Coca- Cola Overview

Introduction

The Coca-Cola Company is a leading manufacturer, distributor and marketer of soft drink concentrates and syrups, juice and juice-drink products. The company is a profitable company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange. The original product was formulated in 1886 by john Pemberton, a pharmacist in Atlanta Georgia, who sold it at a local drug store soda fountain as a "treatment for the mental and physical disorders. A few years later, Asa Candler acquired the formula, established a sales force and began advertising the brand of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola became incorporated in 1919 and is now the largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of non- alcoholic beverages in the world.

Nature of the Business

Today Coca-Cola markets and connects with consumers using a portfolio of nearly 400 brands in over 200 different countries. Coca-Cola has five strategic business units: North America, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East. The company adopted their strategies of success using the following strategic priorities: A. Accelerated carbonated soft-drink growth, led by Coca Cola B. selectively broaden the family of beverage brands to drive profitable growths C. grow system profitability and capability together with our bottling partners. D. Direct investments to highest –potential areas across markets. E. Drive efficiency and cost effectiveness everywhere. In 2003 Coca-Cola Company products comprised of about 10% of total worldwide sales of non-alcoholic beverage products. The company's' primary competitor in many countries is PepsiCo. Other significant competitors include Nestle S.A., Cadbury Schweppes plc, Groupe Danone, and Kraft Foods Inc., among others. The remaining portion will evaluate the performance and give an investment outlook of the Coca-Cola Co using market and ratio analysis.

Market Position of Coca Cola in the US:

Coca Cola plays a major in its industry, not only in the U.