Using Social Media in Starbucks for Communication

This article reviews the ways in which social media could be effective for supporting customer knowledge management (CKM) within Starbucks. It also discusses the impact of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands and the use of CSR programs for promotion of different brands. The article concludes that the use of social media tools could be used as an important technique for communication with customers.

Running head: USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
Using Social Media in Starbucks for Communication
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

1USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
Chua, A. Y., & Banerjee, S. (2013). Customer knowledge management via social media: the
case of Starbucks. Journal of Knowledge Management, 17(2), 237-249.
In the article, Chua and Banerjee review the ways in which social media could be
effective for supporting customer knowledge management (CKM) within the organization. The
authors have made a combination of qualitative methods of research and netnography on
Starbucks. This data has been collected from various sources such as social media services,
newspapers and many others. Based on the conduction of extensive research, it has thus been
found that the article focuses on the fact that social media could be used a useful tool for
changing the face of businesses. This article has proved useful the concerned topic as it helps in
understanding the ways in which Starbucks would employ social media in serving their
customers by understanding their needs and preferences. However, the limitation within the
article is that the scope of the article is bounded by the period of data collection. Thus the article
indicates that a secondary form of research based on conduction of interviews could be viable for
gaining immense information. This article could be useful for gaining information related to
usage of social media platforms within Starbucks based on my research.
Kwok, L., & Yu, B. (2013). Spreading social media messages on Facebook: An analysis of
restaurant business-to-consumer communications. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly,
54(1), 84-94.
The authors have discussed about the importance of messages on social media and
gaining attention of consumers. The research focuses on the analysis of the reaction of

2USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
consumers based on posts made by Starbucks on their social media platform. The research puts
focus on collected samples based on data. The scope of research is based on the future needs of
research based on inclusion of social media tools. This article is useful for my research topic as it
helps in understanding the perception of consumers based on certain form of messages that are
posted by the organization. The main limitation of the article is that it puts focus on only one
social media platform and thus has a limited sample size. Thus, the authors discuss that future
studies should involve variety of conceptual frameworks for examination of complex
phenomena. This article would help me in my conduction of research as the sample sizes would
provide vast information of gaining knowledge based on my research topic.
Schivinski, B., & Dabrowski, D. (2016). The effect of social media communication on
consumer perceptions of brands. Journal of Marketing Communications, 22(2), 189-
214.
In this article, the authors have focused on the impact of social media communication
based on equity of brand, attitude and purchasing intention of customers. The authors have
investigated different users of Facebook for observing their behavioural patterns of usage of the
products offered by Starbucks. The scope of the research is based on a conceptual model of
analysing different brands and their use of social media platforms for growing their businesses.
The article is useful as focuses on the positive influence that has been put by social media
platforms on businesses such as Starbucks. Although the research has been put forward
thoroughly, still the main restriction is that the study is limited towards only one social media

3USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
platform. Thus the authors have used a quantitative analysis for conducting the research and put
impact on the communication with the aid of social media platforms for influencing the
customers. This article would thus help me in gaining knowledge about the ways in which social
media could be effective in influencing customers and changing their perception.
Kohli, C., Suri, R., & Kapoor, A. (2015). Will social media kill branding?. Business
Horizons, 58(1), 35-44.
This article focuses on the traditional form of branding paradigms and an examination of
the social media usage for communication. The article helps in the research based on the impact
of social media based on the practices of brand management. The scope of the research is based
on the use of My Starbucks platform for engaging customers to submit feedbacks based on
improving their products and enhancing customer experience. The research has been useful for
understanding the ways in which communication could be enhanced for improving customer
experiences with the brand. The article has one limitation based on the conduction of surveys,
which could be useful for understanding the impact of social media within Starbucks. Based on
the article, the authors have concluded on the use of social media platform for targeting the
markets based on the improvement of products and services. Although this article would not help
in an extensive research but would help in developing in-depth understanding about the ways in
which social media could involve customers at every point of their purchase.

4USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
Bowen, S. A. (2013). Using classic social media cases to distill ethical guidelines for digital
engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 28(2), 119-133.
In this article, the authors have performed a systematic case analysis of usage of social
media within an organization. The research on the article provides knowledge on the
development of social media. The research focuses on the active engagement of consumers on
the various social media platforms and the organization. The research provides valuable insights
on the development of valuable information, attitudinal data and opinion that would be helpful
for gaining knowledge about the research. Although the research is performed thoroughly, yet
there should have been a wide form of research based on interviews of several people from
within the organization. Based on the discussion in the article, it could be concluded that
Starbucks use the social media platform to communicate well with their customers. This article
would be useful for my research as it would help in the understanding of the importance of social
media aspects within the mode of communication.
Saffer, A. J., Sommerfeldt, E. J., & Taylor, M. (2013). The effects of organizational Twitter
interactivity on organization–public relationships. Public Relations Review, 39(3),
213-215.
The research article focuses on the impacts of the use of Twitter within organizations.
The article aims to research on the relationship of the organizations with their customers with the
help of the Internet and social media platforms. The scope of the article is based on the
understanding of the use of technology by the organization to engage with customers for

5USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
enhancing their experiences. This research would be useful for my topic as it would help in
knowing the quality of inputs put by an organization based on interacting with their customers.
The research is entirely based on discussing about the findings on one social media platform. The
research concludes with the fact that the impact of Twitter has formed a major change within the
organization and has put severe impact on the growth. This research would help in better
understanding of the extreme needs of the organization to commercialize the platform of the
business with the aid of social media platforms.
Kesavan, R., Bernacchi, M. D., & Mascarenhas, O. A. (2013). Word of mouse: CSR
communication and the social media. International Management Review, 9(1), 58-
66.
This article have discussed about the worldwide penetration of social media platforms in
the organizations. The research aims for exploring the prospects of CSR, which could be defined
as an important tool for use within social media. The scope of the research is based on the
assessing of Starbucks and their focus on the use of CSR programs. This research would be
useful for my topic as it would help in gaining ideas about the use of CSR programs for
promotion of different brands and their involvement with the customers. The primary form of
limitation is that the research does not discuss about proper methods of communication with
stakeholders within the concerned area. Based on the research, it could be concluded that social
media has a major form of power for building of ideas and communicating with customers in a

6USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
better manner. This research would be useful for me as it would help in understanding of the
importance of CSR and the ways in which it could serve the organizations.
Dong, J. Q., & Wu, W. (2015). Business value of social media technologies: Evidence from
online user innovation communities. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems,
24(2), 113-127.
The authors have discussed about the impact of social media technologies and the new
opportunities that have been discovered. The research aims towards developing a multi-
theoretical foundation based on dynamic capabilities of the organisation. The scope of the
research is based on the understanding of ideas that could be helpful for Starbucks to establish
themselves on a high platform based on the use of social media tools for communication. This
research would be useful for my topic as it would help in gaining ideas in which Starbucks could
strategize the use of social media platforms for increasing efficiency of business performance.
The primary limitation of this research is that the use of the implemented measures within the
research are not detailed and objective. The research concludes the fact that the strategic use of
social media platforms would bring in efficiency within the use of these platforms by Starbucks.
This research would be helpful for my topic as this research puts forward an in-depth analysis
about the strategies and techniques used by organizations with the help of social media platforms
for increasing the customer base.

7USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
Ngai, E. W., Moon, K. L. K., Lam, S. S., Chin, E. S., & Tao, S. S. (2015). Social media
models, technologies, and applications: an academic review and case study.
Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115(5), 769-802.
The article is based on the impact of social media, which has gained tremendous attention
in the recent years. The research aims towards the development of a conceptual framework for
the explanation in which social media applications could be supportable with the aid of tools and
technologies. The scope of the article is based on the assessment of the use of social media tools
by diverse businesses such as Starbucks. This research would further help in illustrating my topic
based on the impact of social media to transform customers into active contributors of engaging
and bringing innovation within the markets. There is no such kind of limitation within the
research as it covers all the major aspects of framework. Thus the article concludes with the
discussion based on the impact of technologies of social media within the involvement of
customers and communication. This article is helpful as they help in better form of
understanding of the various theories that have been discussed.
Barnes, N. G. (2014). Social commerce emerges as big brands position themselves to turn"
follows"," likes" and" pins" into sales. American Journal of Management, 14(4), 11.
The research on the article have helped in the understanding of the explosion of social
networking sites. The research aims towards the understanding of reviews, recommendations and
various other factors, which could boost the growth of the business of the organization. The
scope of research focuses on the growing importance of social media for communication in

8USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
Starbucks. This research would help in the understanding of the percentage of users who are
linked with Starbucks based on the aid of social networking tools. Although the research puts
focus on the ratio of customers impacted with social media, it should also have put focus on the
factors by which there could be more growth for the business. The research concludes that the
growth in the online presence of the market is due to a large number of factors. This research
would help in understanding the factors by which Starbucks have been able to acquire the high
rate of customers.
Conclusion
Based on the discussion from the above articles, it could be concluded that the use of
social media tools could be used as an important technique for communication with customers. It
would also help in understanding the needs of the customers and thus be able to provide utmost
quality of service to them.

9USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
References
Barnes, N. G. (2014). Social commerce emerges as big brands position themselves to turn"
follows"," likes" and" pins" into sales. American Journal of Management, 14(4), 11.
Bowen, S. A. (2013). Using classic social media cases to distill ethical guidelines for digital
engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 28(2), 119-133.
Chua, A. Y., & Banerjee, S. (2013). Customer knowledge management via social media: the case
of Starbucks. Journal of Knowledge Management, 17(2), 237-249.
Dong, J. Q., & Wu, W. (2015). Business value of social media technologies: Evidence from
online user innovation communities. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems,
24(2), 113-127.
Kesavan, R., Bernacchi, M. D., & Mascarenhas, O. A. (2013). Word of mouse: CSR
communication and the social media. International Management Review, 9(1), 58-66.
Kohli, C., Suri, R., & Kapoor, A. (2015). Will social media kill branding?. Business Horizons,
58(1), 35-44.
Kwok, L., & Yu, B. (2013). Spreading social media messages on Facebook: An analysis of
restaurant business-to-consumer communications. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(1),
84-94.
Ngai, E. W., Moon, K. L. K., Lam, S. S., Chin, E. S., & Tao, S. S. (2015). Social media models,
technologies, and applications: an academic review and case study. Industrial
Management & Data Systems, 115(5), 769-802.

10USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
Saffer, A. J., Sommerfeldt, E. J., & Taylor, M. (2013). The effects of organizational Twitter
interactivity on organization–public relationships. Public Relations Review, 39(3), 213-
215.
Schivinski, B., & Dabrowski, D. (2016). The effect of social media communication on consumer
perceptions of brands. Journal of Marketing Communications, 22(2), 189-214.

11USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN STARBUCKS FOR COMMUNICATION
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In Marketing Dynamism & Sustainability: Things Change, Things Stay the Same… (pp.
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