Coca Cola
Background
The Coca Cola Company was founded in 1886 by pharmacist John Styth Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. The Coca-Cola Company advertisies itself as 'the world's leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, used to produce nearly 400 brands. The Coca-Cola Company continues to be based in Atlanta and employs 49,000 people worldwide, with operations in over 200 countries'[1].
People
In January 2008, the Coca Cola Company report their Board of Directors as comprising[2]...
- E Neville Isdell - Isdell is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Coca Cola. He joined Coca Cola in 1966 undertaking a variety of leadership positions throughout the world before taking up his present roles in 2004. In his biography[3], Isdell is also reported to be...
- 'chairman of the U.S.-Russia Business Council and chairman of the board of trustees of the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF). He is a member of the board of trustees of the United States Council for International Business and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS. Isdell serves on the board of directors of SunTrust Banks Inc. and the Commerce Club and as a trustee of Emory University. He is a lifetime trustee of Pace Academy'.
- Herbert A Allen - Director since 1984. Allen's biography[4] describes how he is also President, CEO and a Director of Allen and Company Inc and a director of Convera Corporation.
- Ronald W Allen - Director since 1991. Allen's biography[5] reports that he also serves as Consultant and Advisory Director for Delta Air Lines Inc., were he was formerly Chairman of the Board, President and CEO between 1987 to 1997). Allen is also a Director of Aaron Rents Inc.
- Cathleen P Black - Director since 1993. Black's biography[6] describes how she is also President of Hearst Magazines (a unit of The Hearst Corporation, a major media and communications company) since 1995 and a director of International Business Machines Corporation and iVillage.com. Black previously served as President and CEO (1991 to 1995) and Director (1990, 1991 & 1993) for the Newspaper Association of America.
- Barry Diller - Director since 2002. Diller's biography[7] describes how he is Chairman of the Board and CEO for InterActiveCorp (IAC) since 1995, and a Director for The Washington Post Company. He previously served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of QVC Inc. (1992 to 1994) and as the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Fox Inc. (1984 to 1992). Prior to joining Fox, Diller served ten years as Chairman of the Board and CEO for Paramount Pictures Corporation.
- Alexis M Herman - Director since 2007, former Chairwoman of Coca-Cola's Human Resources Task Force. Herman's biography[8] reports that she is also Chair and CEO of New Ventures LLC, Chair of the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board and the Sodexho Business Advisory Board, and on the Board of Directors for Cummins Inc., Entergy Inc. and MGM Mirage. Herman's biography also describes how she previously 'served as America's 23rd Secretary of Labor and the first African American ever to lead the United States Department of Labor'.
- Donald R Keough - Director since 2004. Keough's biography[9] reports that he is also Chairman of the Board of Allen and Company Inc. (previously he was CEO & Director), Director of IAC/InterActiveCorp, Convera Corporation and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
- Donald F McHenry - Director since 1981. McHenry's biography[10] states that he is also Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy and International Affairs at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, a principal owner and president of The IRC Group LLC, and a Director of AT&T Corporation and International Paper Company.
- Sam Nunn - Director since 1997.
Nunn biography[11] reports that he is Co-Chairman and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (since 2001), a Director of ChevronTexaco Corporation, Dell Inc., General Electric Company, Internet Security Systems Inc. and Scientific-Atlanta Inc. Nunn's previous involvements include serving as partner in the law firm of King and Spalding (1997 to 2003) and serving as a member of the United States Senate (1972 to 1996).
- James D Robinson III - Director since 1975. Robinson's biography[12] describes him as a general partner and co-founder of RRE Ventures, president of J D Robinson Inc. (a strategic consulting firm) and non-executive chairman of the Board of Directors for Bristol-Myers Squibb (since 1976). He also serves on the Boards of Directors of Novell Inc., Visiprise and PrimeRevenue. Robinson is a member of the Business Council and the Council on Foreign Relations, an honorary trustee of the Brookings Institution and honorary chairman of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Robinson was previously Chairman and CEO of American Express Company (1977 to 1993), Co-Chairman of the Business Roundtable and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN).
Public Relations
In January 2008 Coca Cola is listed as a client for French PR firm I&E[13]
Coca Cola CSR
Coca-Cola is a worldwide organisation which has extended its activities to help fund and become a part of different organisations around the world. One such organisation is Camp Coca-Cola, which is a year round programme of leadership training and community service. It also offers a Summer Camp programme which includes a number of exciting yet testing activities. Camp Coca-Cola aims to challenge its members to see the world more openly as a place where they can make a difference. It is run by professionals who are dedicated to providing a unique and worthwhile experience to those who attend. Attendance is decided through nominations by local schools and community organisations on the basis that those who are chosen are dedicated to learning and are open to new life experiences. Coca-Cola fund this project which they feel is beneficial to the communities it serves and Camps have been specially set up all over America [14] Organisations such as Camp Coca-Cola have been set up in an attempt by Coca-Cola to improve its overall image and to increase its ability to boost its own long term profits.
A further extension of Coca-Cola's work is 'Coca-Cola Africa'. This organisation is said to be committed to the future of the African continent and to the well being of its people and communities, and furthermore to its economic development. This statement stands in stark contrast to the activities which Coca-Cola have already been accused of in India. Such atrocities which have been previously mentioned in this report contradict the philosophy of 'Coca-Cola Africa'. This particular organisation which Coca-Cola initiated was set up to educate and distribute information about the dangers of HIV and AIDS. It places particular attention on the treatment of individuals who suffer from such diseases, and furthermore harshly criticises the discrimination of these unfortunate people.[15]
One additional organisation of Coca-Cola is the Coca-Cola Foundation which is said to be the 'philanthropic arm' of the Coca-Cola Company. It focuses on education and the advancement of cultural diversity. Its main activities include the offering of scholarships, the building of schools and libraries and the donation of books. It aims to help and support people through higher education who lack both financial and personal support [16]. It appears that Coca-Cola put a great deal of effort into initiating organisations and programmes to help extend the education of citizens around the world, more specifically in America and in Africa. Despite the ever growing number of these programmes which are available it is difficult for Coca-Cola to mask the shocking activities they carry out each day in the small communities in India where they operate their bottling plants. Coca-Cola may indeed help fund educational programmes in America, but this is of little consolation to the many villages in India, who are left suffering at the hands of this multinational.
Affiliations
- American Chamber of Commerce EU Committee[17]
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development[18]
- Business in the Community [19]
- The Conference Board[20]
- Council of Marketing Executives II (The Conference Board)[21]
- Council of Financial Executives (The Conference Board)
- Performance Improvement Council (The Conference Board)
- Council on Work Force Diversity II (The Conference Board)
- Council of Financial Executives (The Conference Board)
- Council for Business Development and Integration Executives (The Conference Board)
- European Policy Centre[22]
- International Chamber of Commerce[23]
- International Life Sciences Institute[24]
- Business for Social Responsibility[25]
- United States Council for International Business
- CSR Europe[26]
- Corporate Council on Africa[27]
- CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution
- Public Affairs Council [28]
- International Business Leaders Forum[29]
- The Cato Institute[30]
- Keep America Beautiful [31]
- American Council on Science and Health
- Center for Consumer Freedom
- European Food Information Council
Notes
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Company Structure Accessed 18th January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Board of Directors Accessed 18th January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company E Neville Isdell Accessed 18th January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Herbert A Allen Accessed 18th January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Ronald W Allen Accessed 18th January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Cathleen P Black Accessed 18th January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Barry Diller Accessed 18th January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Alexis M Herman Accessed 21st January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Donald R Keough Accessed 21st January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Donald F McHenry Accessed 21st January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company Sam Nunn Accessed 21st January 2008
- ↑ Coca Cola Company James D Robinson Accessed 21st January 2008
- ↑ I&E Clients Accessed 17th January 2008
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2].
- ↑ [3]
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ [5]
- ↑ [6]
- ↑ [7] [8]
- ↑ [9]
- ↑ [10]
- ↑ [11]
- ↑ [12]
- ↑ [http://www.uscib.org/index.asp?documentID=1846
- ↑ [13]
- ↑ [14]
- ↑ [15]
- ↑ [16]
- ↑ [17]
- ↑ <[18]