1. Would you describe Starbucks’ production/operations technology in its retail stores as unit, mass, or process? Explain your choice. How does its production/operations technology approach affect the way products are produced?

2. What uncertainties does Starbucks face in its value chain? Can Starbucks manage those uncertainties? If so, how? If not, why not?

3. Go the company’s Web site [www.starbucks.com] and find the information on the company’s environmental activities from bean to cup. Select one of the steps in the chain (or your professor may assign one). Describe what environmental actions it’s taking. How might these affect the way Starbucks “produces” its products?

4. Research further the concept of lean organizations. What benefits does “lean” offer? How might a business like Starbucks further utilize the concepts of being lean?

The steaming cup of coffee placed in a customer’s hand at any Starbucks store location starts as coffee beans (berries) plucked from fields of coffee plants. From harvest to storage to roasting to retail to cup, Starbucks understands the important role each participant in its value chain plays.