Article 15: The Coca-Cola Company, Then and Now [7]

The soft drink industry is one of the larger specific food industries in the nation. Coca-Cola is known for losing one of the biggest racial discrimination lawsuits ever. The company needs to diversify its workforce, as it would take many years for underserved populations to be fairly represented within the company. Coke is the world’s largest producer and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages. What began as a drug-induced ailment cure became the product that we know and love today. Diet coke is the world’s number one diet beverage. And coke has been marketed the world over as a happy life drink. Factory expansion during wars so that soldiers abroad could have a good product to drink was one of the strategies for coke’s expansion. Personally, I like Coca-Cola. I do not drink it but on special occasions. Drinking Coke is not healthy for the body in large quantities. Many Americans are addicted to soft drinks. The cost to health is exorbitant when you factor in the impact of soft drinks. Robert Goizeuta’s wish that one day Coke should replace tap water is a dangerous one. We do not want coke to be as popular as it is, because the caffeinated beverage is filled with ingredients that are unhealthy. There must be a level of criticality when we discuss a company, like McDonald’s, that is single-handedly making the world an unhealthier place — if albeit a bit happier in temporary moments. Additionally, on diversity, the company has an abysmal record. In 1999 the company was served with a lawsuit that accused it of systemically discriminating against black employees in promotions, evaluations, terminations, and pay. One of the major factors in Coke’s problems was the poor human resource management at the company. With nearly as many job titles as people, there was no clear structure or path for growth. The trajectory of those working at Coke was continuously uncertain. The underrepresentation of the minorities in the company was the icing on the cake for the lawsuit. Lessons learned from the company were numerous. Since the lawsuit the company has implemented numerous systemic changes in policies and procedures. Thanks to the work of the Task Force, there was a new identification system for employees who sought to move into senior management positions. This directly reinstated an inclusionary effort that minorities would benefit from. One thing is for certain, Coke is a popular product and will continue to stay around if people like me and others continue to drink it.