1. What companies might be good benchmarks for Starbucks? Why? What companies might want to benchmark Starbucks? Why?

2. What control criteria might be useful to a retail store manager? To a barista at one of Starbucks’s walk-in only retail stores? How about for a store that has a drive-through?

3. What “red flags” might indicate significant deviations from standard for (a) an hourly partner; (b) a store manager; (c) a district manager; (d) the executive vice president of finance; and (e) the CEO? Are there any similarities? Why or why not?

4. Would you describe Starbucks’s production/operations technology in its retail stores as unit, mass, or process? How about in its roasting plants? 

5. Can Starbucks manage the uncertainties in its value chain? If so, how? If not, why not?