Starbucks

Is it a discourse
community?

Important things to know

-Worldwide company known for
selling coffee.
-First store opened in 1971
-Today they have over 21,000
retail
stores in 66
countries.
-According to Google Maps there
are 51 Starbucks in Charlotte,
NC.

a discourse community has a broadly agreed

set of common public goals. (Swales 220)
-Starbucks Mission
-Sally* and Sarahs*
personal goals as
employees and college
students

Names have been changed to protect privacy and identity

a discourse community has mechanisms of

intercommunication among its members. (Swales 221).
-Ways that Starbucks
employees communicate
-Writing on Cups
-Talking/Gossiping
-in and out of the
workplace
-Texting
-Phone calls
-Sticky notes

a discourse community uses its

participatory mechanisms primarily to
provide information and feedback.
(Swales 221).
-Training as a
barista

a discourse community
utilizes and hence
possesses one or more
genres in the
communicative
furtherance of its aims
(Swales221)
-Company website
-UNCC website: limited
information
-Posters
-Brochures

in addition to owning genres, a discourse community

has acquired a specific lexis (Swales 222).

-Drink sizes
-Frappuccino is a registered
word

a discourse community has a

threshold of members with a suitable
degree of relevant content and
discoursal expertise (Swales 222).

-Barista
-Supervisor
-Manager

Conclusion
-The Starbucks at UNCC is a discourse
community!
-As we have seen