Background Information of the Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is one of the oldest and most enduring companies, which has proven consistency in its product and management. This essay seeks to address the company’s prowess of its history, management, organization structure, management style, mission and vision, and legal structure. The essay discusses the position of the company and the type of industry it operates within, which is an attribute of its structure.
History
John Stith Pemberton invented cola, a pharmacist known as the French wine coca in 1885. When the drink was prohibited within his county, Pemberton sorted out to make a new non-alcoholic drink, tasting syrup whose sales were doing so well. Another pharmacist, known as Asa Griggs Candler, bought the company from Pemberton and bought all the company’s rights in 1891; in the subsequent year, he had increased the sale of Coca-Cola ten times over. The Coca-Cola Company did so well that Candler sold his pharmaceutical business and fully engaged in selling Coca-Cola with his brother, Frank Robinson. Eventually, together they began the Coca-Cola Company in 1892 (Tran, 2021). Later, on January 31, 1993, the company was registered with the Patent office in the United States.
Industry Type
Coca-Cola is a manufacturer, retailer, and marketer of syrup and non-alcoholic beverages. The company operates under the flagship of Coca-Cola; it sells its products in more than two hundred countries and sells five hundred brands of its products, serving 1.6 billion people daily. The company has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and its stock is listed on (NYSE) New York Exchange Market.
Position within the Industry
Coca-Cola is a leading brand globally of soft drinks, which has more than 200 brands of products across the globe and has the advantage of penetrating more than 200 countries worldwide. Coca-Cola has been ranked as the top soft drink brand worldwide which has a brand value of over 87.6 billion U.S. dollars (Statista, 2021). Moreover, the company has also sold some of its soft drink brands, such as Diet Coke, Sprite, and Fanta, which is evidence of its prominent positioning.
Legal structure
Coca-Cola is a public corporation also listed on the Securities Exchange in the places where it operates to raise more capital. In addition, the company is a C-corporation, meaning that it operates as a separate legal entity from the owners. One advantage of this for Coca-Cola is raising capital by selling shares on stock and public. Also, this form of structure has the advantage of limited personal liability, which offers the owners protection against the company’s debts, obligations, and liabilities (the Coca-Cola Company, 2021a). As a corporation, Coca-Cola is also faced with disadvantages where there are more requirements, such as the election of directors, meetings, and voting.
Management
Organization Structure
Coca-Cola has a complex organizational structure controlled through vertical hierarchy, with its decision being made by the company’s upper management. However, the daily decision of the company is driven by line managers at the middle level. The company also has a regional structure in which the head office provides direction and support. In addition, the CEO of the company is also the Chair of the Executive Committee, which is responsible for making strategic decisions for the company.
Organization Culture
The culture of the Coca-Cola Company is based on the mission of the company, which is focused on optimism, inspiring which is one among many when compared to other companies. The company had stories that shared real-life scenarios, which encouraged employees and consumers (Albatross, 2021). The positive stories of the company made employees make the employees model citizen and workers.
Management Style
The Coca-Cola Company uses a blend of leadership styles to achieve its goals. The first management style used is the so-called democratic style which implies that all the decisions are delivered with the active involvement of both supervisors and employees. Such a strategy is often applied when broad expertise is needed. For instance, to develop an overall marketing strategy, managers should first listen to professionals from various spheres. That would help to consider all the opportunities and pitfalls of certain decisions.
On the contrary, the company mostly uses an authoritarian form of management at the factory level to promote speed at work and avoid conflicts. Indeed, there should be consolidated leadership in order to ensure that there are no delays and failures in the production schedule. Democratic style, in this case, would not be very effective as it necessitates a longer time for decision-making. Therefore, under authoritarian leadership, the managers are strict and do not give much room for questioning.
Moreover, the company employs a laissez-faire style, mostly in areas that require creativity and innovation. It implies that the management keeps low in the involvement of employee affairs (Pahi and Hamid, 2016). As such, previous studies found a positive connection between the laissez-faire style and the generation of new ideas (Pahi and Hamid, 2016). Thus, the managers of research and development departments are not strict and do not monitor employees; they presume that when employees are given the opportunity, they will work more productively.
The Mission of the Coca-Cola Company
As time is changing, so is the world around us, and Coca-Cola is devoted to being in existence in the coming years. As a result, in 2020, Coca-Cola made its vision, which would help the company create a long-term destination that would allow the company and its partners to continue doing well. It had a mission to Refresh the world (Create value and make a difference in the world, and Inspire happiness and optimism (Coca-Cola mission, n.d.)). The company’s mission is enduring, which declares the company’s purpose and what it serves.
The Vision of the Organization
In addition, the company has a vision that serves as a framework for its roadmap, which guides all the aspects of the business and describes what the company needs to accomplish to achieve quality and sustainable growth. The vision of the company is “…for people to have a great place to work and people to be the best they can be; To bring the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands which anticipate and satisfy the needs and the desires of the people; To be responsible in making and building as well as supporting communities; To maximize long-term returns and be mindful of the overall responsibilities, be highly effective” ( Coca Cola mission, n.d.)). The vision of the company is firm, and Coca-Cola is devoted to accomplishing its vision.
The Core Competencies of Coca-Cola
There are generally three core competencies that add to Coca-Cola’s strategic advantage. Firstly, it is a unique taste that the company offers to its customers. Indeed, one can easily recognize Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite without having to look at the cover. Additionally, the company often develops new products that help it to attract new customers or retain the old ones. For example, it introduced Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke for those clients who are concerned with their health. Finally, the company enjoys worldwide recognition and has loyal customers in almost all countries (The Coca-Cola Company, 2021b). Coca-Cola seeks to make its products be strongly associated with some important events, such as Christmas or New Year. Moreover, as for the U.S., the company’s famous beverage of the same name has become a crucial part of American culture.
References
Albartross, M. (2021). Organizational culture of Coca-Cola. Slide Share.
The Coca-Cola Company. (2021a). About the Coca-Cola Company.
The Coca-Cola Company. (2021b). Coca-Cola system – Our company. The Coca-Cola Company.
Coca-Cola mission and vision statement analysis. (n.d.). Mission Statement.
Pahi, M. H., & Hamid, K. A. (2016). The magic of destructive leadership: Laissez-faire leadership and commitment to service quality. International Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10(4), 602 -609.
Statista. (2021). Coca-Cola’s brand value from 2006 to 2021.
Tran, V. T. (2021). Exhibiting Coca-Cola at universal exhibitions. Food, Culture & Society, 24(2), 269-290.
