I'd Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta [Hardcover]

David Greising (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471194085 | ISBN-13: 978-0471194088 | Publication Date: March 6, 1998 | Edition: 1

Robert Goizueta created more stockholder wealth than anyone in history. Here's how he did it...

The late Roberto Goizueta helped catapult the successful but stagnant Coca-Cola into the world's most powerful brand and one of the greatest generators of stockholder wealth in history. At the time of his death, he was hailed in papers around the world as one of the most innovative and successful CEO's of our time. Yet little is known of this corporate maverick. This is his story.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

David Greising's biography of Roberto Goizueta is the story of how Coca-Cola became one of the world's leading brands. The story follows Goizueta, a chemical engineer, who first worked for Coca-Cola in Cuba. After the revolution, Goizueta came to the United States and went on to become the youngest vice-president ever at Coca-Cola. In 1980, Goizueta became president of Coca-Cola and presided over the world's largest soft drink company until his death from lung cancer in 1997.

Greising presents a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at some of the most high-profile business stories that happened during Goizueta's tenure, such as Coca-Cola's purchase and subsequent sale of Columbia Pictures; the disastrous reformulation of the New Coke; how Coca-Cola swept Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall; and Goizueta's dealings in bringing the Olympics to Atlanta in 1996. Compelling and easy-to-read, I'd Like the World to Buy a Coke is a must for those interested in how one company created and marketed a brand like no other.

From Library Journal

A fascinating and readable chronicle of how a lowly chemical engineer rose through the ranks to become the CEO of Coca-Cola and then proceeded to transform the giant company into a truly global brand name, tripling the corporation's size.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471194085
• ISBN-13: 978-0471194088
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,113,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars All about Coke, November 5, 2001

By 

Shona R Saxon (Santa Monica, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'd Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta (Paperback)

Robert Goizueta was on of the most influencial business men of his time. He changed the entire formula of Coke as a product and as a company. The numerous accounts of Goizueta's plans to take coke totally global shown a new light on the world of coke. It was facinating to learn about the behind-the-scenes action that took place to make Coke in to a Brand Name Monster. I would recommend this book to anyone who was interested in finding out how Coke became the most recognizable name in almost all the world and the life story of Robert Goizueta. I don't think, however, it is a good book if you are looking for an enlightening economical outlook.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Coca-Cola's History, March 22, 2002

By 

Maria Kozak (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'd Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta (Hardcover)

Maria Kozak
per.4
3/22/02
Economcs
Mr. Jimenez

I LIke To Buy The World A Coke, David Greising
John Wiley &Sons, Inc., 1997, 304 pages

David Greising- is the Atlanta bureau cheif of Business Week magazine. He is also an author of: "Brokers", "Bagmen& Moles: Fraund and Corruption in the Chicago Futures Market".

The main idea of this book is to show the reader a life history of a Roberto Goizueta

The book, "I Like World To Buy A Coke" by David Greising gives us very detailed information on Coke Compnany history. Robert Goizueta, CEO of the Coca-Cola was a Cuban imigrant. Thanks to his ambitious character he was able to start a new better life in United States of America. He menaged to live through all the obstacles of an immigrant and become most succesful CEO. Thanks to his possition and strength he changed Coca-Cola into the most profitable corrporation. Who knew that Coca-Cola was loosing its market for Pepsi? If you want to learn more about Coca-Cola you've got to read this book!

"Some of the materials were repeated" (A reader from Malysia).
"This is unauthorized bibliography and the author makes some assumptions and leaps of faith that are not substantiated sufficiently" (A reader from North Carolina).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Just Coke, September 1, 2006

By 

Mohan Babu "Globalization and Me" (Global) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'd Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta (Paperback)

The book is about a man who would have liked the world to buy a coke. David's journalistic narrative makes the story extremely readable. It is interesting how he brings out minutiae of the cradle-to-grave of Goizueta's life-journey with Coke. Sprinkled with some management talk and significance of Goizueta's penchant for Economic Value Added, the book makes for an interesting read.

As I was reading the book, the IT executive was trying to ask if there are lessons for technologists in the book.
* Without a formal management and operational background, Goizueta transformed himself from a technologist - who loved solving problems like rust on soda bottle tops - to a business leaders who had coke run in his vein.
* A leader with a genuine love for his product, with enough foresight to know when he screwed up and rolled back New Coke (though he personally loved it)