Case study of Building Starbucks Community

In preparing the case, “Howard Schultz: Building Starbucks Community,” consider how Howard
Schultz’ life story influenced his leadership journey.
Discussion Questions:
1. How do Schultz’ life experiences link to the kind of company he is building at Starbucks?
2. What characteristics and experiences are most important in Schultz’s development as a leader?
3. Was Schultz correct to put his concerns about Starbucks’ direction in the email to CEO Jim
Donald?
4. How should Schultz navigate the challenges of sustaining Starbucks’ growth while staying true to
its authentic roots as a unique local coffeehouse?
Case Study Analysis Guidelines
Cases require careful preparation before class. The following is a list of steps to guide your case
preparation.
1. Rapidly read the assigned case and other materials to gain a general understanding of the industry,
the firm, and the general competitive situation and issues.
2. Carefully review the discussion questions provided for the session for clues as to what issues
require special attention.
3. Carefully re-read the case, taking notes that sort information, facts, and observations under a
number of relevant headings. Use the discussion questions to guide your own thinking about the
issues.
4. Formulate theories or hypotheses about what is going on as you read ("the company loses money
on small orders"), modifying or rejecting them as new information surfaces ("Table 2 shows that
shipping costs per unit are higher for small orders, but only for long-distance shipments").
5. Perform quantitative analyses, “crunching” whenever and whatever numbers are available. It is
also very important to provide quantitative support wherever possible, particularly when exploring
various hypotheses as to the nature and importance of certain phenomena. (If the requisite data are
not available in the case, precise descriptions of what data are missing often triggers ideas for
making creative use of the information that is available.) It is usually worthwhile to identify trends
in the firm or industry, preferably with a quantitative measurement. Some of these trends, often
very important ones, will not be flagged in the text of the case.
6. Prepare definitive conclusions before you come to class concerning the issues raised in the
discussion questions.
page number from textbook p31 to p56.