Managing a Global Empire: Imperial Tobacco Group

摘要

Imperial Tobacco Group PLC was originally formed in 1901 as The Imperial Tobacco Company (Great Britain and Ireland) Limited. Over the following decades, the company — today headquartered in Bristol, UK — went through several expansions, mergers, demergers, and acquisitions, but also has seen rationalizations and brand diversifications. Staying in tune with the times, it had to deal with and adjust to sometimes dramatic changes in technology, commerce, and society, too. Until 1973, Imperial's trade was almost entirely limited to the UK and Ireland, but then the business gradually began to spread out around the world. Nowadays the company's diverse global market footprint spans more than 160 countries and it employs approximately 33,000 people.