Case Study on Marketing Strategy: Starbucks Entry to China

Starbucks is one of the largest coffee chains in the World. The company has a unique style and atmosphere in their coffee houses. We chose China because it is the world’s most populous country with over 1.3 billion people live there and second-largest country by land area. After 1978, the country’s economy were underwent dramatic changes which involved such relief as permission for entrepreneurs to start up their own business and opening the country for foreign investment. It is obviously that Starbucks managers decided to take advantage of such opportunity to expand their business into new region. To evaluate Chinese market the company used several steps of analyses. Who might be interested in buying coffee in China? To introduce the Starbucks brand the company begun to distribute coffee for free to guests in several Beijing’s hotels in 1994. This initiative indicated that there was a strong demand for their products, Continue reading

Business Model Analysis of Starbucks

Starbucks Coffee company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It began in 1971 with just one retail store at Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Now it has become the leading brand and retailer in the world. Starbucks went public on June 26, 1992. The main aim of Starbucks is to become the leading brand and retailer of finest coffee in each of its target markets nationally and internationally by selling the best quality coffee and related products, and by providing high class customer service. Starbucks purchases and roasts a high quality whole bean coffees to sell them with fresh, rich-brewed espresso beverages, different varieties of pastries and coffee related accessories and equipment’s. Moreover Starbucks also sells coffee and tea products strategically through other channels such as supermarkets and non traditional retail channels such as United Airlines, Marriott International, Barnes & Noble bookstores and Department stores. More than quality coffee, Starbucks features Continue reading

Case Study: Success of Starbucks Mobile Payment Application

Starbucks redefined highly competitive coffee shop business and successfully created an uncontested market by turning the simple coffee drinking experience into a way of life experience by drastically redefining the coffee shop environment by adding music, Wi-Fi, relaxed seating and luxurious interiors. Till Starbucks disrupted the traditional coffee shop market most of the focus was on the price, location and quality of coffee shops. Starbucks innovative value proposition includes wide variety of mostly coffee based menu along with other types of drinks that catered to wide range of audience who are willing to pay top buck for the luxurious and relaxed interiors that are perfect environment for socializing with friends and relax. Another important aspect that Starbucks focused was on the quality of customer service with an exclusive aim of maximum customer delight and they meticulously recruited and trained the best talent in the industry that has added huge value Continue reading

Case Study: IBM’s Turnaround Under Lou Gerstner

“Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance” describes how Louis Gerstner lead the organizational turnaround at IBM when it was at the verge of extinction. Louis Gerstner was the chairman and CEO of IBM from April 1993 to March 2002. Before joining IBM, he had worked on various consulting assignments at McKinsey and led successful organizational changes at American Express and RJR Nabisco. During the early nineties, IBM was rapidly losing its market share in most of the markets it catered to its competitors. The management was planning to break the organization into individual businesses. Soon after his appointment as CEO, Gerstner identified that the unique competitive advantage of IBM was due to its scale and broad-based capabilities, and therefore advocated that “keeping the company together” will help IBM to utilize this unique advantage by positioning itself as software integrator. Gerstner was instrumental in shifting the mental model of employees from self-centric Continue reading

SWOT Analysis of IKEA

Swedish company IKEA is  the world’s largest furniture retailer since the early 1990’s. It sold inexpensive furniture of Scandinavian design. The company operated in 55 countries with a workforce of 76000. IKEA offered nearly 12000 items to the home furnishings market worldwide. It sold a wide range of products including furniture, accessories, bathrooms and kitchens at 186 retail stores in 30 countries across Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Australia. IKEA is well known for its exclusive model, low price, wide range of product and flat packing. IKEA’s success was recognized to its vast experience in the furniture retail market, its product differentiation and cost leadership. The company sold its furniture in kits, to be assembled by the customers at home. In addition to furniture, IKEA also sold utility items such as utensils, hooks, clips, stands, etc. IKEA’s founder Ingvar Kamprad (Kamprad) had built an international furniture chain Continue reading

Case Study of Papa John’s: Quality as a Core Business Strategy

Would you recognize a Papa John’s Pizza sign from a distance? Many people would, given the distinctive green and red emblem and logo, which is designed to attract attention and place the store in a flattering fight Papa John’s began as a small, one-store operation that evolved out of the need to rescue a failing tavern. Quick success meant expansion to 4 stores in two years and 23 stores in five years. Currently, Papa John’s plans to complete more than 2,000 units with over $1 billion in sales in a mature industry most felt was saturated with competitors. In order to survive in a highly competitive market place, Papa John’s needed to develop a distinctive voice. One clear message was needed to penetrate every aspect of the business, including hiring decisions, selection of locations, and all business strategies and tactics. At the strategic level, each of the big three pizza Continue reading