Coca Colas Corporate Social Performance - Case Study Example

TITLE PAGE Unit Name: Communication in Business 100 Title: Proposal – Consumer countries Company: The Coca Cola Company Authors: Fred Flintstone 1122334F Barney Rubble 1223344B Pebbles Flintstone 2334455P Class Details: Friday 4.00-6.00PM 408-302 Semester: 1, 2010 Campus: Bentley Tutor’s Name: Jane Doe Table of Contents Introduction..........................................................................................................................3 Major stake holders...............................................................................................................3 Action Plan............................................................................................................................4 Implementation......................................................................................................................5 Assessment of progress..........................................................................................................6 Risks and Challenges to Implementation...............................................................................6 Benefits to the country...........................................................................................................7 Benefits to Coca Cola.............................................................................................................7 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................8 Bibliography...........................................................................................................................8 Appendix A: List of authors....................................................................................................9 Introduction H.Y.T.C Consultancy firm has been approached by The Coca Cola Company to help look into ways through which it can improve its (Coca Cola) corporate social performance. One area of interest to the company is community development especially in the line of agriculture in one of its consumer countries. Agriculture plays an important role in many economies and touching it helps much in the economic development of the relevant communities. The country in the spot light is Uganda; a country in East Africa. Coca Cola does promote agricultural development in Uganda but the writing of this proposal is prompted by the need to step up its corporate image in that country. It will suggest how the company can boost sedentary agriculture in since there is immense potential in those communities going to waste. Major stake holders Uganda is justifiable is a significant consumer of The Coca Cola Company products. It is rated as one of the least developed countries in Africa and the world as a whole by the United Nations. It has high agricultural potential and agriculture is its most important sector although poverty levels are high. A large portion of the country is well watered except for the North Eastern part.Exploiting the full agricultural potential of these areas will impact the country’s economy positively and consequently lift the image of The Coca Cola Company.1 Action Plan This action plan will shed light on the ways through which agricultural activities can be enhanced in the places ear marked. In the process, community development objectives and economic growth will be realized. Community Development and economic growth are inseparable. This layout can be implemented in four phases after which the overall out come will be gauged to determine the success of the project. These phases will be: Planning, identification of local groups, identification of partners and implementation.2 Planning Planning will involve the identification of goals and objectives to be attained in the project within given time frames, roles for various participants and indicators of good performance. Criteria for gauging the success or failure of the project will also be determined. The amount of money to be spent, number of workers to be hired and the procedure for implementation should be laid down. Time frame: 2 months Identification of Local Groups This stage will be used to single out the youth groups, women groups and any Community Based Organisations (CBOs) to be involved in the project. To help in this assignment, local government authorities will be sought out. The position of a groups coordinator will therefore be established whose responsibilities will be coordination of existing groups and mobilization of any other potential groups. The coordinator with the help of the locals will also facilitate the formation of more groups in case the ones existing are not enough. Youth and women groups are not many because of the history of war. The position of Group Coordinator will be occupied by a local who has a good understanding of the socio-cultural set up of the local communities. He\she should therefore have been a resident of that area for more than 30 years and has a good command of the local dialects. He\she will also work hand in hand with the leaders of the various local groups taking part in the project. Time frame: 3 months Identification of partners At this level a list of various organisations interested in the project will be made. These will be local or foreign government Non Governmental Organisations willing to contribute to the success of the project in one way or another. Some of them may be donor organisations while others may assist by availing their staff as volunteers. These organisations should be identified, approached and negotiations carried out so that the extent and magnitude of their cooperation is taken into consideration. Time frame: 4 months Implementation Project implementation will be a collective role of all the stake holders involved. However the steering committee will take a central role in the facilitation of activities. It is advisable that the locals be given strategic roles that can help them feel that they own the project and that it is for their good. This will also be a form of employment creation for them. Training will be done by staffs that have been trained in cultural issues relating to the communities. Time frame: 11 months Assessment of progress This will be done by use of the laid down procedures in order to determine the areas where challenges are being faced and how those challenges can be overcome. One of the key indicators of success will be the number of groups seeking enrolment into the project. If there are any groups dropping out then they can also be used to gauge performance. Time frame: 1 month Risks and challenges to implementation There are a number of risks and challenges that may be encountered as discussed below. Security in Northern Uganda has a history of political instability caused by rebels that have been fighting the government forces. In case the war breaks out again, the gains made by the project will be washed a way and huge losses will be incurred by Coca Cola Company and the locals. In order to counter such occurrences, the task force needs to work closely with government authorities and security officers in order to ensure perpetual peace in the area. Unwillingness of the local communities3 This may be caused due to the history of war in the region. The locals may fear to engage in anything that can waste their efforts in case they have to flee their homes again because of war. It may also be hard for them because their cultural and socio-economic fabric has been eroded. They are just returning from refugee camps and picking up the pieces may take a longer tim. In order to take care of this concern extra efforts should be made to help the local communities settle down. The government should be asked to intervene and assure them of peace and political stability for the future. Benefits to the country The country will gain in the volume of agricultural products available for export. The food security levels in the country will also go up. In the area hosting the project, abundant agricultural production will trigger infrastructural development and also alleviate poverty. Full time agricultural activity will form the source of livelihood for people. (2004,100). Benefits to coca cola By undertaking this project the company will have contributed to the well being of its customers. Its corporate social performance index will rise in the long run and that will be a realisation of one of its objectives. The image of the Coca Cola Company will improve within the country and outside. This will translate into increased sales for its products around the world. This project can also be reproduced in another country where community development initiatives are needed.4 Conclusion Improvement of agricultural production in consumer countries will help lower the poverty levels of those countries by growing their economies. This will impact positively on the corporate social performance of the Coca Cola Company, something that will translate into more trade and international acceptability. Executive Summary For every company to have a good reputation in the corporate world it needs to uphold its corporate social performance. Coca cola Company can do this by undertaking a community development project in Uganda as suggested in this proposal. This will give them an opportunity to show their interest in the country and its citizens who happen to be consumers of their products. References Kyomya and Kibale, “Longman Publishers: Community Development initiatives in East Africa (1998): 293-94. Maurice G “ Longman publishers: Agricultural projects within the East Africa Community 1993. Evans Chiro, Oxford University Press; Development and Economic advancement in war torn zones; Acase study of Uganda and Southern Sudan. (1991): 456-78. Clark James; Cambridge University press. The growth of Community Development projects in Africa. (1988).567-78. Marx Ammer; New strategies for developing communities; A practical approach. Longhorn publishers. 1999. Kanji, A.J.Barriers to community involvement in development projects: A study of the Acholi (Uganda) Irrigation project. Community Development Journal. (2001) 233-248. Kirigo Sammy; Growth in food production through foreign companies. The International Students’ Journal. (2004)100-130. Carf Lex; Community Development Issues in East Africa in the 21st Century and their solutions. Macmillan Publishers; 2001. APPENDIX A: Authorship Listing Introduction Fred Flintstone Major stake holders Fred Flintstone Action Plan Barney Rubble Implementation, risks and Challenges to Implementation Barney Rubble Benefits to the country Pebbles Flintstone Benefits to Coca cola Company Pebbles Flintstone Conclusion Fred Flintstone Reference List All Read More