Case Study: Starbucks' Structure

Case Study: Starbucks' Structure

Starbucks

Based in Washington, Starbucks Corporation is the largest coffee brand worldwide. The firm has stores in around 62 countries, with majority of them being located within the United States. The coffee house serves a number of products besides its trademark coffee, including handcrafted beverages, merchandise, fresh food and baked eatables, ready-to-drink beverages, and the famous Starbucks® ice-cream, which is also available at various grocery outlets (Anonymous, 2012). Besides these, appetizers, beers and wines are also sold after 4 pm at its outlets open at evenings. Marketing and promotions products include books, music, as well as films. Seasonal products are also included.

The company has expanded a great deal within its short history of 52 years. The business initially began in Seattle as a retailer of coffee beans that were of local origin. Expansion took place rapidly as the company opened up outlets at different locations globally. In recent years, it has faced financial crisis, but has successfully sustained through it. This is partly because Starbucks has a rich set of corporate values, such as valuing the customer experience (thereby creating and enhancing it), as well as creating an atmosphere that values its employees by providing them with invaluable skills and experience.

This paper aims to analyze the changing structure of Starbucks. It begins by determining the job specification and description that is required of their employees, and then goes on to propose a suitable form of departmentalization. It also briefs on the choice between centralization and decentralization as a response to financial crisis, and then recommends an appropriate organizational configuration form.

Job Description & Job Specification

A job description basically defines and outlines the role an employee would be expected to perform at the offered and agreed upon designation within the organization. It is preceded by a job analysis, which tends to access the tasks associated with a particular job, and working conditions. Based upon the established findings, a job description is created which outlines the job responsibilities and duties that are to be performed (Caruth et al., 2009).

Followed by a prior job analysis and description, a job specification is formed which highlights the skills, qualification as well as necessary experience that is required for that specific post. It basically defines the criteria against which the recruitment and hiring of employees gets done (Aswathappa, 2005).

At Starbucks, employees are hired within various departments, and the job specification and description varies accordingly. The job description for a Shift Supervisor includes helping the operations store manager in between routine shifts. Creating the customer experience that Starbucks is famous for is part of the job. The shift supervisor is supposed to act in an honest alignment with the organizational mission and vision, and should be good at observing and noting for cues within the environment. He should be have a motivating and encouraging approach towards new joiners and should also be team-focused. He is supposed to perform the necessary operations during his assigned shift. Cash management is also included in the job ...