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The Coca Cola Company

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The Following involves the analysis of the costing techniques
followed by the company along with its Budgeting system. It
also involves the Investment appraisal analysis for the given
data.

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[Pick the date]




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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

CONTENTS:
1)INTRODUCTION....03
2)FOUNDATION AND HISTORY...03
3)COSTING TECHNIQUES..04
4)COCA COLAS COSTING TECHNIQUE ..05
5)BUDGETING SYSTEMS.06
6)BUDGETING SYSTEM OF COCA COLA 07
7)INVESTMENT APPRAISAL ANALYSIS..10
8)CONCLUSION12
9)REFERENCES.13












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INTRODUCTION:
Share a COKE , Share the happiness.
The above statement is the slogan for the Coca-cola Company which has now become 125 years old. The
slogan says Share the Happiness , it is a notable fact that the Costing technique and the budgeting system
is one of the factors responsible for bringing out that happiness.
The following assignment involves the Analysis of the costing techniques and the costing technique
followed by the company along with the Budgeting system of the company.
The History of the Coca-cola Company can be briefly explained as follows :
The Foundation and Progress :
It was in the year 1886 when Dr.John Pemberton created a great-tasting beverage that was first served as
a fountain dring at Jacobs Pharmacy in Downtown , Atlanta ,Georgia. The business started small, with a
modest nine drinks served a day.
In the 1920s,Robert Woodruff, then President of the Coca Cola Company, envisioned global expansion
and developed a separate organization within the Company specifically designed to market and sell coca
cola outside the United States. By 1930, Coca-cola was bottled in 27 countries. The subsequent years
brought continued product expansion, particularly during the world war time period.
Over the years, Coca-cola gained popularity worldwide and with it the consumer demand for new
products and packaging emerged with the growth in the beverage portfolio.The current year 2011 marks
the 125
th
anniversary of coca cola which has seen unbelievable growth and expansion reaching upto 200
countries in the world with over 500 brands and 3500 beverage products. (Reference: The story of Coca
cola Lonnie Bell , The annual report of Coca Cola 2010)
COSTING TECHNIQUES :
The most common costing techniques followed by major MNC (Multi National
Companies) would include Absorption Costing Technique and Marginal Costing Technique. The new
method introduced to the list is Activity Based Costing Technique, which is generally used as a internal
decision-making tool.



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The Efficiency of a companys performance is based on the type of costing technique the company uses
and the Budgeting system it follows. Focusing on the costing techniques, The Absorption costing
technique is a costing technique where all normal costs whether it is variable or fixed costs are charged to
cost units produced.

Process costing is used by companies that produce many units of essentially the same product, like Coca-
Cola Co. or Scott's paper towels. The costs incurred in producing such homogeneous products are pretty
much the same for every unit produced.
Basically the definition for Process costing is that it is an accounting system that gathers direct and
indirect costs of manufacturing and then averages them out into a "cost per unit" for each product. Process
costing is the opposite of Job costing, which determines the specific cost for each task in a procedure of
creating a product.
(References: Life cycle:Costing techniques,models and applications by B.S.Dhillon
Accounting and Finance in Business by Mike Bendrey ,Roger Hussey,Colston West
College accounting coach)











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COCA COLAS COSTING TECHNIQUE:
The Coca Cola Company operates in more than 200 countries and markets more than 500 brands
and 3,500 beverage products. It is a essentiality that the company should follow a well organized costing
technique to sustain the position the company holds in the world. The costing technique followed by the
Coca-cola Company is Process Costing which is one of the forms of Absorption Costing.
The Coca-cola company is a homogeneous product manufacturer company. With 1.7 Billions units sold a
day, the company is the largest soft drink manufacturer in the world and hence it becomes important to
have a simple accounting system to determine how much these products should be sold at. The process
costing determines the average cost for each unit so that it is easy to sell both a large amount of products
or a small amount and understand how much profit is being made on the products. This type of
accounting system would not be as effective if the company was creating many different items that had
different costs of tasks throughout the process.
With this costing technique , a Manager can easily determine if there is a weak link in production chain
by keeping an eye on the cost per unit each day. Using the accounting programs involved in process
costing, a manager can figure out where in the process the item's per unit cost is going up. This way a
single manager or a team of managers can monitor millions of units being produced without needing to
check on each department unless a problem comes up. By the same token, these numbers need to be
watched diligently, as a change of even a fraction of a cent can cost thousands of dollars quite quickly.
The Advantages that are equipped with the use of this costing technique in a company like Coca Cola can
be stated as follows:
y The company can determine the importance of fixed costs in production
y Financial accounts prepared with less expenses
y Shows less fluctuation in net profit when production remains constant and sales fluctuate.









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The following table shows the companys Financial highlights and performance which is based on the
Process costing.

Performance of the Process costing technique followed by Coca Cola Over the Years:
Year Ended December 31, 2010 2009 2008 2007
(in millions US$)
SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS
Net operating revenues 35119 30990 31944 28857
Operating income 8449 8231 8446 7252
Net income attributable to shareowners of the
Coca-cola Company
11809 6824 5807 5981

BALANCE SHEET DATA
Total Assets 75921 48671 40519 43269
Long term debt 14041 5059 2781 3277

BUDGETING SYSTEM:
Specific plans for saving and spending income are made and carried out by organizations. These
plans, or budgets, are essential for development, spending and saving priorities. Properly preparing a
budget also serves as a reference to check how well money is being managed during a period by allowing
managers to see actual revenues and expenses compared to budgeted revenues and expenses.
There are several steps that should be followed to successfully implement a budget. These include setting
financial goals, planning budget categories, maintaining financial records, and balancing and adjusting the
budget. Setting financial goals is the starting point in the budgeting process



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Coca-Colas Budgeting System:
Coca Cola makes or licenses over 3,000 drinks in some 200 countries. It owns 32% of Mexico's
bottler Coca-Cola FEMSA and 23% of European bottler Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling. In the fiscal year
ending in December of 2009, the company reported sales of approximately 30.99 billion dollars and
92,800 employees. The Coca-Cola system has become a global business that operates on a local scale in
every community it does business.
The Coca Cola Company follows the Envelope Budgeting system. The envelope budgeting system is a
process that works by assigning income to various virtual Containers called Envelopes. Its Appeal is in
its simplicity, even though there are a lot of tools out there to make it complicated. The envelopes would
contain the amount of cash or a note listing the amount to be used particular sections. If an envelope is
depleted, The funds must come from another envelope in the system.
There are many Justified reasons for the Coca-cola company to follow this budgeting system. They
include the factor of simple to use and intuitive with the benefit that the expenditures are fixed at a certain
amount . The envelopes are consistently non-zero and are also used to adjust the budget of the company.
The system cannot handle large emergencies , provided that the company is not cash rich.
Working with nearly 300 bottling partners , the Company has improved its budget reaches and
added more than 1 billion incremental unit cases of volume to its business. The Unit case volume grew
by five percent and exceeded the long term growth target. In the year 2010 , the company generated $ 9.5
Billion in cash from operations, upto 16 percent over 2009. The company has returned $7.2 Billion to the
Shareowners. Being immensely cash rich , the company has decided on the commitment to more than $25
Billion in new system investments over the next five years 2012-2017.
Also, The Coca cola system is observed to be following both accrual based appropriations and Obligation
based appropriations.
y The Obligation based appropriations give rights to make commitments and to make cash
payments according to these commitments. Such appropriations have their own life cycle and are
not limited to one year.



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y The Accrual based appropriations cover full costs , for the operations of a department and other
increases in liabilities or decreases in assets. Full costs are the goods and services consumed over
a period.
The alternate budgeting systems available for the company are Tracking to the penny budgeting
system and capital budgeting system.
With tracking to the penny budgeting system , the company can track every single expenditure it
makes by the end of the day.Such information plays a vital role in making future decisions about
spending which can be made risk free and also it helps to identify Budget leaks,
With the Capital Budgeting system, The company can look forward to further solidification of their
grounds in foreign countries by planning long term investments and expenses with the system.
(References: Public Budgeting Systems Robert D.Lee and Ronald Wayne , Coca Cola Annual
Reports and Sustainability reports , Budgeting systems A handbook for distributors by
Theodore Cohn and Roy A.Lindberg.)











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INVESTMENT APPRAISAL ANALYSIS ON THE GIVEN DATA:


It is given that you are working for JD Printing Ltd., as a Finance Assistant and your
manager asked you to perform an investment appraisal analysis on a new capital investment. The
company is considering renewing one of their printing machines and they have found three possible
options. You are required to evaluate these different options in your report and recommend one of them
for purchasing. The companys cost of capital is 15% and the company usually accepts projects with
payback period shorter than 5 years period.

Table 1: The projections with regards to the printing equipments
Machine A Machine B Machine C
Price () 1,000,000 550,000 400,000
Expected economic life 6 Years 6 Years 6 Years
Year 1 revenue () 150,000 85,000 70,000
Year 2 revenue () 230,000 120,000 125,000
Year 3 revenue () 400,000 190,000 150,000
Year 4 revenue () 300,000 195,000 165,000
Year 5 revenue () 250,000 200,000 120,000
Year 6 revenue () 140,000 180,000 80,000
Scrap value () 150,000 40,000 Nil








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Table 2: Present Value Factors
Year/Rate 14% 15% 16% 17% 18% 19%
1 0.8772 0.8696 0.8621 0.8547 0.8475 0.8403
2 0.7695 0.7561 0.7432 0.7305 0.7182 0.7062
3 0.675 0.6575 0.6407 0.6244 0.6086 0.5934
4 0.5921 0.5718 0.5523 0.5337 0.5158 0.4987
5 0.5194 0.4972 0.4761 0.4561 0.4371 0.419
6 0.4556 0.4323 0.4104 0.3898 0.3704 0.3521
7 0.3996 0.3759 0.3538 0.3332 0.3139 0.2959
8 0.3506 0.3269 0.305 0.2848 0.266 0.2487
9 0.3075 0.2843 0.263 0.2434 0.2255 0.209
10 0.2697 0.2472 0.2267 0.208 0.1911 0.1756

The companys cost of capital is 15%
Therefore Total outlay = 15% of the Capital.
It is projected that the returns extend over 5 years.
Calculation for the payback period:
For Machine A The price is 1,000,000 Euros
Total Returns is given by
150,000+230,000+400,000+300,000+250,000+140,000=1,470,000 Euros
Average rate of returns (Internal Rate of return)=245,000 Euros/Year.
Net return= 470,000 Euros
%Net Return=47%
The payback period was calculated to be more than 3.5 years and to be exact , the total investment is
covered in the fourth year.



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For Machine B- The price is 550,000.
Total Returns =85,000+120,000+190,000+195,000+200,000+180,000=970,000 Euros
Average rate of return( Internal Rate of return)=161,666.66/Year.
Payback period was calculated to be the same as the previous machine.
Net Return=420,000 Euros
%Net Return=76%
For Machine C- The price is 400,000 Euros.
Total Returns =70,000+125,000+150,000+165,000+120,000+80,000=710,000 Euros
Average Rate of Return=118,333.33/Year.
Payback period was also calculated to be the same.
Net Return=310,000Euros
%Net Return=77%
NET PRESENT VALUE METHOD:
YEAR CASHFLOW DISCOUNT
@ 15 %
PRESENT VALUE
MACHINE 1 2 3 1,2&3 1 2 3
0 1,000,000 550,000 400,000 1.000 1,000,000 550,000 400,000
1 150,000 85,000 70,000 0.8696 130440 73916 60872
2 230,000 120,000 125,000 0.7561 173903 90732 94512.5
3 400,000 190,000 150,000 0.6575 263000 124925 98625
4 300,000 195,000 165,000 0.5718 171540 111501 94347
5 250,000 200,000 120,000 0.4972 124300 99440 59664
6 140,000 180,000 80,000 0.4323 60552 77814 34584
NPR -76265 28382 42604



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The Machine C is preferable due to the following reasons:
y Low payback period
y High Net Present Value

CONCLUSION:

The future is not simply a reflection of what has happened in the past but there are always
changes either in the economic condition, competitive condition or even the customer needs
and desires. Process costing suits the requirements of most managers in satisfying customers
needs and at the same time gain profit for their organizations as it focuses less on cost and
considers customers wants and requests to be the primary cost driver.
Nowadays, supply chain partners are selected before the product development, regardless
whether process costing is being used or not. But choosing the right supply chain partner can
affect in whether the process cost is reached or not. By implementing process costing within
the supply chain, they can select the most appropriate product development and process
technologies, eliminate cost overruns, limit the design problems and deliver the lowest priced,
highest valued products to the final customers.
The managers make decisions based on three main aspects, which are planning, directing and
motivating and controlling. Planning involves identifying alternatives and selecting one that fits
the organizations strategy and objectives, in which it is the managers duties to make sure the
maximization of their profits.








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REFERENCES:

Bishop, W. R. (2003). Leveraging In-Store Systems for Competitive Advantage. Bishop
Consulting, pp 1-19.
Business Week. (14 November 2005). Coca Cola: How the Swedish Retailer Became a Global Cult
Brand. Available from:
http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/05_46/b3959001.htm?chan=gl.
Chain Store Age. (1 April 2006). One Message Wont Fit All: Retailers Reveal Multicultural
Marketing Tactics. Available from:
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/aml_landing_tt.pl?page=aml_article_print.html
Economist.com. (11 May 2006). Flat-pack Accounting. Available from:
http://www.economist.com/business/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id+6919139.
Konzelmann, S., Wilkinson, F., Craypo, C., and Aridi, R. (2005). Varieties of Capitalism in
Competition: Wal-Mart and Coca Cola, pp 1-46.
Matchette, J.B. and von Lewinski, H. (2005). Is Your Supply Chain Ready to Enable Profitable
Growth and High Performance? Accenture, pp 1-12.
Normann, R. and Ramirez, R. (July/August 1993). From Value Chain to Value Constellation:
Designing Interactive Strategy. Harvard Business Review, Volume: 71, Issue: 4. Available from:
http://www.ximb.ac.in/users/fac/dpdash/dpdash.nsf/pages/BP_Constellation.
Roberts, D. (27 February 2007). Swedening the Pot. Grist. Available from:
http://www.grist.org/cgi-bin/printthis.pl?url=/news/maindish/2007/02/27/ikea/index.html.
The Formation and Extraordinary Growth of Coca Cola. The Case Studies, pp 392-414.
Wharton. (7 April 2004). Coca Cola: Furnishing Good Employee Benefits Along with Dining Sets.
Available from: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=959.

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