Knowledge Management at the Coca Cola Company

This study discusses about the knowledge management of The Coca Cola Company. The Coca Cola Company has been in business since 1894 which started out as a soda fountain beverage. It is one of the world’s top producers of soft drink, which they sell at an average of 1.3 billion servings per day. It also has one of the world’s top systems in their universal distribution. One of the most admired firms for having credited as proficient on the production, distribution and marketing. The company has an impressive start; however, the development is only when a system for a bottling was created. The technology has boosted the business in enormous ways. The packaging had a positive result, improving the quality and the efficiency of the product.

It takes a very aggressive approach for a company to prosper. Thus, it is very important to study things to the detail before decisions are made. For example, in putting up a commissary in a new area, an extra care and effort to research is very essential. Things that we need to know about the place are a crucial part in this approach. The market needs to be surveyed too by inquiring the 5 year plan of the government agency. In this way, the investment will be protected.

The system at the Coca Cola Company has been honed for centuries and it’s been deeply rooted from community based level, making it a very good social issue. Their system has effectively served the wide and different arrays of tastes that have catered not only in the local business. The strategy applied by the company is based from value chains and force models. These tools have helped the company maximize and guide them in their efforts to resolved future business reverses. And it is definitely very effective as the world has undergone a recession; the Coca Cola Company has stood still and still braving its way towards success and perfection.

The knowledge management of Coca Cola has a deep relationship with collaboration. It partake the nature of not just a system but a huge network where the people within the company can communicate with the company network based in a different country. This nature will help assess knowledge managers on how much information must the company need to further their endeavors of perfection and customer satisfaction.

In executing their strategy, knowledge management is very useful because it serves as a pattern or guide where certain areas are marked as they deemed fit, or areas are being highlighted which they saw that needs for further improvement. It also serves as a strong pivotal point where company seeks assessment or gathers information to further expand the Coca Cola System.

As the newly appointed Knowledge Management (KM) manager of The Coca Cola Company, I strongly emphasize the need to further the research in the enhancement of technology within the company. I am referring to the term called “intranet” which I saw has been part of the business that needs to be improved and requires in-depth study. It is a network of computers that is only accessible to authorized personnel, that has the sole control and management of the database. The intranet system will help the company properly manage their networks. By applying the knowledge management mechanism, it will optimize sharing of knowledge amongst them.

The problem areas with the knowledge management of Coca Cola are its inability to cater to the needs of the people working within the company. They were not giving proper initiative on how to further their studies as they are working on a poor management system. It is an obstacle to urgently work and become responsive to change. It shall steal them of their passion, creativity and loyalty towards the product.

Another area which the company failed to address is the need to put importance on business reviews. If they continue not to take credit on the assessment of the general public, its failure will cause great harm to its distribution and marketing. As a knowledge management manager, I suggest to take credit on every reviews being put under the company. And this must not be taken for granted, but instead be recorded on the company database for future reference or as a guide to help develop a system to improve and at the same would attend to the needs of the customers.

Although this multinational corporation has been successful for centuries and the structures and processes they’ve developed have been tested over time, they still flawed in one thing which is called the decentralization. Due to this factor, the company has encountered trouble on the matter of internal management. As a result, conditions at a local level will not be thoroughly adapted. It will definitely affect the strong relationship between the company and the customers. Thus, impedes the development of a further secured market in the local scenery.

This intranet strategy will help improve the relationship of the bottlers because of the network created between them. Knowledge management will provide them with facts and points on how greatly serve customer satisfaction. The bottlers are they key source from which knowledge management can acquire data since the bottlers know the community very much and they are considered as the basic unit of the whole Coca Cola System. They believe in winning together because this is the only way to achieve their goals and missions and whose relationship is aiming for a long term destination. This strategy will help them endure a long lasting relationship aiming for a common goal and standards of perfection.

Lastly, the future of Coca Cola’s success lies on improving their information technology. As a newly appointed knowledge management I strongly, suggest the need for an “intranet” system within the company. This will help make a difference in reaching to the needs of the most basic customer level which is the core and foundation of the company. Failure to exhaust and address to this area would bring the whole company to jeopardy.