BAT jobs, tax data just more smoke, mirrors
British American Tobacco this week ran its annual PR drive to cement its credentials as a good corporate citizen in South Africa
How do you convince yourself that you are doing good? You can stand in front of the bathroom mirror and shout motivational affirmations, but your kids will question your sanity. You could do some research which shows how good you are. Or, even better, outsource the research to a credible third party. You have to pay, but you get to frame the questions to give you the outcome you desire. Then you issue a press release, brief the media, avoid awkward questions and end the day with an enhanced image. The tobacco industry has played this game for decades. British American Tobacco, which is trying to buy the balance of the shares in Camel maker RJ Reynolds that it doesn't already own, this week ran its annual PR drive to cement its credentials as a good corporate citizen in South Africa. The statistics are impressive. It employs 2,200 people in South Africa, mostly at a manufacturing facility in Heidelberg from where it exports many of its products, so it also generates foreign exchange ...
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