Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Starbucks offers stock programs, retirement plans, and healthcare benefits for its employees. Its formal training program empowers partners to help customers appreciate the fresh, high-quality coffee profiles and educates them to understand coffee-growing regions. As if they needed anymore convincing about the quality of their brand, employees are given one pound of free coffee a week.

The Starbucks Experience allows you to be Howard Schultz, former chief executive, and other executives for a moment and understand the interior design, soft suede couches, and the slow music, and grasp how these amenities complement the brand. The book also makes you appreciate every detail and how they offer a competitive advantage by building intense loyalty among patrons.

“Starbucks could very well operate without even selling coffee,” says customer Devin Page in the book. “They could charge an entrance fee and offer nothing else but a room and mellow Bob Marley music softly playing in the background, and people would still come.”

Few companies have had more damaging rumors spread about them than Starbucks. The world’s largest coffeehouse is often a target for anti-corporate culture.

In 2004, an email floated the vast and never-ending internet saying Starbucks did not support the war, soldiers, and that it won’t send servicemen coffee. (In fact, Starbucks stores sent troops the coffee long before this damaging email surfaced.) Suddenly, Starbucks had a major image crisis on its hands.

In The Starbucks Experience, Michelli uses that episode to illustrate the system Starbucks has in place to handle public relations issues. In the end, Starbucks was able to use the incident to its advantage by bringing attention to its philanthropic donations.

“The reputation of a business or brand can be seriously affected by rumors, half-truths, and misinformation,” Michelli writes. “Before errant information gains momentum, leaders urgently need to find ways to communicate the whole truth to set the record straight.”