Starbucks Coffee

Abstract

The Starbucks stores which opened across New Zealand required some changes to accommodate a different group of 'Partners' (the term used for employees) and clients. Many of the sales videos for new staff were considered too 'over the top' for a New Zealand market and compromises were made in terms of an approach befitting the New Zealand culture. Also, the introduction of flat whites and long blacks to the Starbucks menu was unique to the New Zealand environment, along with the greater purchase of food with coffee, as opposed to a 'coffee on the run' approach in the US. The case study illustrates the difference in how a global corporation adapts to the local environment whilst still retaining its corporate policies and company ethos