A Caffeine Giant: The Growth of Starbucks

Abstract
This paper examines Starbucks’ plan for rapid and thoroughly aggressive expansion in order to become the premier coffee ship in the United States and further, the World. Building upon a brand name that is recognizable worldwide, Starbucks continues to defy expectations, as it claims the title of the fastest growing fast-food company in the world (Horovitz, 2015). This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Starbucks 7-year plan for growth (Tobey, 2014), and compares it to Quelch’s periodical on the demise of Starbucks (2008); suggesting that Quelch’s assessment that Starbucks growth destroyed its brand is misguided and inaccurate, while the opposite is then true.

A Caffeine Giant: The Growth of Starbucks As the premier marketer of coffee and coffee products in the United States, Starbucks, an American corporation founded in 1971, is reaching new peaks as a global powerhouse, a seemingly unprecedented achievement following a slump in sales from 2008 to 2009. What makes this climb more magnificent is that it does so while competing against fast food giants such as McDonalds, Subway, and Burger King (Horovitz, 2014), dominating its competitors within its respective industry. John Quelch surmised that the slump Starbucks faced in 2008 was due to over expansion and a turn away from those consumers who wanted premium coffee with a personal experience (2008), when in reality it was a decrease in disposable income (Geereddy) and the economic slump that led to a fall in sales. Discussion
The author’s assessment is that there is no requirement for intervention at Starbucks. While there is merit in continuing to focus on employee development, wellness, and customer service initiatives, Starbucks seems able to operate efficiently and effectively with the