Enter the World of Business: Keurig Green Mountain Brews Effective Communication Keurig Green Mountain, a leader in the specialty coffee industry sells coffee and beverage selections through a coordinated, multichannel distribution network of wholesale and consumer direct operations. The company also sells Keurig brewers and single-pack coffee packets. Keurig is decentralized with few layers of management. It has functional departments that vary across the company, but the emphasis is on open communication that allows employees access to all levels of the organization. Digital communication informs groups of decisions; verbal communication is used in meetings to share views; and written communication, such as agendas, outline meeting results and guide efficient decision making. The companys choice of communication channels ensures that the collaborative nature of getting things done is spread equally throughout the company. A major objective of Keurig is corporate social responsibility, but it has been criticized for its large amount of waste its pods have created. To address this issue, the company has set a goal for its pods to be 100 percent recyclable by 2020. In 2016, JAB Holding Company purchased Keurig Green Mountain for $13.9 billion and it became a privately held corporation.

Considering this information, answer the three questions below. Question 1 What types of communication does Keurig Green Mountain use within its organization? Question 2 Why do you think strong communication is important in a decentralized organization with few layers of management?

Question 3 What are some of the advantages of using functional departmentalization?