Coca Cola – Value of Cultural Understanding

Value of Cultural Understanding

The chosen three different organisations which are currently carrying business across different cultures are: the Coca-Cola Company, Hilton Hotel Corporation and Ladbrokes plc.

The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is an industry which has diversified itself into different cultures, broadening its business into globalisation. The company is built around two core assets, its brand and its people.

Established in 1886, the Coca-Cola Company operates in more than 200 countries and markets more than 450 brands and 2800 beverages products. These products includes sparkling and still beverage, such as water, juices and juice drink, teas, coffees, sports drinks and energy drinks. The company owns four of the world’s top five non-alcoholic sparkling beverages brands: Coca-Cola, Diet-Coke, Sprite and Fanta.:

The company is a global business, which operates on a local scale, in every community where they do business. They are able to create with local focus because of the strength of the Coca-Cola system, which comprises their company and their bottling partners – more than 300 worldwide.

In January 2006, the Coca-Cola company-owned bottling operation were brought together to form the bottling investment operating group, now the second-largest bottling operation in the Coca-Cola system in terms of unit case volume.

Company’s Culture;

Management principles and values

In the Coca-Cola Company’s manifesto for growth, they commit themselves to be a leader in corporate responsibility and express their aspiration to be among the world’s most respected companies. Among the keys to earning that respect is the maintaining world-class standards for fair and dignified treatment for all the people who works for the company. They believe that a place work is more than a place you go everyday. It should be a place of exploration, creativity, professional growth and interpersonal relationship. It is about being inspired and motivated to achieve extraordinary things. The Coca-Cola Company wants their team to take pride in their work and in building the brand others love. As it is the combined talents, skills, knowledge, experience and passion of their team that makes them who they are.
Their 90,500 associates around the world live and work in the markets they serve – more than 86 percent of them outside the U.S. In this geographically diverse environment, the management learn from each market and share those learning quickly. As a result, the company’s culture is ever more collaborative.

Values and/or Beliefs

The future of the Coca-Cola Company’s business depends on the vitality of the communities where they operate. Since the Coca-Cola Company is a global business, they are citizen and members of thousands of local cultures and communities. They believe that their responsibilities go beyond producing great-tasting beverages. They are committed and enhance individual opportunity. One of the ways they contribute is through their philanthropy, with a heavy focus on education.

The Coca-Cola Company supports people for the right to education and provides grants to encourage people in the community they operates to progress. They have their own foundation grant which provide money support to those who cannot afford education fees.

The Coca-Cola Company is among those companies which have responded to HIV/AIDS and recognised that business must do its part to help to tackle this problem, especially in Africa. They believe they can contribute to the sustainability of their business operations by helping the local community to combat HIV/AIDS.

Detail Culture of the Organisation

The Coca-Cola Company holds a market range of brands and beverages product and markets them globally. The company’s culture is more collaborative. They learn from each market and share those learning quickly across departments. They work toward ensuring the long-term pillar: consumer marketing, commercial leadership and franchise leadership.

Consumer marketing is about expanding consumer preference through a board and balances portfolio of more than 450 brands and more than 2800 beverages products, expanded nutrition labelling, option in packaging size and responsible marketing.

Commercial leadership relates to customer and suppliers partnership. The company continues to build long-term relationship to sell more beverages and at the same time, create positive change in the communities where they work and live.

Franchise leadership refers to the relationship with their bottling partners. The company do not own or manage most of their bottlers; they are independent, local companies running their own business. But the company strives to work closely to strengthen the Coca-Cola system.

Official Policies;

Equal Opportunities

The Coca-Cola Company gives equal opportunity to all their staffs to grow within the organisation. They give preference to the local people of the country were they conduct business. The company maintains a world-class standard for fair and dignified treatment of all the people who works for the company. They communicate this commitment in the workplace rights policy and human rights statement.

The workplace rights policy serve to ensure that the company applies a consistent approach to the workplace rights worldwide, as an integral part of their culture, strategy and day-to-day operations.

The human rights statement communicates the company’s pledge to manage the business around the world in accordance with the highest standard of integrity with a specific emphasis on human rights in the work place.

Diversity

The Coca-Cola Company seeks to leverage its worldwide team, which is rich in diverse people, talent and ideas. Being a global business, the ability to understand, embrace and operates in a multicultural world, both in the market place and in the workplace is critical to the company’s sustainability. The company strive for an inclusive culture which is defined by their own seven core values; leadership passion, integrity, collaboration, innovation, quality and accountability. The company work on a daily basis to bring these values to life through their diversity workplace strategy. This strategy includes programs to attract, retain and develop diverse talent; provide support systems for groups with diverse backgrounds; and educate all associates.

Governance and ethics

The Coca-Cola Company aims to lead by example and to learn from experience. They set high standards for their people at all levels and strive to consistently meet them. The company is guided by their establish standard of corporate governance and ethics. The company review their system to ensure that they achieve international best practices in terms of transparency and accountability. The core of the ethics and compliance program at the Coca-Cola Company is their code of business conduct. The code guides their business conduct, requiring honesty and integrity in all matters. All of the associates and directors are required to read and understand the code and follow its precepts in the workplace and larger community.

Xenophobic practice

The Coca-Cola Company has been banned by the Kerala High Court, from extracting the ground water for its controversial bottling operations.
The company’s Kerala plant has seen accusations that the company is draining the region’s natural resources and despoiling the environment.

The ruling could end up forcing the plant to close, as alternative sources of the high quantities of water required will be difficult to envisage. It has been given one month to cease its extractions.

The move comes as a major victory for large numbers of local residents that have claimed the company’s overconsumption of water was turning their agricultural land into a desert.

Justice K Balakrishnan Nair told the company that it owned the 40 acres of land upon which its plant stood, but not the ground water underneath it, which is a national resource that belongs to the entire society.

Coca-Cola has continued to deny that it depleted the water reserves, and has said that it will appeal against the order.

Ethnic

The core of the ethics and compliance program at The Coca-Cola Company is their Code of Business Conduct. The Code guides the business conduct, requiring honesty and integrity in all matters. All of their associates and directors are required to read and understand the Code and follow its precepts in the workplace and larger community.

The Code is administered by their Ethics & Compliance Committee. This cross-functional senior management team oversees all their ethics and compliance programs and determines Code violations and discipline. Their Ethics & Compliance Office has operational responsibility for education, consultation, monitoring and assessment related to the Code of Business Conduct and compliance issues. Associates worldwide receive a variety of ethics and compliance training courses administered by the Ethics & Compliance Office. They regularly monitor and audit their business to ensure compliance with the Code and the law. They also maintain a consistent set of best-in-class standards around the world that govern how they investigate and handle Code issues. In 2008, we revised the Code to further improve its effectiveness

Hilton Hotel Corporation

Hilton Hotel Corporation is recognised around the world as a preeminent lodging hospitality company, offering guests and customers the finest accommodations, services, amenities and value for business or leisure. The Hilton brand has for more than 80 years, been synonymous with excellence in the hospitality industry. Through ownership of some of the most recognised hotels in the world and their newly enhanced brand portfolio, Hilton is now offering guests the widest possible variety of hotel experiences.
With the 2006 acquisition of the London based Hilton international, the Hilton portfolio now includes over 3000 hotels in 80 different countries cultures, ethics and customs worldwide. The Hilton Hotel Corporation is an upscale global resort network with a collection of resorts located in exotic places – the world’s largest global choice.

Company’s Culture

Management principles and value

Hilton Hotel Corporation stands above the rest, delivering on all front, whether being the best brand that offers the best locations, size and scale, the most dedicated people, attractive marketing programs or financial strength. The company has built a reputation for quality, value, integrity and strength. For more than 85 years ‘Hilton’ has been synonymous with ‘Hotels’, standing for excellence in lodging hospitality across the globe. In addition the travelling public is presented with the broadest possible range of price points, choices and opportunities.

The 100 percent satisfaction is an operating culture and philosophy that focuses each team member and owner on complete guest satisfaction. Through their guarantee, they are committed to high quality accommodations, friendly and efficient service and clean comfortable surroundings for all guests.

Value and/or Beliefs

Hilton Hotel Corporation believes that technology can be used to ease many of the stress and strains of travelling. From a hotel operations perspective, innovative new technologies like check-in kiosk are helping the guest check-in more easily and their team members spend less time on administration, which frees them up to spend more time ensuring guests achieve the goals of their stay. The ability to innovate is highly valued and has been ingrained in the company culture since its beginning as one of the pioneers in the hospitality as we know it today.

Culture details of the Organisation

Hilton Hotel Corporation is an upscale, global hotel network with a collection of hotels located in different countries in the world-the world largest global choice. Ever since Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel in 1919, the Hilton organisation has built a reputation for quality, value, integrity and strength. For more than 85 years ‘Hilton’ has been synonymous with ‘Hotel’, standing or excellence in lodging hospitality across the globe. In 1999, that reputation was extended to a new family of brand of hotels and with such respected names as Hilton, the travelling public is presented with the broadest possible range of price, choice and opportunities.

Official Policies

Equal Opportunity

Hilton gives equal opportunity to al its staff to grow within the company. It gives preference to the local people of the communities where they are operating the chance to grow within the business.

Diversity

The company’s diversity program has made it an industry leader in advancing diversity principles across the nations. The company has built a more diverse workforce, measured the number of minority suppliers and franchise holders and made great advances in incorporation diversity principles into all aspect of the business operations. The company is actively pursuing its objective to maintain a workforce that reflects the same diversity and vitality as the guest who come through the door of its hotels and the culture they operates in.

Community

Hilton Hotel Corporation’s commitment to being a good corporate citizen is brought to life every single day by the thousand of team members representing our corporation and the Hilton family of hotels. From helping ids learn to read to planting school gardens, to participating in fund raising walk-a-thons that helps numerous worthy causes to refurbishing national landmarks, the Hilton family of hotels is diligently working towards positive change. The Hilton name ha for more than 85 years, stood not only as a symbol of first-class hospitality, but of active participation in cities, countries and states where the company operates.

Ethnic

Globally to adapt within the different cultures Hilton Hotels Corporation has diversified into the different markets by understanding its customers and makes its main priority in communicating with its ventures at a global scale as they seek to produce financial rewards to its investors as they aim to provide growth and enrichment to its employees striving to act with integrity.

Ladbrokes plc

Ladbrokes was founded in 1886 and has grown to become one of the biggest leisure and entertainment organisations in the UK. It is the largest cash betting company in the world and a leading influence for improvement in the betting industry. Ladbrokes offers a wide range of betting opportunities from horse and greyhound racing to events such as cricket, golf snooker and football.
Ladbrokes is the leading retail bookmaker in the UK, Ireland, Scotland and Belgium with over 2600 owned and operated betting shops. They also operate facilities at most of the leading racecourses. Ladbrokes has expanded their business internationally with retail outlets in Belgium, Italy and Spain.
The Ladbrokes plc operates through different means such as retail betting through shops. Betting through the internet, mobile phones and interactive television, adult gaming centres, telephone betting through dedicated call centres and operate greyhound stadia.

Company’s Culture

Management principles and values

In an increasingly competitive market place, the Ladbrokes brand is a key asset. The board and senior management recognise the importance of the brand and continually invest in marketing activities to build awareness and engage in market research to monitor performance.
According to the latest research, Ladbrokes is the most recognised betting brand in the UK. Ladbrokes is perceived as the market leader by the general public and over 50 percent of regular bettors. The latter also perceive Ladbrokes to be the most trustworthy brand as well as the one that sets trend.
(Source: face to face research conducted by TNS Omnibus in January 2007)
As a result of changes introduced in the UK by the gambling Act 2005, current restriction on the advertising of betting and gaming are to be reviewed, Ladbrokes is actively assessing the opportunities to extend its brand leadership position under the new regulation.
Ladbrokes has achieved high levels o brand awareness on the international stage and their good name has played a strong role in expanding into new markets. Ladbrokes is regularly approached by governments and businesses around the world about opportunities in betting and gaming. In Scandinavia their online business has achieved high levels of brand recognition and in Italy and Belgium they are operation their retail shop using the Ladbrokes brand.

Value and /or Beliefs

Ladbrokes believes in responsible gambling. Gambling should be an exciting past time and they urge their customers to have fun but not bet beyond their means. Ladbrokes value the society they operates in. they have joined the ‘Gamcare’ organisation, an independent organisation which offer help to people who have gambling problems and they have trained all their staff about the way to deal with such customers and how to provide assistance. Ladbrokes also have the ‘self-exclusion’ option for people with gambling problems whereby they can ban themselves from the gambling outlets of the company.
Ladbrokes has founded their charitable trust called the ‘Ladbrokes company charitable trust’. They raise money through events held in their outlets and all the money raised, goes into the trust. The trustees then give money to various charities. All these initiatives are for helping to create a better community in which they operates.

Culture details of the Organisation

Ladbrokes hold a variety of betting options which links with different counties at a global scale. The company have diversified their range of betting option and is now offering their customers a wider range of sports betting, novelty betting and lottery on a global level. Every culture has its own preferred ways of betting and gambling. Ladbrokes recognises these differences and makes the most of them with online products and services that are tailored to local and regional taste. Ladbrokes believes in continuous investment in their retail shops estate to generate growth by offering the best experience to customers and make the brand name synonymous with excellence.

Official Policies

Equal Opportunity

As a company, Ladbrokes believe in providing equality of opportunity for all employees within the different cultures they operates in. all employees are given equality and are encouraged to progress within the organisation. New employees are informed of the company’s equal opportunity policy during their training induction.
Ladbrokes is committed to an ongoing programme of action to make this policy fully active at al levels.

Diversity

Ladbrokes recognises that different employees have differing needs and can contribute to the company’s success in different ways. Their customers comes from a wide range of background, ages and diverse life experience and they believe that by maintaining diversity throughout the company, they can provide their customers with a more enjoyable and memorable experience every time they bet with the company.
By focusing on each individual employees skills, contribution and potential while at the same time welcoming and respecting their differences they ensure that all their employees feel valued and respected and are motivated and committed to help the company to achieve their goals

. Dedication to customer service

The betting and gaming industry is a service business. The product is the experience the customer enjoy when placing a bet with a staff and watch the race in our shop. As the industry becomes more and more competitive, Ladbrokes recognise that all their employees have an impact on their customer’s experience. With over 2600 shops across Europe and website offering betting in 12 languages, tailored to local interests, Ladbrokes appeals to customers all over the world. Every culture has its own ways of betting and gaming and Ladbrokes recognises these differences and makes the most out of them with product and services that are tailored to local and regional taste. They places a high priority on good service and as a result they regularly win national customer service awards.

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Coca-Cola Company

Management practice for alternative culture

The company is focused on strategic workplace program that helps assure the success of their commitment for embracing the similarities and differences of people, cultures and ideas. The company strive to communicate their diversity efforts to their workforce and operates through online diversity as business newsletters, diversity speaker services, training, workshops, updates from their diversity advisory councils and employee forum programming. The company’s diversity advisory council consists of a representative group of associates from all functions and business units of the organisation. The council develops recommendations for senior management on advancing the company’s efforts towards achieving their diversity objectives. The management believes that a sense of community enhances their ability to attract, retain and develop diverse talent and ideas as a source of competitive business advantage.

In the US, through employee forums, associates can connect with colleagues who share similar interests and background. In those forums and elsewhere, associates support each other in personal and professional growth and enhance their individual and collective ability to contribute to the company.

Formal multicultural relationship

The company has design a community water programs to support healthy watersheds and sustainable programs to balance the water used throughout their production process. They do this by working on a wide range of locally relevant initiatives, such as watershed protection; expanding community drinking water and sanitation access; agricultural water use efficiency; and education and awareness programs.

Informal multicultural relationship

The Coca-Cola Company’s products are produced by local people, using local resource and in many cases, local suppliers. Supplier and business partners are vital to the company’s continued success. So, through the multiplier effect and local nature of the Coca-Cola Company global business, they support local economies. For each job created within their system, many additional jobs are created through suppliers and other business partners. The company is committed to work with, encouraging and ensuring that their partners and suppliers uphold the highest standard for business conduct, including the values and practice of these policies.

Culture and laws

The Group is committed to respecting labor rights in every country where it operates and signed in May 2001 an agreement with UNI (Union Network International) by which it has undertaken to monitor the application of principles of the ILO(International Labor Organization), in particular with regard to freedom of association, collective bargaining and the condemnation of child labor.
The Hilton Hotels Corporation also adheres to the UN Global Compact since 2001, committing itself to respect its principles, which include labor standards.

The company has updated its Code of Conduct and which includes references to the Group’s commitment to respect for:

The workplace Rights policy,
The ILO conventions,
The OECD guidelines,
The Global Compact principles,
The international agreement signed with UNI in May 2001,
The Diversity in Business Charter.

Hilton Hotel Corporation

Management practice for alternative culture

Hilton Hotel Corporation is recognised around the world as a preeminent lodging hospitality company. Hilton Hotel Corporation is global with a collection of hotels located in exotic places, cities, and country side around the world. The management of Hilton has adapted the strategy of tailoring each property to its location, local culture, gastronomic international and local cuisine and its ability to deliver a top hotel experience.
The management of the company has a diverse workforce and therefore have to operate according to the country’s national laws of employment and their local culture beliefs, such as in Egypt, where they are an Islamic country, the management will have to operates according to the ‘sharia law’, which states that women should always cover their heads, restriction of pork meat and alcoholic drinks. Therefore the management will have to operate by abiding to these rules and moreover, they form part of the culture which guests would like to experience.

Formal multicultural relationship

Hilton Hotel Corporation is the first hotel company in the industry to receive the energy star award from the environmental protection agency (EPA) and the departmental of energy. Moreover, the company always participates in various communities outreach projects, such as planting trees, cleaning beaches and undertaking other activities that help restoring the community national resources. The Hilton Hotel Corporation continues to look for new ways to reduce energy and improve the environment we all live in.

Informal multicultural relationship

Hilton Hotels Corporation’s commitment to being a good corporate citizen is brought to life every single day by the thousands of team members representing the corporation and the Hilton Family of Hotels. From helping kids learn to read, to planting school gardens, to participating in fundraising walk-a-thons that help numerous worthy causes, to refurbishing national landmarks, the Hilton Family of Hotels is diligently working toward positive change.

Ladbrokes plc

Management practice for alternative culture

Ladbrokes believes in providing equality for all employees in the community they operate in. employees are treated fairly and given the opportunity to progress within the organisation. As the company operates across different cultures, it takes into consideration the local culture of the area they are operating in and provide support to the community, through employing local people to work for the company and donating to local charities. Moreover, Ladbrokes complies with every national laws of the culture they operate in and supranational laws, as they operates in Europeans countries as well. The national laws lay down the laws of a country and by which every business need to abide regardless of their origin. Such as, the company has to provide staff holiday for employees during the local culture national day Ireland’s saint Patrick’s day. Staff are allowed to have this special day off and if they do work, they will be paid on the basis of a bank holiday, which is a double pay. The supranational law applied to European countries, whereby member of states have pass on their authority to a common political institution. The supranational law for gambling, regulates the opening and closing time of betting outlets throughout the European countries.

Formal multicultural relationship

As the company is global, Ladbrokes recognise that all their employees have an impact on their customer’s experience. Therefore, they have diverse their staff and now offer betting in 12 different languages, tailored to local interest, Ladbrokes appeals to customers all over the world. As every culture has its own preferred ways of betting and gaming. Ladbrokes recognises these differences and makes the most out of them with product and services that are tailored to the local and regional taste. The company place a high priority in good service within the community they operates in and value these people.

Ethic and compliance

The company core of the ethic and compliance program in Ladbrokes is their code of conduct practice. The code guides the business conduct and requires compliance with all is regulatory responsibilities. Such as the gambling act, workplace right, discrimination, racisms, bullying and whistle blowing.