June 7, 2007
“One thing I should have done was to appear in India three years ago and say : ‘Cut it out. These products are the safest in the world, bar none and your tests are wrong”, PepsiCo CEO and global chief Indra Nooyi told US-based magazine Business Week in an interview. It is a typical example of the alienated state of a colonised mind that India-born Houston citizen Nooyi possesses. Working for promotion of the interests of an American company, she not only scolded science which is universal, but also questioned the credibility, reliability and authenticity of Indian scientific laboratories.
Before the pesticides-in-cola controversy, the Supreme Court had pulled up PepsiCo in December 2002 for damaging environment by painting advertisements on rocks in the Himalayan mountains. Afterwards, the company was condemned worldwide for depleting ground water for its various bottling plants in India. It is worth mentioning here that she was CFO of PepsiCo at that time.
PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited asked the government to delete the 1997 clause which requires it to divest to Indian shareholders 49 per cent equity in bottling operations acquired from independent local bottlers within five years from the date of acquisition. The company sought the deletion of this clause with the argument that the existing policy allows 100 per cent FDI in food processing.
June 9, 2007
PepsiCo International said it would build a snacks production plant in the Russian town of Azov and invest $ 170 million over 5 years in the project.
June 18, 2007
In the backdrop of pesticides in cola controversy, Pepsi India decided to stamp a quality assurance seal of ‘One Quality Worldwide’ across all its product labels of carbonated beverages, non-carbs, flavours, sports drink Gatorada, aquafina water and snack foods. It is yet another gimmic of PepsiCo to try to win the confidance of consumers who have abandoned its products questioning their quality. Since the pesticide controversy, the company has been running counter campaigns including advertisements in the mass media. One of the adds even showed Rajeev Bakshi, the then chairman, talking about the products being safe.
Taking cue from its ‘Red Lounge’ experience of the US and Singapore, Coca-Cola is moving beyond just delivering bottles at retail points into the lounge bandwagon. It aims at providing a one-time stop destination for the youth to hang out, which offers a variety of attraction such as watching TV on a giant CD screen, playing video games, surfing the net and chatting.
June 27, 2007
Coca-Cola India awarded a Rs. 84 crore contract to Jain Irrigation System for supplying mango pulp for Mazza. Jain Irrigation recently acquired the Israeli firm–Nandan.
July 1, 2007
PepsiCo Inc’s chairperson and CEO Indra K. Nooyi, an old hand in mergers and acquisitions, mergers gave the mantra of ‘Grab and Grow’ to the India team. Since the company generates worldwide $ 5 billion surplus cash every year, their is no limit on the number of acquisitions. She told the India office to push hand for buyouts in milk-based beverages, juices and convenience food this year. She had expanded the PepsiCo’s empire by leading the company’s team that acquired Quake Oats in a $ 13.8 billion deal - as well as Tropican Juices.
July 2, 2007
In a story entitled ‘Coke develops thirst for sustainability’, Jenny Wiggins wrote, “Anti-Coke websites claim the business model of the world’s leading soft drinks group involves ‘waste, pollution and questionable nutrition’... A survey in March on Coke Europe by Dutch management school Vleric Leuven Ghent found more than 40 per cent people canvassed thought the soft drinkss group was not making a positive contribution to society.”
{Compilation : Dr. Anandi}
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