The United Steelworkers of America and an international rights group sued Coca-Cola Friday, alleging trade unionists at plants that bottle the company’s soft drinks in Colombia are systematically intimidated, kidnapped and killed
Interactive voice-response systems are torture. Why do businesses insist on using a technology that alienate their customers so much?
For decades, we’ve been living in a fast-food world. Suddenly, everywhere you look, there’s McTrouble. Could it be that we’re finally overcoming our addiction to saturated fat and cardboard chips, to Happy Meals and nursery décor? Could the burger era really be coming to an end at last?
While Exxon shrugs off protests, the sheer size of the public backlash and the long-term effects on branding could be more of a problem than the company has anticipated
Sandline is the one of the world’s leading private military corporations — corporate mercenaries. In that capacity they will do just just about anything for a client government or genuine, internationally recognised and supported liberation movement
. Helicopter gunships, special forces units, marines, bodyguards, intelligence training — presumably including torture techniques and interrogation — the whole works. If you’ve seen it in a science fiction novel, Sandline will probably do it for you
The European Union has blocked General Electric’s planned $41 billion purchase of Honeywell International. This is the first time a merger between two US companies has been blocked solely by European regulators, so I would expect some retaliation the next time a European company tries a foray into the US. The Europeans feared the deal would create an unfair dominant position in markets for jetliner engines and aircraft electronics
Earlier this week, a delegation from Papua New Guinea visited Canberra, begging for help in its fight to stop the environmental devastation caused by BHP’s giant Ok Tedi goldmine. The Australian Government refused, despite past financial involvement in the mine
The National Australia Bank has confirmed that online vandals broke into and defaced one of the company’s Web servers last week
Draconian workplace practices in the US allow businesses to set the standards for what their employees should wear, which means no tattoos, no facial piercings and no unusual hairstyles or colours or you don’t have a job — I can see that Starbucks certainly wouldn’t be employing me any time soon. In Australia a conservative appearance is only expected in the corporate sector
One man, Bob Kolody, owns the copyright to the design of a Coca-Cola can, and rather than acknowledging this, Coke will go to any lengths to discredit the man and his attorneys — including the corruption of Federal Justices. The very secret battle of Bob Kolody vs Coca-Cola is mind-blowing in its implications.
Shell is to invest $1 billion into alternative energy R&D over the next 5 years. It’s looking at big offshore wind farms in the North Sea, solar power, and research into geothermal energy and biomass
Nothing will change until corporations realise that they don’t have a communications problem. They have a reality problem
The fast food chain McDonald’s is at the centre of a food-labelling storm today as it admitted that its ‘vegetarian’ chips in America were not completely free of meat products
Branding the Girl Guides may well be about overhauling the image of that bastion of girlie goodness, but the headline instead prompted my thoughts in the direction of uniformed girls in cattle runs be prodded with branding irons
McDonald’s would like to come into Toronto schools with a presentation about self esteem — Ronald and crew host a 40 minute interactive live talk show. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more disturbing, it’s billed as a non-commercial presentation endorsed by Children’s Psychologists and leading educators in the US and Canada.
The US Supreme Court recently ruled unanimously against distributors of medical marijuana — William Randolph Hearst’s legacy of protecting his personal business interests lives on long after his death
Nike iD have no sense of humour when it comes to making your own footprint on the world
Amazon were planning to make its recently laid off workers sign a non-disparagement agreement preventing them from bad mouthing the corporation, when it finally came to its senses and thought that perhaps it was just giving itself a bad name in the attempt
In yet another case of corporate bullyboy tactics, Absolut Vodka are to accusing an Australian swimwear company, Absolut Beach, of cybersquatting — even though Absolut Beach is a legally registered and trademarked company. How long will it be before some giant multinational tries to steal your domain?
Qantas may well have pleaded guilty to their part in the deaths of deer being transported from Australia last year, but the fine — a maximum of $4400 — is ridiculous. Adding a few zeros to that figure may have actually done something to discourage Qantas, and many other large corporations as well, now all its done is to reinforce the fact that the RSPCA is little more than a toothless lion
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