RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company Summary

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Recommended: Vision and mission statements essay

The mission statement of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, arguably the largest tobacco company in the world is as follows:
Driving innovation throughout our businesses
Reducing harm caused by smoking
Accelerating the decline in youth tobacco use
Resolving controversial issues related to the use of tobacco
I found this quite interesting given this week’s assignment regarding the dilemma of ending all advertising of tobacco products in India, and the prohibition of sporting events being sponsored by tobacco companies. Those arguments in favor stated that the effect on the Indian economy was negligible, since less than 2 percent of GDP came from tobacco sales. Also, although India was the third largest producer of tobacco products in the world, studies …show more content…

The pro-ban forces gave the example of “Joe Camel” a cartoon character that the U.S. government forced RJ Reynolds to stop using because it made cigarette consumption look too attractive to youth. Afterwards, cigarette consumption among young people in western countries has been in a downward spiral that continues unabated to this day so the mission statement “accelerating the decline of youth tobacco use” has come to fruition, although not in a way that the company had planned.
Those opposing the ban also put forth compelling arguments. They stated that the nation of India was in a unique situation in that only 16% of those purchasing tobacco were buying cigarettes. The largest percentage of people was using tobacco products that were presumably chewed, and not popular elsewhere. They also posited that sporting events, such as formula one, were actually sponsored by foreign conglomerates that the Indian government had no control …show more content…

The nation of Norway was one of the first European nations to ban cigarette advertising in 1975. However, smoking has not seen the dramatic decline in Norway that has transpired elsewhere. In fact, the article stated Norway has the largest percentage of adult smokers in Europe the nation of Finland saw the exact opposite occur: smoking actually increased among young people after the ban went into effect for reasons that have yet to be determined.
Lastly, the anti-ban side used the same arguments that have been used the world over: People have the right to decide what to put into their bodies without government interference. Since tobacco is a legal product, it should enjoy the same legal protection as any other product, including the right to be publically advertised. I guess this is where “driving innovation throughout our businesses” comes in.
In the end, the nation of India decided to ban cigarette advertising. My thoughts on the matter are quite cut and dried. I’ve never been a smoker and dislike it intensely, but feel others have the right to engage in it if they choose to do so. As far as poor health is concerned, the decline of smoking has seen a huge rise in obesity, at least in the U.S. (Hedgecock, 2016). Lung Cancer stubbornly refuses to fall, and is even increasing among non-smokers. (Nelson,

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