The EKOCENTER: A Case Study in Coca-Cola, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Bluewashing
2015-05
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The EKOCENTER: A Case Study in Coca-Cola, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Bluewashing
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2015-05
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In 2013 The Coca-Cola Company announced their latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) project: the EKOCENTER. Envisioned for communities lacking access to safe drinking water, the EKOCENTER kiosks contain vaccine storage, wireless communication technology, clean drinking water, and Coca-Cola products under the premise of "social enterprise."� In light of the global water crisis, a textual and visual analysis of the CSR press release materials produced by The Coca-Cola Company in addition to media coverage highlights the ways in which Coca-Cola utilizes public concern about the environment and public health in order to safeguard their position as the world's largest beverage distributer. The EKOCENTER's discourse exemplifies "bluewashing"� rhetoric that contests negative perceptions of Coca-Cola. Furthermore, the EKOCENTER discourse glosses over the contradiction between Coca-Cola's reliance on water access for their business model and Earth's limited fresh water supply. The EKOCENTER embodies a precarious deferment of water stewardship and governance to transnational corporations.
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University of Minnesota M.A. thesis. May 2015. Major: Communication Studies. Advisor: Mark Pedelty. 1 computer file (PDF); iii, 86 pages.
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