Answer all questions. The first 6 questions are based on the case study, and the 7th question is based on our guest speaker.

The first six questions are assigned 12 points each. As a guidance min, 300 words are expected per answer. Question 7 is worth 28 points, and a minimum of 600 words is expected.

1. What strategies did Starbucks employ to establish its distinctive identity initially? Why was it so successful until the mid-2000s? And why and how did Starbucks lose its uniqueness and struggle in the mid-2000s?
2. What strategic initiatives did Howard Schultz implement to re-create Starbucks’ uniqueness after his return in 2008? What was Howard Schultz attempting to accomplish in his second stint as CEO (2008–2017)?
3. Why did Howard Schultz return as interim CEO in 2022? What changes did he initiate in his third stint as CEO (2022–2023)?
4. Given that Howard Schultz is attempting his third retirement, who is responsible for Schultz being a “boomerang CEO”? Did he fail to groom a successor? Did the board of directors fail in succession planning? Or, is Howard Schultz a unique leader with a deep tacit and emotional understanding of the business that makes it hard to find in a replacement? Explain.
5. How is Starbucks trying to grow in the future? What are its biggest challenges?
6. What recommendations would you give the Starbucks CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, to address the challenges identified in question 5? Be specific.
7. Calm Air faces hurdles while delivering services to the Northern Territories, as explained by Garry Bell in our class. What are those challenges, and what methodologies are employed by Calm Air to successfully manage and overcome them.