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Cola Wars

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This paper investigates the strategic management of Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola in an effort to make recommendations on how Pepsi Cola can build strategies in gaining a larger share of the market. The assessment of strategic management begins with the vision and mission of both organizations, which leads into literature review that identifies the consumer preferences of both Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola. Following the literature review is the teams’ own personal assessment of consumer preferences for the Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola brand (Please refer to Appendix A for the assessment). Finalizing the investigation are recommendations for Pepsi Cola to gain a larger share of the market.

The Cola Wars Research Paper
According to an industry report from Hoover’s (2014), the U.S. soft drink industry yields $34 billion annually and continues to grow internationally. The largest markets of consumption for soft drinks outside the U.S. are: Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay (Hoover’s, 2014). The constant change of consumer preferences is what drives Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola to compete for a larger share of the market. The intense rivalry between Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola have been going on since the late 1800’s (Economy Watch, 2011); when Pepsi Cola was born from a “combination of: carbonated water, kola nuts, vanilla, and rare oils” (Pepsi Legacy Book, p.7. 2005). This paper focuses on the diversified strategies of both Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola in their efforts to gain the largest share of the market and the recommendations to capture a larger share of the market.
Vision and Mission
Pepsi Cola
The vision of Pepsi Cola is “to put into action through programs and focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value by making PepsiCo a truly sustainable company” (PepsiCo-purpose, n.d.). One can

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