Starbucks Corporation

Starbucks Corp., an international coffeehouse known for being the most powerful coffee provider with an environment that features a clean and warm experience for the customers who want to engage in enjoying some free-time. It was founded in 1971.

Strengths:

• Starbucks is a renowned organization.

• Powerful brand in the coffee industry (Starbucks Experience).

• Top 50 of Fortune’s ‘World’s Most Admired Companies List’.

• The firm’s stores (retailer as well as licensed) generated approximately US$ 10.4 billion revenue in the fiscal year 2008.

• It has a total of approximately 16,706 stores, of which company operated stores are 8,850 and licensed stores are 7,856 (as of Dec 2009).

• It has globalized its operations and is operating in approximately 50 countries.

• It is listed in the Fortune 500 list of companies, due to the respectable environment and value of the workforce that the employers provide.

• Ethical values hold critical importance in its success.

• Product diversification exists as a strong force in which the essence and core of the business is coffee (more than 30 blends), alongside are the beverages, fresh baked food, and they also provide merchandize.

• Locale of the stores has high visibility, and they are accountable for attracting customers.

• It is the market leader with the highest share in the coffee industry also in terms of market capitalization.

• It has a strong Board and also has a strong financial foundation.

• Brand is associated with high quality coffee and unforgettable customer experience i-e ‘the Starbucks Experience’.

• Specializes in coffee, and due to the immense impact it has in the industry, it achieves economies of scales easily.

Weaknesses:

• It has a reputation that defines innovation and creativity, but it is also known for a fact that too much innovation may alter the course of the firm i-e it may lose the originality.

• The organization has expanded business risk because of the fact that it has spread most of its wings in the U.S.

• Overly dependent on a single product line (coffee) as a competitive edge.

• Internal business focus is overlooked due to the expansion factor.

• Number of increasing competitors in the market.

• Product pricing is very expensive, even if high quality is regarded.

• It has closed down many of its outlets due to numb sales in many regions.

• Management is cross-functional.

Opportunities:

• The corporation created a Compact Disc burning service by partnering with Hewlett Packard in the Santa Monica cafe in fiscal year 2004. The customers created their own music CD, it created a sense of reliability regarding the customers.