Publications
Publications
- August 2009 (Revised August 2009)
- HBS Case Collection
Swire Beverages: Implementing CSR in China
By: Christopher Marquis, G.A. Donovan and YiKwan Chu
Abstract
Swire Beverage, the largest Coca-Cola bottler in China, recently created a corporate social responsibility (CSR) organization to oversee environmental, community, health and safety initiatives at the companies' nine bottling plants in China. The case considers organizational design decisions in setting up the committee to oversee the diverse CSR initiatives that occurred in the dispersed plant locations, and the ongoing work to better connect CSR activities to Swire Beverage's brand and business strategy. Furthermore, the Swire Beverage CSR team needed to balance the interests of important stakeholders such as the Coca-Cola company, and corporate parent John Swire and Sons. Finally, the case also illustrates some of the key challenges of implementing CSR programs in China, particularly the difficulty of finding suitable NGO partners.
Keywords
Brands and Branding; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizational Design; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Non-Governmental Organizations; Food and Beverage Industry; China
Citation
Marquis, Christopher, G.A. Donovan, and YiKwan Chu. "Swire Beverages: Implementing CSR in China." Harvard Business School Case 410-021, August 2009. (Revised August 2009.)