Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2010
Harvard Business Case 9-711-462

Five Forces in the cola industry: Porter's Five Forces Framework

Power of buyers

For concentrate owners: Strong. The power of buyers is extremely strong within the soda industry, given that consumers can quickly shift their alliance from one beverage to another. Also, cola is not strictly a 'necessity' as a product -- no one needs to drink soda, and consumers can easily eliminate it from their budgets if necessary.

For bottlers: Strong as well. Bottlers are extremely dependent upon soda manufacturers for their business, given that they are among bottlers' largest customers.

Power of suppliers

For concentrate owners: Medium. Concentrate owners broker agreements with large and small retailers, agreeing to assume costs of marketing in exchange for shelf space. They have the right to grant exclusive territories to their bottlers and to prohibit bottlers from selling competitor products. They set the specifications for the bottlers…...

Cola Wars
Threat of Entry of New Competition: Low.

The economy of scale within the CSD industry requires enormous amount of capitol to enter into this market, making this threat relatively insignificant.

- Threat of Substitutes: High.

Colas are now part of many different selections of drinks. Health and medical experts also contribute to this theat.

-Threat of Customer Buying Power: Medium.

It appears the customer base will buy soft drinks with expendable cash, but harsh economic times will force consumers to cheaper options.

-Threat of Suppliers' Bargaining Power: Low.

Concentrate providers are significantly tied into the success of this industry and has few outlets with the buying power of this industry.

Threat of Intense Rivals: Medium.

The 60 years of cola wars between Pepsi and Coke explicitly demonstrate a relatively two sided battle.

This industry is both profitable and attractive for CP's due to the simple and minimal ingredients contained in the product and the willingness of the bottlers to…...

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4. In the period from the mid-1980's through the end of the century the structural changes Coke and Pepsi adopted focused on consolidating and buying up smaller brands of CP's. Certain brands were often sold back and forth several times. As the two giant companys continued to grow during this period, it became evident of this dual power structure within the CSD industry.

4a. The rationale behind this structural change rested mainly on eliminating Porter's force of the threat of rivalry to this dual power structure.

5. The current economic landscape has threatened the abilities of certain markets to function with confidence and accuracy. This general distrust within the environment has large corporations such as Coca Cola and Pepsi concerned about their standing amongst their consumer base. However, globalization has helped ease this problem with new markets opening in new places all the time. The middle east in recent times has been a place where these two companies may be able to exploit and sustain their competitive advantage within this industry.

Cola Wars: Case Write-Up
For many decades, the market for cola could be easily summed up as follows: Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi-Cola. Although Coke clearly dominated, Pepsi was a strong 'also ran,' particularly after branding itself as the taste of the Next Generation. However, in the 1990s, the palates of American consumers began to change, resulting in a sharp leveling off, and then a decline in soda consumption. The major soft drink companies had negotiated reasonably competitive agreements with the 'links' of their supply chains: smaller bottlers were dependent upon the major brands to survive and the major cola companies negotiated specific arrangements with bottlers to distribute only specific brands (such as Sprite rather than 7-Up, in the markets where these two uncolas were competing against one another). Coca-Cola dominated fountain sales, Pepsi concentrated on the retail market.

Analysis: Marketing gaffs and internal trouble at the organization caused Coca-Cola to lose market share.…...

Increasing their product lines with good products will increase their sales around the world.
The biggest threat that Coca-Cola faces is the intense competition that exists within the industry. Coca-Cola has three main competitors, these being: PepsiCo, Cadbury Schweppes, and the Cott Corporation. All of these companies have products that compete with Coca-Cola products around the world. The competition between Coca-Cola and Pepsi has dominated the industry for more than a century. Both companies have participated in fierce marketing campaigns along with much sponsorship. Trying to stay a step ahead of Pepsi has been a long concern for the Coca-Cola Company and doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

In the financial analysis, I compared Coca-Cola with their three main competitors in the areas of eturn on Assets (OA), Current atio, and Debt to Asset atio and Inventory Turnover from 2006 to 2008. In looking at the OA ratio (Ex.1),…...

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References

Five Competitive Forces model Porter. (2009). Retrieved from Value-Based Management Web

site:  http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_porter_five_forces.html 

Interview with Coke CEO Isdell. (2004). Retrieved August 6, 2009, from Beverage Digest Web

site:  http://www.beverage-digest.com/editorial/041008.php

Coca-Cola Company Company Analysis: Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company began humbly in 1886 when Atlanta pharmacist, John Pemberton, mixed up a caramel colored liquid and carried it a few doors down to have it mixed with carbonated water. Here, a few customers sampled it and they agreed that it was something special so the pharmacist began selling it for 5¢ a glass, with sales of approximately nine classes per day (Coca-Cola Company, "Heritage Timeline"). Pemberton never lived to see his invention become one of the biggest empires in the soft drink industry. Upon his death, Frank Robinson, Pemberton's bookkeeper named the mixture, Coca-Cola and wrote it in the distinctive script that is still used as the company's trademark today (Coca-Cola Company, "Heritage Timeline"). It was salesman, Asa Candler, who the built the syrup into a viable business and sponsored the first plants in Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles (Coca-Cola Company,…...

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Works Cited

Coca-Cola Company. Heritage Timeline. < / > Accessed 16 February 2011. "Coca-Cola Company"http://heritage.coca-cola.com

Fallout

A section of commentators have taken issue with the manner in which the federal government denied suspected terrorist the due process of law as stipulated under the constitution. The government even commissioned the establishment of a torture chamber in Guantanamo Bay. This amounts to gross violation of human rights and civil liberties. There is another clause in the patriot act dubbed "enhanced surveillance procedures," which allows federal authorities to gather foreign intelligence by breaching firewalls of 'terrorist nations.' This controversial foreign policy clause damaged the relationship between America and the Middle East.

A section of scholars argues that key players in the oil industry manipulated the United States to wage war against Afghanistan. According to an article published on the BBC World Service in December 2007, the execution of Saddam Hussein was unwarranted. Political scientists reckon that a cartel of multinational oil companies wanted to control the oil in the Middle…...

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Van Bergen, J. (2003) "In the Absence of Democracy: The Designation and Material Support Provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Laws." Cardozo Pub. [?] Law Policy & Ethics Journal 2 (2003): 107.

Luca, B (2004). American foreign policy and global governance, in A. Gobbicchi (ed.), Globalization, armed conflicts and security (Rubbettino/CEMISS, Roma) 112-127

Fawcett, L. (2009) International Relations of the Middle East (2nd ed.) Oxford University Press

Coca Cola Company


The organization of choice for this paper is the Coca-Cola Company that is operating in beverage industry for more than a century principally manufacturing, distributing, and marketing nonalcoholic beverages globally. It mainly offers sparkling and still beverages. The Coca-Cola Company is a USA-based company, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and founded in 1886.

Amongst the market leaders in the beverage industry, Coca-Cola Company fights to remain on the top. Keeping up its reputation and serving the masses throughout the globe since the past many decades the company continuously adapts its product and process in order to satisfy the customers to the maximum possible extent. This research paper analyses the organization using the PESTEL analysis and SWOT along with an analysis of the information needs of the organization and how a customer relation management system (CM) can be integrated into this giant beverage firm that has ruled the beverage market for…...

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References:

August W. Giebelhaus (May 13, 2008). "Coca-Cola Company." The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council

Coca Cola Company, n.d. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Index. Retrieved Oct 19, 2011 from www.thecocacolacompany.com/citizenship/gri_index.html

Coca Cola Company, n.d. Mission statement. Retrieved Oct 19, 2011 from www.thecocacolacompany.com/.../mission_vision_values.html

Coca-Cola Goes Live With Global Consolidation, n.d. Planning, Reporting and Decison Making Using mySAP.COM." SAP United States. SAP.

Strategic Decision Making
Case Analysis -- Final Exam

"Cola Wars in China: The Future Is Here"

Coke/Pepsi and International Strategy for Penetrating the Chinese Market

Going global is the next move of virtually any successful American company. However, when it comes to penetrating the markets of nations that are drastically different from the U.S., one needs to be aware of these different cultures and expectations and use this knowledge to guide one's actions fully and succinctly.

When it came to companies like Coke and Pepsi, companies that are absolutely massive, they both used differing strategies in a nation as specific as China. When Coca-Cola had launched in China, they had just instituted a very specific and strategic method of integration: " 'think local, act local, but leverage global' mandate to empower local decision makers, in recognition of the need to both respond to local preferences and react to local competitors" (Dai). Thus, Coca-Cola's strategy was…...

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References

Dai, N. (n.d.). Cold Wars in China: The Future is Here. Retrieved from: [HIDDEN]

Case Analysis Page 7

Marketing Strategies for Coca-Cola
The key to the success of any consumer product is an effective marketing strategy. In order to develop such a strategy, it is necessary to carefully examine consumer needs and behavior in relation to the product and adapt marketing techniques to target and address these needs. As one of the top beverage manufacturers, Coca Cola must focus on ways to continually meet the beverage needs of a diverse marketplace that demands variety and choice in products.

Several factors have recently affected sales of Coca-Cola products, included various international economic crises as well as anti-American sentiments abroad that fuelled boycotts ("New formula Coke," Economist, 2001). Also, an increasingly health conscious consumer has caused sales of non-carbonated beverages, such as bottled water and juices to sky-rocket, which necessitated some regrouping for Coca-Cola ("New additions and reformulations," Beverage Industry, 2003). The enormous purchasing power of overseas consumer markets also required…...

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References

Bruss, J. "Reaching the world." Beverage Industry 92.12 (2001): 28.

Bruss, J. "SCC (single can of cola) seeking perfect consumer." Beverage Industry 92.4 (2001): 46.

Keenan, F. " Friendly spies on the net." Business Week 3740 (2001): 26-29.

Kramer, L. "Beverage makers flood city with ads to give brands fizz." Crain's New York Business 17.20 (2001): 4-6.

Coca-Cola Company. Specifically it will discuss and analyze the case study, including relevant facts and recommendations regarding the study. Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known and famous brands in the world, and it has been in existence since the late 1800s. This case study indicated that it faced several ethical issues in the last decade that eroded its credibility and created strife inside and outside the company.
Facts

The facts of Coca-Cola are legendary. One writer notes, "Both the Coca-Cola brand and company took an early lead in the soft-drink industry, for the brand achieved national distribution early on and the company has consistently dominated the industry" (Wolburg, 2003). Coca-Cola is one of the world's leading soft drink manufacturers, and they sell their product in at least 200 countries worldwide. They were the leading soft drink company for decades, and their main rival is PepsiCo, who they have been engaged…...

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References

Author Unknown. The Coca -- Cola Company Struggles with Ethical Crises.

Dubinsky, A.J., Nataraajan, R., & Huang, W. (2004). The influence of moral philosophy on retail salespeople's ethical perceptions. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 38(2), 297+.

Meyer, K.E. (2004). Perspectives on multinational enterprises in emerging economies. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(4), 259+.

Wolburg, J.M. (2003). Double-cola and antitrust issues: Staying alive in the soft drink wars. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 37(2), 340+.

Financial Analysis of Pepsi and Coca Cola
Synopsis of Companies

Pepsi and Coca-Cola companies boast of having two of the most recognized and preferred or desired beverages in the whole world. These two establishments are very fierce competitors in the beverage industry and incessantly compete with one another with the main objective of becoming the main and top distributor of not just sodas built but other beverages as well. This fierce rivalry that exists between the two companies is referred to as the "Cola Wars" and began in the period leading to the 1980s and has since then continued and become even more intense. In the period leading to the 80's Pepsi boosted and increased its market share, a time which coincided with Coca Cola Company being the top most distributor and supplier of beverages (PepsiCo Annual eport, 2013).. At this point in time, the two companies energetically and dynamically canvassed and…...

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References

Goodman, A. (2013). PepsiCo, Re-Energized. Forbes. Retrieved from:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/agoodman/2013/06/14/pepsico-re-energized/ 

O'Toole, B. (2014). Green Mountain stock soars on Coke partnership. CNN Money. Retrieved from:  http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/05/investing/green-mountain-coca-cola/ 

Passport. (2013). Coca-Cola Co The SWOT Analysis, In Soft Drinks (World). Retrieved from:  http://www.euromonitor.com/medialibrary/PDF/Coca-Cola-Co_SWOT_Analysis.pdf 

PepsiCo, Inc. And Subsidiaries. (February 19, 2013). Form 10-K.

32). By contrast, PepsiCo benefitted from its wide product diversification. PepsiCo's product line includes popular snack names, while Coca-Cola has stuck to beverages. That has given PepsiCo the lead in overall sales, $43 billion to $31 billion in 2009 (see Dlugosch, 14 April 2010, p. 1). Question 4: Both companies' vertical involvement in their main global markets was determined by the consideration that contracts between soft-drink concentrate producers and bottlers allow the bottlers to have the last say in retail price, new packaging (but they could use only authorized packaging), selling and advertising in its territory (Martin, 26 March 2004, p. 5). This often causes strain on the relationships between bottlers, that very often are unable to produce and sell in large volumes, and the concentrate producer (Martin ibid). To accelerate revenue growth and be more agile and flexible both companies engage in vertical involvement in their main global…...

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Reference List

Ali, T. (26 February 2010). The Coca-Cola Company to buy Coca-Cola Enterprises: Vertical Integration Continues. 1-4. Accessed 6 December 2011.

Badal, A. Coca Cola Company (2007). 33-40.

Please insert missing publication data.

Coca-Cola. According to the company's 2012-Year in eview, one of the objectives that the company had coming into 2013 was to improve the strength of its product portfolio. The company wanted to find products where there was untapped potential, and take steps to exploit that potential and improve the overall portfolio strength. To that end, Coca-Cola was able to take an ownership stake in Core Power, which makes protein drinks in the United States, and entered into a partnership with Aujan, which is a maker of juice, sparkling beverage and malt beverages in the Middle East. The company also continued to enjoy strong growth from some of its targeted brands, notably I LOHAS and Ayataka, both of which reached the billion-dollar mark in sales in the past year (Coca Cola, 2012).
As a result of these efforts, the company was able to enjoy broad-based success. Volume was up 4%, and…...

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References

Coca-Cola 2012-Year in Review. Retrieved January 8, 2014 from  http://www.coca-colacompany.com/annual-review/2012/year_in_review.html 

Cross, A. (2013). Core Power shakes up protein drink category. Coca-Cola Journey. Retrieved January 8, 2014 from  http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/from-grass-to-glass-core-power-shakes-up-protein-drink-category 

Metcalfe, J. (2013). Green tea wars heat up. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 8, 2014 from  http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/06/18/green-tea-wars-heat-up/ 

MSN Moneycentral. (2014). Coca-Cola Co. Retrieved January 8, 2014 from  http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-price?symbol=KO&ocid=qbes

products or service of your chosen organization, and two (2) key factors in the organization's external environment that can affect its success. Provide explanation to support the rationale.
De Beers is the world's famous diamond company, established in 1888, with proficiency in exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. More than 20,000 employees make contribution to the communities in which we work. De Beers carries out profitable business which helps the government reach their aims of turning natural resources into natural wealth and is working to provide good long-term development for Africa. Anglo American and the Government of the epublic of Botswana are the two shareholders of De Beers, 85% and 15% respectively. This company is made up of fully owned partnerships, investments and subsidiaries. It is involved in most of the diamond chain value such as exploration in four continents, mining in Namibia, Canada, South Africa and Botswana; valuation, arrangement,…...

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References

Austin JE (2000) The Collaboration Challenge: How Nonprofits and Businesses Succeed Through Strategic Alliances. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Baker, R (2010). Pepsi Reveals Sustainable Business Plan', Marketing Week U.K., 19 October. Available from:  http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/sustainability/pepsico-reveals-sustainable-businessplan/3019459.article 

Barkay, T. (2013). When Business and Community Meet: A Case Study of Coca-Cola. Critical Sociology, 39: 277.

Bieri1, F. And Boli, J. (2011). Trading Diamonds Responsibly: Institutional Explanations for Corporate Social Responsibility. Eastern Sociological Society.

This provides tremendous opportunity to build market share without significant increases in infrastructure. The downside of these markets is that they tend to be less efficient, because fixed costs are higher in relation to revenues. The company can win in such markets, however, if it uses its globally powerful brand to gain a stronger presence in underserved markets, thereby pre-empting rival firms from entering these markets. ith Coca-Cola establishing market share, it will be all the more difficult for other companies to match the distribution clout and brand loyalty that Coca-Cola can build up.
In every market, competition remains a serious threat. Economies of scale can help the company in two ways. The first is that it improves margins, leaving more money left over for marketing efforts. The second is that there is often price competition in competitive markets. ith better economies of scale, Coca-Cola can withstand price wars long…...

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Works Cited:

QuickMBA. (2012). Competitive advantage. QuickMBA.com. Retrieved March 9, 2012 from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/competitive-advantage/ 

QuickMBA. (2012). Porter's generic strategies. QuickMBA.com. Retrieved March 9, 2012 from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml

Advertising is such an interesting topic.  It can be overt, such as in television commercials, print ads, or ads in social media.  It can also be more subtle, such as product placement.  Advertising can seem relatively straightforward, or it can involve complex psychological manipulations.  Advertising is a billion-dollar business, because ads can help generate billions in revenue for their companies.  There are so many different things that you can investigate for a paper on advertising, from the use of celebrity endorsements to fear based advertising.  In fact, much modern entertainment is actually....