First, fast, furious...Bangladeshi business blog

We provide
--social media strategies for Bangladeshi businesses worldwide
--public speaking on Bangladeshi businesses and social media
--paid product/service/website reviews of Bangladeshi companies

Interested to place an advertisement for your business?

Friday, June 22, 2007

Plant saplings, smoke cigarettes and make money

British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) will distribute .20 million saplings free of cost from today (Friday), reports FE. No wonder BATB has chosen a holy day in Bangladesh to start a noble activity--distributing small saplings, which would grow big one day, disburse valuable oxygen in the air, so that we, the Bangladeshis, can inhale it to live a few days longer. As we are already in the process of shortening our lifecycle thanks to what is produced by BATB in the end of the day. Countries like ours is always a prime location for tobacco companies to do business, as their profit margins in the West shrink day by day, facing opposition from health/environment activists and people's consciousness, tobacco kings opt for our territories where smoking related awareness of health hazards is still low. A funny argument by someone I know was that, since alcohol is not publicly available in Bangladesh, except in licensed bars and hotels, people need 'something' to 'be on a high', 'to get a kick', 'to feel important' etc. and thus the ONLY easily available, cheaper option they have is ofcourse--cigarettes. So we smoke since we don't get to drink that often since ours is a 'conservative society' where drinking alcohol is forbidden but smoking is welcome, BATB is welcome too. Nevertheless BATB had been a very obedient corporate citizen of the country, paying high taxes regularly, employing many graduates, planting trees here and there, arranging B&H sponsored youth concerts etc. Thanks for the eye-washing CSRs, but what is the future strategy for tobacco producers like BATB? Will they continue to do business until people actually reduce or quit smoking? Well in Bangladesh, it still seems a far cry, so until then, its money making time for BATB, and ofcourse time for planting saplings too!

No comments: