Case Analysis: The Coca-Cola Company in Japan


As we have seen in Module 3, the influence of culture on customers is sometimes surprising and not necessarily obvious on the surface. The following case offers a good example of how the Japanese cultural environment shapes the action of the iconic U.S.-American Coca-Cola Company. This is also an example of the competitive challenges faced in a mature market.

Procedure
1.Go to the Student Companion Site for Global Marketing Management (text).
2.On the left, click on Web Cases, and then click on Cases in the center of the screen to download the cases provided with the textbook in a WinZip file. (Note: If you do not have WinZip, you can download it free.)
3.Unzip the case studies and then access Case 8, "The Coca-Cola Company in Japan." (Note: The cases are in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it free.)
4.Read the case carefully.
5.In the Forum, please comment on the following (by Wednesday):
a.How did U.S. and Japanese customers, respectively, respond to changes in product offerings? Which cultural factors might have been at play?
b.Which new insights about your own and/or the Japanese culture have you gained? Please name two or more.
c.Please read your peers' submissions and make at least one substantive comment to a posting. Respond to questions or comments by your peers and faculty.
6.In an MS Word document, answer the following questions:
a.How have the United States and the Japanese cultures affected operations in each country? (Please use the information provided in the case and draw on the textbook readings.)
b.What does Coca-Cola, in the face of increasing competition, need to do next to defend its position in Japan?