Wanting to get unstuck from a flat spot in their growth trajectory, Starbucks has put its money on China.  Starbucks already knows how to deliver its brand in any corner of the earth, and the customer in China values western brands.  The ever rising temperature between China and the west, will a giant third party to consider.  So for Starbucks, marketing is about government relationships.  In the US labor relationships are the big focus, which may in the end also be the government.