What are the key policies, practices, business principles, and procedures that underlie how Howard Schultz and Starbucks’ management implemented and executed the company’s evolving strategy?

Read and Answer Case 29 Questions – Title: Starbucks in 2018: Striving for Operational Excellence and Innovation Agility The case study is located in the back of the book on pages C-351 – C-376OverviewSince its founding in 1987 as a modest nine-store operation in Seattle, Washington, Starbucks had become the premier roaster, marketer, and retailer of specialty coffees in the world, with over 28,200 store locations in 76 countries as of April 2018 and annual sales that were expected to exceed $24 billion in fiscal year 2018, ending September 30. In addition to its flagship Starbucks brand coffees and coffee beverages, Starbucks’other brands included Tazo and Teavana teas, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Evolution Fresh juices and smoothies, and Ethos bottled waters. Starbucks stores also sold snack foods, pastries, and sandwiches purchased from a variety of local, regional, and national suppliers. In January 2107, Starbucks officially announced it would:• Open 20 to 30 Starbucks Reserve™ Roasteries and Tasting Rooms, which would bring to life the theater of coffee roasting, brewing, and packaging for customers, include a coffee bar with a full menu of coffee beverages, space for a mixology bar serving traditional Italian cocktails, and an upscale Princi bakery—a newly created Starbucks subsidiary that featured fresh-baked artisanal Italian breads, sandwiches, and pastries. The Starbucks Roaster and Tasting Room stores were designed in an open, marketplace style to (a) showcase the theater of roasting Starbucks Reserve™ coffees and the baking and other food preparation activities ongoing in the Princi kitchen, (b) enable customers to engage with store personnel at the Reserve coffee bar and Princi counter, and (c) gather with friends either at community tables or in lounge areasaround two fireplaces.• Open 1,000 Starbucks Reserve stores worldwide to bring premium experiences to customers and promote the company’s recently-introduced Starbucks Reserve coffees; these locations offered a more intimate small coffee experience and gave customers a chance to chat with a barista about all things coffee. The menu at Starbucks Reserve stores included handcrafted hot and cold Starbucks Reserve coffee beverages, hotand cold teas, ice cream and coffee beverages, packages of Starbucks Reserve whole bean coffees, and an assortment of small plates, sandwiches and wraps, desserts, wines, and beer. There were four types of brewing methods for the coffees and teas.• Transform about 20 percent of the company’s existing portfolio of Starbucks stores into Starbucks Reserve coffee bars.Long term, the company’s objective was to maintain Starbucks’ standing as one of the most recognized and respected brands in the world. To achieve this, Starbucks in 2018 was pursuing disciplined global expansion of its company-operated and licensed retail store base and striving to introduce relevant new products in all its channels and, where opportunities existed, to expand its existing channels of distribution. The Starbucks case contains a wealth of detail about the character and strategic direction of the company, the chief elements of its evolving strategy, the passionate and committed role of Howard Schultz in shaping the path the company has taken since it founding, Schultz’s efforts to create a company “with a soul”, the various policies and operating practices the company has employed in executing its evolving strategy, the many strategic and operating adjustments company has made in the past 20 years or so, the company’s social responsibility strategy, and the new management team Schultz put in place when he decided in 2018 to retire from the company and pursue other interests, namely write a book and explore a number of options from philanthropy to public service.There’s ample detail in the case about the company to enable an in-depth assessment of the company’s strategy and the policies and practices Starbucks management has employed to execute the company’s strategy.Video ResourcesStarbucks CEO: Growth isn’t a strategyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xVekEX2qkQStarbucks CEO on Innovation, Growth Strategy and Chinahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUxCRFbMLj0Assignment Questions:1. What was Howard Schultz’s original strategic vision for Starbucks? How many times has his strategic vision changed or evolved into something different? Is Kevin Johnson likely to continue with Shultz’s latest strategic vision for Starbucks for several more years or is the vision likely to undergo change before year-end 2018?2. Which one of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely approximates the competitive approach that Starbucks is employing?3. What are the key policies, practices, business principles, and procedures that underlie how Howard Schultz and Starbucks’ management implemented and executed the company’s evolving strategy?4. What “values” does Starbucks have? How well do they connect to the present strategy and to the manner in which the company conducts its business?5. What is your evaluation of Starbucks social responsibility strategy? Is it sincere or just something the company does and talks about to create a good public image?6. What is your assessment of Starbucks’ financial performance during fiscal years 2015-2017?7. What issues confront the company as of mid-2018? What should Kevin Johnson and other Starbucks senior executives be worried about?8. What recommendations would you make to Kevin Johnson to sustain the company’s growth and improve performance in the years ahead?GuidelinesConsider the following in your written response to the assignment questions:Provide supporting analysis and persuasive argument for your recommended course of action and you need to be specific about what to do and how to do it.DirectionsMinimum length requirement is three APA formatted pages with at least two sources cited within your paper. The cover page and reference page is not counted in the 4 – 6 page (minimum) length.