On the eve of the company’s 40th anniversary, USA Today’s Bruce Horowitz interviewed Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Topics include the company’s iconic status, its resiliency, plans for the future, as well as an analysis of successes and failures. One thing appears clear – Schultz is deeply committed to the company and plans to be out front leading it into the future.

QUESTIONS:

1. Between your own personal experience with the company and your reading of the interview, how well has Starbucks responded to the performance criteria identified in the “Working Today” section of your text?
2. Does CEO Howard Schultz appear to have a solid understanding of the changing nature of organizations? Analyze Starbucks in terms of the trends listed in your text.
3. What evidence exists in the interview suggesting that Starbucks embraces the concept of the upside-down pyramid?

SOURCE: B. Horovitz, “Starbucks at 40: An Interview with CEO Howard Schultz,” USA Today (Retrievable online at http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-03-07-starbucks07_CV_N.htm)