Starbucks CorporationHistory of Starbucks:Starbucks opened its first store in 1971, at Pike Place Market in Seattle, by three partners Zev Siegel, Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. Starbucks opened with the intent of becoming a retailer of gourmet coffee beans and a seller of coffee equipment. The Starbucks name and logo come from two influences; a character called Starbuck in the classic book, Moby Dick, and a mining camp at the base of Mount Rainier called Starbo. These two influences were combined to create Starbucks. In 1982, entrepreneur and current president, Howard Schultz, joined the company. When Schultz joined the company, he wanted to shift the company's focus from home coffee production and retail sales of coffee beans, to also include the sale of coffee drinks. Schultz wanted to create an Italian espresso bar atmosphere for the Starbucks Company. Siegel, Baldwin and Bowker didn't like the idea, but in 1984 Schultz convinced the "founders of Starbucks to test the coffee shop concept at a new location in downtown Seattle." In 1985, Schultz decided to leave the company and start his own Italian espresso-inspired company called Il Giornale. In 1987, Schultz gained support from local investors and purchased Starbucks. Shultz then changed the name Starbucks to Starbucks Corporation. Today, Starbucks has more than 16,000 stores worldwide, including approximately 11,000 in the United States. Starbucks Mission and Goals: Mission Statements Starbucks is different...... middle of paper.... .. growth above 20%. The strategies and initiatives include Starbucks' continued commitment to global growth goals that include annual net revenue growth of approximately 20% and earnings per share growth of 20% to 25%. The Company announced plans for a broad rollout to expand hot breakfast items as a core offering in approximately 6,500 company-operated stores in the United States by the end of fiscal 2008. They have decided to discontinue publishing monthly breakfast releases. revenue because they believe that providing the information on a monthly basis encourages a short-term focus and increases volatility in the Company's stock that is not representative of Starbucks' overall and long-term performance.