so as to encourage cooperation and enhance team spirit. These two elements would, hence, come in handy in boosting the firm’s performance.
In conclusion, it is, hence, logical to attest to the fact that the application of these three important elements in Starbucks coffee stores’ operations outside the United States largely contributed to their success.
Works Cited
Pride, William M., and Will Ferrell. Marketing. Mason: Cengage Learning Inc, 2010. Print.
Wheelen, Thomas L., and David J. Hunger. Strategic Management and Business Policy toward global sustainability. Boston: Pearson Education Inc, 2010. Print.