The Coca Cola Company is currently one of the biggest and most recognized soft beverage brands in the world. With over 3000 products in more than 200 countries, the Coca-Cola Company has surely become part of people’s lives. The Coca-Cola Company owes its success to the people who do their best to achieve the task at hand. Thus, the Cola-Cola Company takes cares of its employees in return by creating a good working environment and working along with unions and government agencies to make sure its employees are safe. The Coca-Cola Company understands that in today’s business world technology is very essential to run such a big company like Coca-Cola. Therefore, the Coca-Cola Company uses different types of technology such as creating databases and data warehouse about their customers and suppliers, doing business with consumers and other businesses through the internet. The Coca-Cola Company even offers merchandise over the internet through its very own shopping website www.cocacolastore.com.The Coca-Cola Company also uses search engines such as Google and yahoo to advertise its products and make sure its brand reaches more people every day. Coca-Cola has spent over $2 million just on advertising and marketing. This makes Coca-Cola well known in many countries In addition, keeping up with today's new trends, the Coca-Cola Company also advertise its products on myspace, facebook and twitter. The Coca-Cola Company knows that no business can run without a plan. Because the Coca-Cola Company has been able to the set the entry barrier in the beverage business very high, new companies are discourage to compete with Coca-Cola. In addition, the Coca-Cola Company has agreements with many of its supplier (mostly bottling company) to exclusively provide by their services to Coca-Cola. Thus, it is almost impossible for new comers to keep up with Coca-Cola and similar competitors with recognized names in the business such as Pepsi. The Coca-Cola success isn't something that has been achieved over night. Many years has passed since John Pemberton created the secret formula for Coca-Cola in 1886. Who would have thought that after over a hundred years, his creation would have this much impact in the world and turn Coca-Cola into a worldwide recognized company.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Networking
Establishments of two or more information devices that connect and link to each other to communicate and exchange information form a network.
The four basic principles need to establish a network are;
1. A Network Interface Card
2. Hardware like a hub or a switch
3. Cables, wires or a wireless radio connection
4. Software to manage the network
Coca cola can categorize different types of network for historical reasons; the networking industry refers to nearly every type of design as a kind of area network. The most common types of area networks are LAN and WAN, other networks are used gradually emerged of technology evolution.
Different types of area networks are:
· LAN - Local Area Network
· WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
· WAN - Wide Area Network
· MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
· SAN - Storage Area Network, System Area Network, Server Area Network, or sometimes Small Area Network
· CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area Network, or sometimes Cluster Area Network
· PAN - Personal Area Network
· DAN - Desk Area Network
What kind of media?
Coca Cola is very active in social media, and their hard work is helping to build up a bank of trust with their audiences. Coca-Cola has been working in many different ways to use social media to create trusting customer relationships. For example, Coke has the second most popular page on Facebook (after President Obama's) with more than 5 million fans. During this past Super Bowl, Coke partnered with Facebook to inspire fans to send digital gifts to friends and, in return, donated $1 for each gift sent to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America with which Coke has had a 64-year relationship. Coke could have given coupons or other monetary consideration, but it felt that the psychic gratification generated by the donations was a much better way to build relationships in this new medium.
Current Techonolgy Articles
SOURCE: http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/smartphones/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216400354
SOURCE: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/08/02/story1.html
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Technology
Coca-Cola believes that Microsoft software is easy for companies to implement and user adoption is not an issue because most people use Microsoft software at home. Thus, Coca-Cola does not use Linux as its main system software. The Coca-Cola company uses an automated wireless system in order to interact with its bottlers. The Athens-based company, Coca-Cola's largest bottler outside of the US, has equipped 3,000 sales people with custom wireless handheld devices from Symbol Technologies. This helps reduced any paper work conflicts. Salespeople had to stop by the office every morning to pick up a list of customers to visit, and again every evening to drop off activity reports. With the Symbol device, they are now able to wirelessly receive the list of customers to visit, with details such as the time each customer is available and the tasks to be handled at the customer site.
What types of application software is used (sold)? What brands?
What brands of computer?
Computerworld - Symbol Technologies Inc. introduced mobile computers with built-in tri-mode wireless capabilities and announced that Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. plans to deploy 28,000 of the units to route drivers in North America and Europe. The deal is valued at roughly $30 million. Both of the new Symbol handheld computers are based on the Intel Corp. XScale PXA255 processor and run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows CE. They include built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth short-range wireless access; built-in Global System for Mobile Communications/General Packet Radio Service radios; and Code Division Multiple Access radios for WAN cellular communications.
Who is responsible for the hardware and software?
Friday, October 15, 2010
Coca-Cola Invests $1 Billion in Philippines
A worker inspects bottles of Coca-Cola in Coca-Cola's plant in Bacolod, Philippines. |
Glenn Jordan, Coca-Cola Pacific Group President, said that they will be investing an additional $1 billion in the Philippines over the next five years to expand their presence in Asia’s developing markets. Coca-Cola Philippines saw double-digit growth over the first half of 2010. This year, Coca Cola Philippines introduced “Samurai” energy drink and “Real Leaf”—brewed from 100% whole green tea leaves—to better serve Southeast Asian clients. In addition, the company also plans to expand its Minute Maid brand.
Article link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/43445/
Thursday, October 14, 2010
E-Commerce
Coca Cola Co uses business to consumers or B2C. They created cocacolastore.com, an online shop designed to expand Coca-Cola's distribution of branded merchandise. The site features Coca-Cola brand products from clothing to cookware to collectibles. Innotrac Inc. is the e-commerce partner in the venture. The agreement calls for Innotrac to design and develop the site as well as manage all aspects of order processing, fulfillment, and customer care.
What types of internet business models are used?
A search looks for matches only in the description submitted. Yahoo is considered a human powered directory where you can type in a word in the search query, and a bunch of sites would show a description. You can search Coca-Cola on Google, Yahoo and other website and you will get a bunch of links related to Coca Cola such as http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/.
Coca-Cola's fan page shows links to the blog, live positively, products and more. Facebook gives opportunities for consumers to become part of the advertising industry. Also, Facebook gives opportunities to share expressions about a product, whether people would recommend it or not.
What payments systems are used?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Structurally, the organization can place the IT function in three the most common ways:
- Top-down silo
- Matrix
- Fully integrated throughout the organization
- In a top-down silo approach, the organization would create a department or IT function devoted to everything related to technology-budgeting, project management, capacity, processing, etc. All other function must go through the IT department for approval of new projects.
- In a matrix approach, it is still a separate IT department or function, but the goal here is to maintain IT personnel within the IT department but matrix them across the other functions. The control still rests with the IT function and everything becomes more collaborative across the organization.
- In a fully integrated approach, many IT personnel are located within the other functional units; even though, there is usually a separate IT department or function. In addition, integrated IT people have their own budget, can approve department projects, can initiate the end-user development of smaller projects, etc. the Cola-Cola company has been using a fully integrated approach because the company has a separate IT department which controls their own finances; IT people can approve or disapprove any projects, change development of the projects, etc.
“The Live Positively” concept grew from the recognition that supportable growth for the Coca-Cola Company is essentially connected to its business and its marketing success, as well as its societal role. The Cola-Cola Company by having the courage to dream bigger and believe in what is possible – not what is impossible – these recipients contribute to a more-positive reality that both improves the world we live in and inspires others to also create a positive impact. Their goal is simple: to give more than they take.
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/presskit_olympicgames2008_live_positively_press_release.pdf
http://www.accesshollywood.com/coca-cola-debuts-sustainable-fashion-for-olympics_article_10887
The major business initiatives are customer relationships management system where it has three different departments such as sales, marketing and customer service. All of these departments share information to get better satisfaction to customers. Coca -Cola is looking for ways to reduce costs, improve sales and profits, and deliver better-quality, more diverse products to consumers. Our Company works to create additional value for our customers by anticipating their demands and interests and to proactively deliver viable solutions for their businesses.
The second one is Supply chain management, which flows from outside the company to the inside the company. For example Coca-Cola has changed supply so that PowerAde is delivered directly to warehouses; Coca-Cola has dramatically changed its supply chain Management system. The change of practice is likely to affect distribution across the whole of the USA.
The last Business initiative is E-Collaboration that uses internet services to help and make it easy to work. Coca-Cola applies E- Collaboration with Microsoft Online Services technologies, this can save travel expenses through online meeting tools and collaboration platforms that span time zones and geographies. Coca-Cola is a top and bottom line initiative. The company tries to reduce the cost of manufacturing and at the same time, pushes to sell more products in order to increase their revenue.
How do they create switching costs and entry barriers?
Coca Cola has set up a bunch of barrier entries to new competitors. One of them is the advertising spend. In 2000, Coca Cola spent around $ 2.6 billion only on advertising and marketing. This makes it extremely difficult for a new entrant to compete with Coca Cola and gain any visibility.
Another barrier is the brand image and loyalty. Coca Cola has a long history of heavy advertising and this has earned it huge amount of brand equity and loyal customer’s all over the world. This makes it impossible for a new entrant to match this scale in this market place.
Lastly, the retailer shelf space is another obstacle new comers have to deal with. Retailers enjoy significant margins of 20% on these soft drinks for the shelf space they offer. These margins are quite significant for their bottom-line. This makes it tough for the new entrants to convince retailers to carry/substitute their new products for Coca Cola.
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/careers/our_vision.html
http://www.scribd.com/doc/10552013/Coca-Cola-Marketing-Strategies
Friday, October 1, 2010
Business Strategies
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Introduction
Dr. John Pemberton founder of "Coca-Cola" |
The secret formula for “Coca-Cola” was discovered by Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886. It was first offered as just a fountain beverage by mixing Coca-Cola syrup with carbonated water. In 1987 it became patented and registered as a trademark in 1893. Since then it has become a worldwide recognized company that produces multiple types of beverages, expanding to produce more than just one carbonated soft drink. Today the Coca Cola Company offers over 3000 products in over 200 countries including fruit drinks, energy and sports drinks, bottled water, and an assortment of different flavors of carbonated drinks other than just “Coke.”
Current CEO of Coca Cola, Muhtar Kent |
http://heritage.coca-cola.com/
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Coca-Cola Company’s Privacy Policy
The company maintains a private database on its web server for the storage of all such information. The site guarantees that every transaction is 100% safe and customers do not need to worry about credit card information being disclosed, by using VeriSign SSL encryption technology which digitally scrambles your credit card number to ensure that it is not read by unauthorized third parties. But alternatively it will not be held responsible for the content or privacy practices employed by third party sites that are linked on their website. In contrast, the Coca-Cola Company gives customers convenient methods for removing their information from the database in the event a customer no longer wants any future communications with the Coca-Cola Company.