Coca-Cola Case Study: An Ethics Incident

Dr. Wilhelmina Ford Dr. Robert Stephens Dr. Linda Cooper Macon State College

Archive of Marketing Education

August, 2007

Coca-Cola Case Study: An Ethics Incident

Introduction The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, sponsored by US Senator Paul Sarbanes and US Representative Michael Oxley, represents the biggest change to federal securities laws since the New Deal. (11). One of the first companies to become involved in the new act was the Coca-Cola Company which represents an internationally recognized brand product. In 2003, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Coca-Cola Company came together in Georgia courtroom when former Coca-Cola employee Matthew Whitley’s lawsuits against the company went to trial. Whitley had filed for protection under the whistleblower provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Whistle-blower protection is not new, but the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for the first time provided a system of protection for employees of publicly owned businesses. The need for such a law was evidenced by the abuses and wrongdoings at Enron and other companies. Matthew Whitley discovered such abuses and wrongdoings at the CocaCola Company and sought action, thus shedding light on misconduct at one of the world’s most well-known corporations. The History of The Coca-Cola Company The global Coca-Cola Company, founded and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is known for its close ties to the city and, in particular, its philanthropic history. In 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton created the soft drink Coca-Cola by combining soda water, lime, cinnamon, coca leaves, and Brazilian shrub weeds. The drink was originally sold in Atlanta in Jacob’s Pharmacy for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink. The actual “Coca-Cola” trademark was suggested by Pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson. Robinson thought that a name with