What Is Behind That Morning Cup of Joe?

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8 word format

document in english

business strategy

research papers

date published 22/08/2007

review : not yet assessed

level : Advanced

requested 41 times

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Summary

For many, a morning cup of coffee may be a daily ritual. In today’s fast-paced world, many may not even have the time to brew it at home, preferring instead to stop at a coffee shop on the way to work or school. There are plenty of chains in many areas to frequent, especially Starbucks. Some may grumble about the money that they have to pay for a single cup of coffee at one of these stores. But how many think about the actual cost of that cup of coffee, or where the profits are really going, or where the profits really should be going?

In this paper, I will examine the standardized and homogenized practices of Starbucks, the manner in which the company has branded itself, and two hot-button controversies the company has become embroiled in over the last few years
Describing the apparent opposite of the Starbucks model
Many patrons of these smaller shops respond to Starbucks with thinly masked hostility
One thing to note is that the smaller coffee joints embraced by those with anti-Starbucks sentiments
The company was also conscious to keep the atmosphere of its stores different from that of a smaller, less corporate coffeehouse
However, according to Starbucks employees the company is staunchly anti-union, often firing those who attend protests or help to organize campaigns
Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that Starbucks used its considerable influence through the National Coffee Association to block Ethiopia's application for trademark in the US Patent and Trademark Office
To be fair, Starbucks does give back to the communities of coffee growers
My anonymous consumer study subject, who I will be referring to as 'Antonio' for the remainder of the paper, is a 21-year-old single college student from Massachusetts
The information presented over the course of this paper shows that, while Starbucks has tried to create a specific image for itself, it is a McDonaldized institution that many consumers avoid on principle