The core competence of Starbucks has been its ability to effectively leverage their cornerstone product differentiation strategies by offering a premium product mix of high quality beverages and snacks. Starbuck’s brand equity is built on selling the finest quality coffee and related products, and by providing each customer a unique “Starbucks Experience”, which is derived from supreme customer service, clean and well-maintained stores that reflect the culture of the communities in which they operate, thereby building a high degree of customer loyalty with a cult following. Its other core competence is its human resource management's values based approach for building very strong internal and external relationships with suppliers, which drives the successful deployment of its business strategy of organic expansion into international markets, horizontal integration through smart acquisitions and alliances that maintains their long-term strategic objective being the most recognized and respected brands in the world.星巴克的核心競爭力是通過提供高品質飲料和零食的優質產品組合,有效利用其基礎產品差異化戰略。星巴克的品牌資產建立在銷售最優質的咖啡和相關產品的基礎上,並通過向每位顧客提供獨特的“星巴克體驗”,這種體驗來自於最優質的客戶服務、乾淨和保養良好的商店,這些商店反映了他們經營所在社區的文化,從而建立了一個與崇拜追隨者的高度客戶忠誠度。其另一個核心能力是其人力資源管理的價值觀方法,即與供應商建立非常牢固的內部和外部關係,這推動了其有機擴張到國際市場的業務戰畧的成功部署,通過明智的收購和聯盟實現橫向綜合,保持其長期戰略目標,成為世界上最受認可和尊敬的品牌。此外,舒爾茨給星巴克成員帶來靈感的第一件事是,不要把他們稱為員工,而要把他們稱為星巴克的“合作夥伴”。星巴克向每週至少工作20小時的合格合作夥伴提供全面的福利套餐,目前有64%的合格合作夥伴注册(星巴克新聞編輯室:星巴克和我們合作夥伴的情况,2009年)。總薪酬包括福利、401(k)儲蓄計畫、股票期權、員工股票購買計畫和專門為其合作夥伴設計的合作夥伴“津貼”。這些福利至少可以說是慷慨大方的,也是星巴克被評為美國最進步雇主之一的原因之一。事實上,星巴克曾11次入選《財富》雜誌“100家最佳工作公司”排行榜(星巴克新聞編輯部:《星巴克與我們合作夥伴的事實》,2009年)。