Case # 16 Coke & Pepsi In India: Issues, Ethics & Crisis Management

Questions 3 &4

3. Are these companies ignoring their responsibilities in India, or

is something else at work?

The companies arguably have been attacked due to their

foreign roots.
One might note that all the pesticide allegations were the
result of testing by special-interest groups not government
sanctioned testing.
As noted in the case, some Indian produced milk products
and teas contain more pesticides than do Coke and Pepsi
products.

Further, we have seen both companies take steps to address

the allegations and to improve the Indian community in
various ways.

Why does it seem that Coke has become a larger and more
frequent target than Pepsi in India? Did having an Indian-born
CEO help Pepsis case?

I would argue that having an Indian-born CEO helped

remove Pepsi from the focal point of criticism.
 Consumers are more likely to relate to one of their own and
Indra Nooyis visit to India solidified the validity of the
product in her fellow countrymens eyes.