Coca cola - Research Paper Example

Coca Cola The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the ethical issues that Coca Cola encounters in the normal operation of their business. The format that this paper will utilize is to first identify the ethical issues and then discuss them further based on relevant literature. One of the most identifiably ethical issues affecting Coca Cola is the very nature that their products are largely considered to be unhealthy. Although it is the case that Coca Cola controls the Dasani water brand, the vast majority of their beverages are caffeinated and include large quantities of sugar.

According to Parker-Pope (2010) Prolonged consumption of these products has contributed to an obesity epidemic and increasingly Coca Colas product lines are being accused of being a major contributor to heart disease. Moreover the company could also be considered unethical by nature of their aggressive marketing campaigns. By marketing products that the company knows are unhealthy to young people, the effect is that Coca Cola retains repeat consumers for much of their life. Coca Cola as a company has operated vending machines in schools and other institutions with young people which provides inexpensive caffeinated beverages, which ultimately permits young people to have access to these beverages nearly all of the time.

Because these products contain a large quantity of caffeine (Which is a drug that is known to have addictive properties) one could also make the argument that Coca Cola is trying to addict their users from a young age. One further issue facing Coca Cola is the use of high fructose corn syrup as a sweetening agent in their products. According to Walker (2009) it is the case that in the United States of America the primary agent used to sweeten Coca Cola is high fructose corn syrup however in the nation of Mexico, the products are largely sweetened with sugar.

There have been numerous criticisms regarding the use of artificial sweetening agents. For example the reasoning as to why corn based sweeteners are less expensive is owing to the fact that in the United States corn producers receive high government subsidies. Moreover high fructose corn syrup is a highly processed product whereas sugar is viewed as being more natural. What can be said based on this is that instead of offering one product for all markets, Coca Cola in fact offers a slightly different product for different markets.

An additional consideration of ethical issues facing Coca Cola is the environmental destruction that the company stands accused of committing. Coca Cola products require a considerable amount of packaging on its products (plastic bottles, aluminium for cans, cardboard for packaging multiple cans), and unlike water which can be piped directly to houses, bottled coca cola must be trucked around to end users. It takes a great deal of clean water to produce a single bottle of Coca Cola. Considering the fact that an individual could consume clean water directly and Coca Cola is taking clean water resources away from individuals to produce a sugary beverage one could make the argument that the environmental destruction associated with over consuming a precious resource is a serious ethical concern for the company.

A final ethical consideration for Coca Cola, one could make the argument that the company is contributing to excessive consumption of alcohol. Coca Cola plays a key ingredient in a number of mixed alcoholic drinks (Rum and coke, Long Island iced tea etc.). For many individuals drinking distilled spirits directly is simply too unpleasant. By incorporating a sugary beverage in a mixed cocktail, drinkers can consumer more alcohol because it becomes more palatable. The ethical considerations of over consumption of alcohol is that it could lead to an increased rate of liver disorders, increased rate of drunk driving, and a plethora of other alcohol related injuries.

References Parker-Pope, T (February 16th 2010) Should Coke Talk About Heart Health? New York Times. [online] Available at http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/should-coke-talk-about-heart-health/ Accessed on October 29th 2010. Walker, R (October 8th 2009) Cult Classic. New York Times [online] Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11fob-consumed-t.html Accessed on October 29th 2011.