Question

Coca-Cola acquired its bottlers and created a national vertically integrated business operation in 2010. After spending 12.3 billion USD to acquire Coca-Cola Enterprises, its largest bottling partner, it reversed course in 2015 and sold off all its bottling operations. This is an example of a failed diversification effort.True / False.

Answer 1

False

Step-by-step explanation:

This is an example of a failed vertical integration, not failed diversification. Coca Cola generally doesn't produce any Coke itself, it mostly licenses it Coke production. It started to vertically integrate bottlers during the 2008-2010 financial crisis, since the largest Coke bottler in the world operated in Greece (it supplied Coke to most of Europe). After Greece collapsed, Coca Cola purchased the bottler and relocated its headquarters to Switzerland.

Since the bottlers themselves only sell Coke and related products (diet Coke, Coke zero, Fanta, Sprite, etc.) it cannot be considered a product diversification because no new product was added to Coca Cola's product line and no new market was served.

Answer 2

True

Step-by-step explanation:

Coke tried to diversify into the bottling industry by acquiring their bottlers and in the process creating a vertically integrated business. However, 5 years later, they did find out how difficult it was and it led to a failed diversification effort when sold off their bottling operations. This was majorly due to the fact that the bottling business required too much capital investment and time. Capital investment and time that an already large enterprise like coca cola couldn't afford at that period. The initial aim was to have control over the whole production process, but soon after the diversification failed, they went back to producing just the concentrates.