a. Starbucks
Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse chain in the world with more than 19 thousand stores in over sixty countries. It is headquartered in Seattle, US.
The mission statement of Starbucks is to “Inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood”. The goal of Starbucks is to use the Starbucks experience to create awareness about coffee among the consumers.
In line with the above mission and goal of the company, the business strategy of Starbucks is to come up with innovative coffee drinks brewed from best of the cocoa seeds in the world and served to customers in a homely ambience.
The distinctive competencies which sets Starbucks apart from other coffee chain outlets:
• Quality and variety of Coffee: The Starbucks coffee is brewed from the best of the coffee beans in the world. Starbucks choose the right kind of beans and roast them in different degrees to create variety of flavours for the customers.
• Consistency: To create a network of Coffee chains across the world which sells exactly the same coffee, a great deal of consistency is required in terms of sourcing, roasting and brewing to deliver the same taste across the world. Starbucks has pioneered its operations to provide exactly that.
• Location: Starbucks operate on the franchise model and has cluster methodology while deciding on the store locations in a particular area. It made Starbucks easy to access and created a brand which became synonymous with Coffee shop.
• Employee Friendly – While other coffee shops or fast food joints employ college students looking to make quick money, Starbucks provide long term career option in the organization. Starbucks is a firm of endearment which takes care of its employees very well. Hence their employees became their brand ambassador to the outer world.
• Sustainable Supply chain setup - The Coffee bean is a seasonal product.