Quality assurance is the act where companies evaluate and improve processes. This may sometimes involve product re-engineering, process re-engineering, evaluation of customer satisfaction and customer service information, communication across departments, and communication with vendors. Starbucks is a company that has tackled quality assurance head-on and continues to find ways on further improvement. Starbucks has taken product re-engineering very seriously. They have gone from just your regular corner coffee shop to an all out commercial retail store.
You can buy anything from water bottles to lunch boxes. They have created an atmosphere of belonging. When their customers feel this sense of belonging, their stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet friends and relax. Not only have Starbucks created an atmosphere like no other, they have even committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of their business. To name one, Starbucks recently held a conference to develop a comprehensive recyclable cup. They have decided to re-engineer their cups to reduce their environmental impact.
Starbucks introduced the recycled-content cup sleeve as a way to reduce “double-cupping”. A few years later they introduced the industry’s first paper beverage cup containing post-consumer recycled fiber (PCF). Since 2006, the switch to PCF cups at Starbucks stores in the U. S. and Canada has saved more than 44,000 tons of virgin wood fiber, the equivalent of more than 300,000 trees. Starbucks founders had a vision. That vision was to find some of the world’s best coffee and share their passion and knowledge with their customers.
In order to do this, they had to change the quality and way they bought their coffee. Starbucks needs oodles of coffee beans to feed its aggressive plans for global growth and they have re-engineered their buying process to purchase only the highest quality beans. Starbucks coffee-buying executives voiced concerns about its long-term ability to secure enough high-quality beans, and that prompted the company to establish the Costa Rica support center to address future supply. Starbucks has opened a farmer-support center in Costa Rica designed to teach more coffee farmers how to grow beans the company would buy.
The center aims to boost Starbucks’ supply of coffee beans by training prospective suppliers to elevate their product to a level where Starbucks would purchase them. Starbucks Coffee Company began almost 40 years ago and has grown to be a part of almost every community. In order to continue such success, they have utilized a number of surveys from the employees and customers. Managers have used employee workplace, interview and recruiting, salary and compensation, and business outlook surveys to their advantage.
They use these surveys to measure and monitor their progress in all areas of the company. Starbucks even use outside surveys to measure their customer satisfaction. On June 8, 2009, they were recognized has having the best fast-food coffee according to a survey administered by Zagat. Communication is the key to success. Starbucks believes that conducting business ethically and striving to do the right thing are also vital to the success of the company. Starbucks’ way of communicating between departments is through their Business Ethics and Compliance program.
This program supports their mission and helps protect its culture and reputation by providing resources that help partners make ethical decisions at work. The program develops and distributes awareness materials, including the Standards of Business Conduct; facilitates legal compliance and ethics training; investigates sensitive issues, and provides additional channels for partners to voice concerns. Starbucks also holds a group think forum where employees (partners) can submit ideas and other concerns that may benefit the company.
And like I stated earlier, Starbucks communicates to all of its vendors through its Costa Rica support center. Kemp, S. (2006). Quality Management Demystified. New York: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://starbucks. com Batsell, J. (2004, December 23). Starbucks’ goals rely on quality, quantity. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from http://seattletimes. nwsource. com. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from http://www. bizjournals. com/seattle/stories/2009/06/08/daily5. html Retrieved June 12, 2009, from http://www. vault. com/companies/company_main. jsp? co_page=10& product_id =1073
