The Issues Of Coca-Cola's Company - Assignment Example

Reading Brief Outline Coca-Cola The multi-billion dollar company of Coca-Cola has been under fire in the past for their massive and often neglectful use of water during the manufacturing of their bottled products. One issue Coca-Cola was targeted for was using water that contained traces of pesticides in their products. Consumers, without their knowledge, were consuming these products. Coca-Cola was taken to court and a court in India ordered them to add these ingredients to their list of beverage ingredients.

(Lawrence, Anne, & Weber, James, 2007) A second issue that came to the attention of consumers, activists, and stakeholders was the fact that by 2025 the world was expected to reach a state of water shortage. Coca-Cola was using 80 billion gallons of water annually. This became a massive concern. This concern triggered Coca-Cola to fight back but it also made them take a second look at their practices. Coca-Cola began to look at its role in managing water. They also showed that they were working their best to tackle this issue by inviting organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund to provide them with advice that could help them improve their environmental impact.

They set up goals and comparisons that could help them meet standards that other companies were achieving in terms of water use. They donated money to organizations with water conservation programs. (Lawrence, Anne, & Weber, James, 2007) I believe Coca-Cola handled the environmental concerns very intelligently. They made sure to create a relationship with organizations that were working to improve water and environmental conditions. They addressed the fact that they needed to improve and made improvements.

And they invested money into the cause and made consumers aware of this. This is how a good company handles criticisms. Coca-Cola realizes that they rely on water to continue manufacturing their product. They realize they also need customers and stakeholders to believe in their company. And they made sure to check all of the right boxes to maintain these relationships. (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010) Google is another company that is making up for some of their environmental mistakes by setting a green example.

Google is such a large company that it’s actions often come under the microscope. Instead of solely defending any of their procedures or actions they look to balance out the negative with the good in terms of environmental care. The CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, said in an interview, “We can try to model behavior and invest in energy technologies, biofuels, solar plants. We are trying now to take our cash — we buy dirty energy — and invest the equivalent amount in renewable energy and equal it out.

The new buildings we build are LEED certified. We are trying to set an example.” Google has recognized the problems being brought to our attention in the environment. They don’t deny global warming yet instead admit that our world needs to change. They then set out an environmental plan and work to inform and adhere to this plan. They let it be known that they are concerned more with information than energy, as that is at the forefront of their business, but they are also sure to create and follow their own environmental initiatives.

I believe companies such as Coca-Cola and Google are heading in the right direction. It is important to address and follow up on environmental concerns that could affect the health and state of living of their consumers. This is responsible business. It is also important for the businesses to maintain a balance. A business would not prosper or profit if they were to use absolutely every new green tool available. This would be incredibly expensive and would increase the cost of products. What is important is that they address the issues at hand and show that they are going to make improvements.

To in turn then provide monetary donations to organizations that focus on the issues at hand is an even smarter move. When people think of your business you do not want the first thought that comes to their minds to be a negative one. You want to create as many positive connections as possible. These corporations have worked hard to do so. References Fehrenbacher, Katie. (2010). Caught on Video: Google CEO Dishes on Google Wave, Verizon & Social Strategy. Retrieved October 4, 2010, from http://gigaom.

com/2010/08/05/google-ceo-dishes-on-google-wave-verizon-social-strategy/ Lawrence, Anne, & Weber, James. (2007). Business and society: stakeholders, ethics, public policy. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. The Coca-Cola Company. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 04, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/123433/The-Coca-Cola-Company