Each morning when we check the news whether it be on our computers, our televisions, or even our newspapers we find these pages and screens riddled with money woes, unhappy employees, and blood-thirsty businesses, and today was no different. As I browsed the news I found something a little closer to my heart though in The Chicago Tribune. This article discusses the potential takeover and hostile bids that Kraft has put towards the British owned candy company, Cadbury. Though finding this particular author as appealing as Swine Flu, I couldn’t help but return to the actual subject matter of his article. Basically, Kraft wants to buy out Cadbury and they are not interested even after an offer of $17 billion as well as some “cash in hand” (Chu, Chicago Tribune).
Being a Brit myself, I believe it would be a shame to lose another company to the Americans, especially with one that has such a resonating history with the British public. However, this is loss is bound to happen anyways, but with another company who Cadbury’s have already been working with, Hershey. Though unfortunate, desperate times call for desperate measures and it appears that we ‘bad-teethed’ Brits may need a way out.
On a more serious note, Aristotle remained in the back of my brain while reading this article. Our world today has become one that is dependant and thrives on what people can call their own, whether it is a car, a house, or a business. I personally don’t believe that Aristotle had is quite right, but we live in very different times today so I think my disagreement is more easily founded. I think private property in today’s society is important and necessary to keep our businesses, as well as our private lives, functioning at an optimal level because there is less confusion to who can be held accountable. However, I do not think ownership gives us a right to be inhumane to people, but it definitely makes it easier. I believe if you work hard to own something, like a business, it is up to you and the people involved to decide how the money you have earned is spent and who receives it. I think the idea of sharing all the things you have after your needs are met is a nice idea, but not very practical. Though the Cadbury-Kraft argument is more just about the focus on owning property I think it’s necessary to realize that it is just a part of today’s dog-eat-dog world. My final thoughts are if Cadbury don’t want to sell their company to Kraft, I say too bloody right!
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Cadbury is just one of many British Companies that are struggling with economic downturn. Britian's Prime Minister Gordon Brown boasted "Britain has enjoyed the longest postwar period of continuous growth,"(1) due to low inflation and modest interest rates.
ReplyDeleteStill, businesses as well as consumers are feeling the pinch. I do sympathies on Cadbury being a "British Owned" company but unless they find some new investors in the UK, the Yanks will come to save the day much to chagrin of the citizens of England!
1 http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1645022,00.html?xid=rss-world#ixzz0dHHn9A3H
I wonder how the Brits ever survived without the Yanks to bail them out!
ReplyDeleteI too have been following this article with Kraft and Cadbury and Hershey, and I personally feel that Kraft is a lot stronger of a company compared to Hershey, but with Cadbury being a small company and needing immediate help help, I feel that Kraft should guide them and not just hostally take them over and slowly ease them to a bigger market.
ReplyDeleteI agree you said that it's not practical to share everything besides a person's need in today's world. I think people who're in attempt to possess more property is due to their need for inner security. Rich guys are afraid to be poor one day and poor men fear to lose the last thing they have.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't think Kraft should be buying out Cadbury. This is another move for Kraft to spread into Europe. Next thing you know, Kraft will be buying another and another company in Europe. Eventually, its going to be the Microsoft of the food industry. If Cadbury is struggling, than they should turn to the government for assistance. If that fails, then I guess the best they can do is sell their shares to Kraft, but still be the majority share holder so that they have some control rather than just giving in as a whole to Kraft.
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