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Coke Ethical Issue

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COKE ETHICAL ISSUE
WHO IS THE REAL GUILTY?

The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia. The Coca-Cola formula and brand was bought in 1889 by Asa Griggs Candler (December 30, 1851 - March 12, 1929), who incorporated The Coca-Cola Company in 1892. On June 13, 1999, Coca-Cola (Coke) recalled over 15 million cans and bottles after the Belgian Health Ministry announced a ban on Coca cola's drinks, which were suspected of making more than 100 school children ill in the preceding six days.This recall was in addition to the 2.5 million bottles that had already been recalled in the previous week. The company's products namely Coca cola, Diet Cola and Fanta had been bottled in Antwerp, Ghent and Wilrijk, Belgium while some batches of Coca cola, Diet Coca cola, Fanta and Sprite were also produced in Dunkirk, France. Children at six schools in Belgium had complained of headache, nausea, vomiting and shivering which ultimately led to hospitalization after drinking Coca cola's beverages.A week after the reported ilnesses, the Coca cola company responded.They said that The Coca cola company`s highet priority is the quality of our products.We deeply regret any problems encountered by our European consumers in the past few days.At this time, the company identified two specific production and distribution problems:(1)Off-quality carbon dioxide that affected tha taste and odor of some bottled drinks.(2)An offensive odor on the outside of some canned drinks.The odor appeared to intensify when the cans were stored in vending-machines.Belgium crisis was not the real ethical problem of

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