Abstract

The case discusses some of the alleged controversial business and labor practices of The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) and its bottlers in a few countries. The case discusses in detail about the allegations made against Coca-Cola’s labor practices in Columbia, environmental and product issues in India, and trade practices in Mexico. The case also highlights the rise in consumer activism as it includes details of the ban imposed on Coca-Cola’s products by some university campuses in the US and Europe on account of pressure by student unions and other activist organizations. Coca-Cola’s responses to these allegations have also been presented in the case.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the issues and allegations faced by Coca-Cola in Colombia, India, and Mexico
• Understand the challenges faced by multinational companies due to the rise in consumer activism
• and: Appreciate the importance of communication and social responsibility for multinational companies that operate across geographic regions and cultures.

Keywords

Coca Cola, Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, University ban, Environment Management, Labor Practices, Columbia, India, Mexico, Accounting Fraud, Communication, Student Union, Trade Union