Schultz announced in July 2011 that "Starbucks' retail operations are currently structured into Starbucks US and Starbucks Coffee International (SCI), which encompass 54 markets outside the United States." United. Starbucks will transition to a new three-region organizational structure” (Starbucks, 2011). These regions were China and Asia Pacific, the Americas, and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) locations. This move was aimed at accelerating their multi-brand growth. In January 2014, Starbucks announced a management restructuring. The company announced that Starbucks will increase its focus on "next-generation retail and payment initiatives across digital, mobile, cards, loyalty and e-commerce to position Starbucks for its next global growth wave” (Starbucks, 2014). Staying ahead of the current environment and anticipating opportunities will position Starbucks for the future. Leadership change allows them to leverage their leadership skills to pursue opportunities to stay ahead.