And Mr Ivester is not as charming a politician as his predecessor, Roberto Goizueta.

ECONOMIST: Going for Coke | The

His replacement, Douglas Ivester, was forced to step down after two years.

ECONOMIST: Coca-Cola has turned to its past to find a new boss

Coke stock has slid sideways in the hands of Goizueta's hapless successors--first, Douglas Ivester, who lasted all of 26 months, now Douglas Daft.

FORBES: Gone Flat

But then, at the height of his troubles in 1999, Mr Ivester claimed in a magazine interview not to be feeling any stress.

ECONOMIST: Soft drinks

Both Moore and Ivester can say that they saw the Internet at its nastiest (even if they encouraged it) and lived to tell the tale.

FORBES: IsAnyoneUp Is Now Permanently Down

In February, Mr Ivester's successor, Douglas Daft, suddenly announced his retirement.

ECONOMIST: Coca-Cola has turned to its past to find a new boss

Mr Mintzberg points out that when Harvard Business School boasted of its alumni CEOs, the list included Frank Lorenzo, remembered for presiding over Eastern Airlines' bankruptcy, and Doug Ivester, unceremoniously booted from Coca-Cola.

ECONOMIST: The MBA, changing and static

None of this would be possible without the backing of Mr Daft, who is determined to make Coke a more intuitive, touchy-feely kind of organisation than it was under the numbers-driven Mr Ivester.

ECONOMIST: Soft drinks

After shuttering the college gossip site Juicy Campus, which attracted the ire of many a college student for providing a forum for STD rumors and anonymous personal attacks, its founder Matt Ivester published a book with advice on protecting your online reputation and fighting cyberbullying.

FORBES: IsAnyoneUp Is Now Permanently Down