British American Tobacco and Cigarette Smuggling in China
Author Information
Author(s): Lee Kelley, Collin Jeff
Primary Institution: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Hypothesis
How has British American Tobacco been involved in cigarette smuggling in China?
Conclusion
The study shows that smuggling has been crucial for British American Tobacco's efforts to enter the Chinese market and achieve its business goals.
Supporting Evidence
- British American Tobacco's internal documents reveal their strategic involvement in cigarette smuggling in China.
- The illicit trade in tobacco is estimated to account for billions of dollars in sales.
- Smuggling has been a critical factor in BAT's expansion in the Chinese market.
- Documents indicate that BAT has attempted to control the supply chain and pricing of smuggled cigarettes.
- Chinese government efforts to combat smuggling have been undermined by BAT's operations.
- BAT's documents show that contraband has been integral to their business strategy in China.
- The study highlights the need for global collaboration to combat cigarette smuggling.
- BAT's actions have resulted in significant tax revenue losses for the Chinese government.
Takeaway
This study found that British American Tobacco has been secretly involved in smuggling cigarettes into China, which helped them make a lot of money and sell more cigarettes.
Methodology
The study analyzed internal documents from British American Tobacco dating from the early 1900s to 2003, focusing on their smuggling operations in China.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the reliance on documents from a single company.
Limitations
The study relies on internal documents, which may not provide a complete picture of the smuggling operations.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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