Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Starbucks Corp.: Clouds in Your Coffee

Zimmerman, Alan, W...

Case

Starbucks Corp.: Clouds in Your Coffee

Zimmerman, Alan; Weiss, Elliott N.

OM-1328 | Published February 11, 2007 | 11 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

Product Details

This case depicts the history of Starbucks Corporation, from its inception, in 1971, through 2007. The case highlights the conflict between large-scale efficiency and standardization versus providing customers with the "Starbucks Experience." As its consistent growth shows, Starbucks has managed this conflict skillfully, but as the company continues to expand, balancing these objectives becomes more difficult and complex.