OPPOSE PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS RANKING OF TANZANIA CIGARETTES COMPANY IN TOP 10 "RESPECTED COMPANIES" LIST

December 2002

TAKE ACTION! Send emails to key East African newspapers that ran the story!

Talking Points :

1) Companies that make money off of products that kill people when used as intended are NOT respectable! PricewaterhouseCoopers' inclusion of the Tanzania Cigarette Company in its Top 10 list of "respected companies" condones corporate murder for profit.

2) While BAT ranked #7 on the list in 2000, it is good to see that the corporate Merchant of Death is not on it this year.

Send a letter of protest to the newspaper that is running the story (and cc it to another paper from the Nation Media Group)

Background:

• Phillip Karugaba (Uganda) reports that in East Africa there is an annual "beauty parade" of the "Most Respected Companies and Most Respected CEO's," sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Nation Media Group. Peers make the selection and the criteria include customer respect levels, market presence etc. This year Tanzania Cigarette Company ranked 6th and its CEO ranked 3rd as, respectively, the "Most respected company" and "Most Respected CEO".

• In 2000, Phillip reported that PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted a survey to determine the most respected chief executive officer, as well as the most respected companies, in East Africa. Both British American Tobacco and Tanzania Cigarettes Company made the "Top Ten" list, ranking #7 and #9 respectively. Other companies listed for were EA Breweries (1), Kenya Airways (2), Coca-Cola (4), Citibank (10).

• In 2002, the good news is BAT is NOT on the lists, despite its #7 place twoyears ago and the dissemination of its "corporate social responsibility" report.

• Letter sent by Phillip Karugaba to key newspapers in opposition to Tanzania Cigarette Company's inclusion in the Top 10 "respected companies" (December 2002):

DEAR SIR,

While I applaud East Africa's best CEOS and companies, I am disappointed to note that a tobacco company, Tanzania Cigarette Company, still made it among the top ten and its CEO was ranked third

How can this be?? How can we possibly honour a company that grows rich from selling an addictive product that kills one in two of its long term consumers? How about the devastated Miombo woodlands in Tanzania felled to cure tobacco? As for honouring its CEO for excellence when he presides over an enterprise selling death, will we give Idi Amin Dada a Nobel prize?

We must recognize the tobacco companies for what they are; vendors of a deadly and addictive product. When they make money people die!

Phillip Karugaba
The Environmental Action Network (TEAN)
UGANDA

• Letters sent from around the world (including several published by The East African)
• Response from PricewaterhouseCoopers manager

Essential Action
Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control
P.O. Box 19405 ~ Washington, DC 20036
Tel: +1 202-387-8030 ~ Fax: +1 202-234-5176
Email: tobacco@essential.org
www.essentialaction.org/tobacco