One Man's Perspective

If I had the choice of being an investor or a customer, I would rather be a customer, business or as an individual.  First of all, my return on investment might be higher if I was a vendor selling sodas made from Coca Cola syrup than if I had invested a $1,000 or so.  Also, the quality of Coke products is never questioned as their brand name is known for high quality and taste.  As for investing in Coca Cola, the product remains both recession resistant and unable to flourish in good times.

Most Interesting Detail

The most fascinating detail I learned throughout my following of The Coca Cola Company was how authority and decision-making had been decentralized in ome areas and centralized in other areas.  The Board of Directors deals in matters that govern the long-term financing and profitabilty of the company, while the Operating Group and Functional Group Leadership deal in more specific areas, such as geographic area or function.

Coca Cola's Secret Ingredient...Passion

The Coca Cola Company attributes their success to their unique culture.  They have a slogan, "one company, one team, one passion," which they use to describe how culture has been use to create success for their company.  "One company" describes how everyone shares the same passion and in an environment that allows for free-flowing ideas.  "One team" pints to its people and their relationships as keys to success.  "One passion"  respresent Coke's fair and inclusive workplace and thei service to the community.

A Blessing in Disguise

Who would have thought that the resignation of a member of Coca Cola's Board of Directors, who had served on the board for over 20 years, could be a positive move for the company.  At he end of this year, Cathleen Black will resign from Coke's Board of Directors to serve as New York City's School Chancellor.  While at Coke, Cathleen Black has long fought against the movement to ban surgery drinks in public schools.  Cathleen Black's appointment should help in their battle against removing sugary drinks from schools.

Following the Leadership

Every company has its corporate structure that includes a chain of command that ends with the Chief Executive Officer.  The scope of the decisions made increase with the level of management with top management making the most important decisions.  So, who exactly makes the decisions at the Coca Cola Company?  The Coca Cola Company has 3 layers of leadership:  the Board of Directors, Operating Group Leadership, and Functional Leadership.  The Board of Directors are elected by shareholders to oversee their interests in the company.  The Operating Group Leadership is divided into geographic markets and in some instances large operations like McDonalds.  The Functional Leadership is headed by a Chief Administrative Officer who oversees top managers in Legal, Human Resources, Global Community Connections, Strategic Planning, Information Technology, Research & Innovation, Science, Global Quality and Product Integrity, Transformational Productivity and Strategic Security.  Coca Cola's system may be complex, but it's thorough.

Will Going Red Keep Coca Cola in the Black

The Coca Cola Company continues to foster their long-term committment to China in a 3 year, $2 Billion investment plan.  Coca Cola has viewed China as one of the world's largest and fastest growing beverage markets.  Recently, the Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partner, COFCO Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd., continued their expansion in China by opening two new bottling facilities in less developed central and western China.  Following the two new additions, Coca Cola will operate 38 bottling plants in China.

http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/nr_20090624_two_plant_openings_in_china.html

Power through Integration

More amazing than the products themselves is the Coca Cola Company's distribution system.  The Coca Cola Company pursues forward integration by purchasing distributors, making strategic allinces with distributors, and selling soft drink syrup to retailers.  Most recently Coca Cola signed an agreement with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. to distribute certain DPS brands.
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/nr_20100603_snapple.html