Social Performance, Part 1

Social Performance

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s number one supplier of beverages that have quenched consumers thirst around the world with more than 500 of its sparkling brands. Coca-Cola manufactures, distributes, and sale energy drinks, still and sparkling waters, juices, sports drinks, and fruit drinks worldwide. Consumers purchases Coca-Cola beverages in the access of 1.3 billion beverage servings every day. The company serves multiple supermarkets, corner shops, newsagents, petrol forecourts, schools, colleges, hospitals, workplaces, pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and wholesalers. Coca-Cola’s red and white trademark is undoubtedly most well-known brand symbol in the world. Coca-Cola headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia since its beginning. Coca-Cola also has four of its brands: Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, and Sprite ranked among the top five soft drinks in the world. The company also operates one of the world’s most widespread supply chain distribution systems that deliver on average around 400 liquid refreshment products in more than 200 countries worldwide. Nearly 70 percent of sales are generated outside the U.S. (Encyclopedia.com, 2013). Coca Cola has many stakeholders who are most affected by and who have direct and indirect impact the way the company do business. Stakeholders exert enormous influence upon companies in a number of ways and to various extents. Primary stakeholders are parties the company cannot exist without, such as stockholders, employees, suppliers, customers, creditors, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers, and suppliers. Secondary stakeholders include those that influence or are affected by the company, but are not “engaged in transactions with the corporation and are not essential for its survival”, which includes the media, governments, general public, business support groups and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) (Clarkson, 1995, p. 107).

This includes the Boards of Directors, Suppliers, Government and Regulators, creditors, employees, shareholders, special interest groups, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) as well as the local communities in which Coca Cola Company operate. Each and every Stakeholder has its own interests in Coca Cola Company and places different demands on them. With such as enormous operation, Coca-Cola must actively manage the various primary and secondary stakeholder groups, their roles, and relationships for continued success. For public corporations such as Coca-Cola, Shareholders are the internal stakeholders of the Coca Cola Company. They are primary stakeholders who have an immediate stake in the company because it is all about revenues that is funding the company. Coca Cola participates in investor meeting and conducts briefings. If the company does well, the stock price and gains increases. If the business does poorly, the stock value declines and money lost. So shareholders have a lot of