The objective of this document is to perform market research for Starbucks President Charles Shultz to ascertain the possibility of opening new coffee shops in China. Preliminary research and design to be presented to Mr. Schultz includes: 1) Two to three alternative target customer segments; 2) the types of secondary research used; 3) the formulation of the problem; 4) research questions used to guide the study; 5) main competitors for this market; and 6) the cultural, economic, and political factors that need to be considered in China. Keywords: China, coffee, market, Schultz, Starbucks, Starbucks Marketing Research Design in China Market Starbucks is one of the most recognizable and successful coffee brands in the world. Starbucks believes in serving the best coffee possible. Starbucks' international market, which was expanded into China in 2002, still represents only a small part of the Chinese beverage market (Harrison et al., 2005). The company's president, Charles Shultz, is considering opening new coffee shops in China. Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice opened its first store in April 1971 in Seattle's Pike Place Market, by owners passionate about dark roast coffees. coffee popular in Europe, but difficult to find in the United States (Harrison et al., 2005; Venkatraman & Nelson, 2008). The company's mission was to provide Seattle with the best access to dark roast coffee and to try to educate customers about the product. As a matter of customer education and product acceptance, Starbucks has grown and expanded into the successful home market it is today. Much of this success can be attributed to the focus on the total customer experience and...... medium of paper....... Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.Biederman, P.S. (2005). Comment on exporting a North American concept to Asia: Starbucks in China. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 46(2), 288-290. doi: 10.1177/0010880405275536Harrison, J. S., Chang, E., Gauthier, C., Joerchel, T., Nevarez, J., & Wang, M. (2005). Exporting a North American concept to Asia: Starbucks in China. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 46(2), 275-283. doi: 10.1177/0010880404273893Thompson, A. A., Strickland, A. J., & Gamble, J. E. (2008). Strategy Creation and Execution: The Search for Competitive Advantage (16th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Venkatraman, M., & Nelson, T. (2008). From service landscape to consumption landscape: A photo-elicitation study of Starbucks in New China. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(6), 1010-1026. doi: 1535534671.