Final answer:
Starbucks does not consider low prices as an important customer need, focusing instead on quality coffee, convenient locations, and friendly customer service. Their business model is part of the 'McDonaldization' concept, which foregoes product diversity for efficiency and predictability. Starbucks' strategy revolves around specialization, giving them a comparative advantage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Regarding the question about which customer need Starbucks determined was not important, the answer is low prices. Starbucks has positioned itself as a premium coffee retailer, focusing on the quality of the coffee, convenience of location, and friendly customer service. This model is a part of the larger concept of 'McDonaldization', which emphasizes efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control, often at the expense of product diversity and uniqueness. Customers may base their decisions on a variety of factors, including the brand, the experience, personal values, and quality of the product. While Starbucks does not prioritize low prices, they focus on specializing in their core offerings to provide a comparative advantage over other coffee shops. This specialization strategy aligns with their brand, allowing them to produce more efficiently and potentially increase profits, justifying their higher prices.