Discussion 2 Peer Response   Response Comments - After posting your initial response to the question, begin making comments to your peers

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Discussion 2 Peer Response

Response Comments - After posting your initial response to the question, begin making comments to your peers. A minimum of two comments made on two different days must be posted in the discussion for a passing grade.  The comments must be early enough before the end of the week to allow for replies. 

Christina Ozaeta (Student 1)

Since being in School, I have spent so much of my time at Starbucks drinking coffee, meeting classmates, or just doing my homework. The friends I have made there are invaluable and the way they have treated me every time I have gone there has lifted my spirits. I currently work for the El Paso Independent School District, but had I not been hired, Starbucks was the place I had considered applying to as a backup plan.

Strategy: Starbuck’s Mission Statement “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time” truly drives their competitive advantage strategy.

Structure: According to Cuofano (2021), Starbucks has successfully implemented a Matrix Structure which consists of Operational and Product-Based divisions with numerous chains of command. The company headquarters are in Seattle, Washington and is controlled by a Board of Directors. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) functions with top-down control processes to oversee development and implement the strategies focused upon competitive growth and expansion. The company is divided into distinct regional divisions. District Managers are employed who manage a group of employees. Each coffeehouse’s day-to-day operations are managed by a store manager and a shift supervisor who are responsible for the staff. Starbucks has three regions: The Americas (divided into Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Western United States); China and Asia-Pacific; and Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and Africa. The Product-Based Division include all the beverages carrying the Starbucks logo, such as Teavana bottled tea and one of their latest creations the Evolution Fresh Juices (Cuofano, G., 2021).

Systems: According to Dyer, et al. (2020) systems include the policies or processes that coordinate and control the work of the different divisions of the organization. This would include the following areas:

· Design of services and goods – which is seen in how it put together its pricing, items with Starbuck’s logo, and the way the coffeehouses seating and tables are designed (Gregory, L., 2017).

· Quality Management – which is demonstrated how Starbuck’s sources the coffee beans from the coffee farms which must be certified under the Coffee and Farmer Equity Program (CAFÉ) (Gregory, L., 2017).

· Human Resources and Job Design – The Starbuck’s culture is represented by their adoption of attitude, employees first. Baristas make up the Starbuck’s team of employees (Gregory, L., 2017).

· Supply Chain Management – is global, as the bulk of Starbuck’s coffee bean are acquired from other countries. As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Starbucks ensures transparency and ethical decision-making processes to ensure that the coffee farmer grow their coffee beans in the most sustainable way (Gregory, L., 2017).

· Scheduling – Starbuck’s utilized manual and automated schedule approaches for its variety day-to-day business activities. For management personnel, Starbucks uses flexible schedules (Gregory, L., 2017).

Staffing:  Starbucks is well-known for its staunch legacy of responsible and progressive approach to hiring its employees. In the United States, their 160,000 Green Apron partners come from a very diverse backgrounds in the communities that they live in, such as students, spouses of members of the military, single parents, millennials and Gen-X’ers. Starbucks approach towards scheduling allows for both flexibility and consistency. Store managers go out of their way to balance the diverse needs of their Green Apron partners, the business, the store especially since customers purchases and behaviors change as the seasons change. For example, a newly hired partner will be asked to furnish a list of times and days they prefer to work as well when they are available to work. To accommodate Starbucks employees, the schedules are posted approximately fourteen days in advance. This has enabled Starbucks to avoid on-call scheduling (starbucks.com, n.d.)

Skills: It takes a very special kind of individual to work at Starbucks. They need to be not only competent but cheerful with the ability to smile and keep their cool with even the rudest of customers. To be hired as a Barista, they should have a great aptitude for customer service, work well with others as well as working independently in a very fast-paced working environment. To work as a Barista, it requires that the individual pay attention to detail(s), plus have a great memory necessary to make all the different drinks that Starbucks offers. A Barista should possess keen interpersonal skills along with effective communication skills and have great listening abilities (Doyle, A. 2020).

Style: Starbucks consistently defies conventional wisdom by offering their customers a relaxing and enjoyable experience that is defined by their ambiance and laid-back environment whether you are in Los Angeles or Dallas. Starbucks chose an informal and casual style that their employees wear which is visible with the Barista’s Green Aprons. This has allowed the Baristas to provide a pleasurable and relaxing experience for their customers all the while focusing on the quality of the time spent at their coffeehouse (Roll, M., 2021).  

Shared Values: The former CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz said, “Success is not sustainable if it is defined by how big you become. Large numbers that once captivated me – 40,000 stores – are not what matter. The only number that matters (to me and our Baristas) is ‘one’. One cup. One customer. One partner. One experience at a time”. It is apparent that all the Starbucks share these values by duplicating the processes of proving their customers with the same type of experience with a very strong appreciation concerning the details throughout all their coffeehouses including their products which is a crucial focal point for the success of their business strategy (Roll, M., 2021).

Reference

Cuofano, G. (March 29, 2021). Stabucks Organizational Structure in a Nutshell. FourWeekMBA. https://fourweekmba.com/starbucks-organizational-structure/

Doyle, A. (September 26, 2020). Important Barista Skills That Employers Value. The Balance Careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/barista-skills-for-resumes-applications-and-interviews-2062354

Dyer, Godfrey, Jensen, & Bryce. (2020). Strategic Management. John Wiley & Sons.

Gregory, L. (January 31, 2017). Starbucks Coffee’s Operations Management: 10 Decisions, Productivity. Panmore Institute. https://panmore.com/starbucks-coffee-operations-management-10-decisions-areas-productivity

Roll, M. (February 2021). The secret to Starbucks’ brand success. Martin Roll Business & Brand Leadership. https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/strategy/secret-starbucks-brand-success

Starbucks (June 24, 2016). Starbucks Approach to Staffing and Scheduling. Starbucks.com. https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2016/starbucks-approach-to-staffing-and-scheduling/

Mohammad Ankir (Student 2)

The 7S model is a tool helps distinguish a company’s organizational design. The seven key elements include structure, strategy, skill, system, shared values, style, and staff. The company I would like to work for is the Walt Disney Company, which is an entertainment company known for its film, television, international theme parks, toys, and characters. I like the connection and message this builds across with consumers.

Structure- The Walt Disney Company has a cooperative and multidivisional organizational structure. This helps the company focus on the different business types and helps the different operations run efficiently.

Strategy- The Walt Disney Company uses product different as its main strategy. This helps with competitive advantage. This strategy involves unique products that are offered to many market segments.

Skill- Walt Disney knows how to motivate and inspire individuals. The company knows how to emotionally communicate to consumers and personalize their products. This keeps consumers wanting more and staying lifelong.

System- The Walt Disney Company has four business segments with staff being responsible for the media networks, studio entertainment, direct-to-consumer and international, parks, experiences and consumer products.

Shared values- The Walt Disney Company has a mission statement to entertain, inform, and inspire people around the world with the power of unparalleled storytelling (2020).

Style- The Walt Disney Company has a leadership style that values and cares about all. They like to make all feel included and have a diverse setting.

Staff- The Walt Disney Company’s number of employees in 2021 was 190,000. They try to employ many employees in different departments of what they have to offer to the world (2022).