readily than any other product in the world. . Coca-Cola has succeeded in becoming a dominant global force present in many marketplaces. Coca-Cola is sold in 195 countries around the world and requested in more than 80 languages today. (Frederick p. 37) Regardless of how the markets are classified, or the various strategies implemented for introducing Coca-Cola to new areas, the notion is the same; that is, that different countries can have the same needs and the same demands for the same products. (Moran p. 23) It is this exact sentiment that many people criticize when speaking of globalization and its impact on developing markets. This supposed convergence in global demand has not developed out of sheer desire for products like Coca-Cola in foreign and developing countries. Instead, items like Coca-Cola are made readily available by multi-national companies and thus said to be desired everywhere. Theoretically, the consumer does not choose to spend his money on Coca-Cola, rather, he is forced to. Its in his face. Many people feel that globalization has been driven by the commercial interests of large American based transnational corporations, often acting in collaboration with western political and military interests, and that this process has resulted in a new form of dependency in which cultures are destroyed through the intrusion of Western values. (Thompson p. 36) Coke does not adapt to local cultures as much as it forces Western Ideologies upon specific foreign cultures. Its presence does not adapt to local environments as much as it alters them. For Coca-Cola there are no barriers of custom, race or creeds to prevent Coke from achieving its mission; to become the universal drink.There are quite a few people who have vehemently objected to Coca-Colas presence in their countries. Some of the most vibrant and articulate resistance to Coca-Colas globalization's mal-effects can be found in India. In 1977, George Fernandes,...
