Assignment: Based on the PepsiCo-India case (Kanter et al., 2011), you are expected to critically reflect and discuss the following points in a discursive, analytical style:
1. The extent of obligation on the company to concern itself with issues other than profitability such as societal and ethical responsibility to all its stakeholders.
2. The challenge of resolving the strategic tension of purpose between business performance and responsibility and ethical concerns in the
context of the profitability versus responsibility tension as outlined by De Wit and Meyer (2005) and discussed in class.
3. The extent to which the company can achieve a compromise between the two different purposes and whether is it is a compromise at all; can PepsiCo India achieve the genius of "and" rather than have to accept the tranny of "or" (Collins and Porras, 2002) and embrace both purposes at the same time?
4. The extent to which the challenge facing PepsiCo India is a conflict between the short-term objectives of delivering deliver superior profits and financial performance and longer term objectives such as the management of natural resources, enhancing employee welfare, and creating wealth.
5. The extent to which there is a business case for PepsiCo India's mission of "Performance with purpose".
6. The extent to which PepsiCo India could be accused of an "ethical washing", public relations exercise rather than a genuine commitment
to doing the right things for people and communities: Is it a PR stunt? Is it just being "less bad" rather than being "good" (McDonough and
Braungart, 2002); Is it resolving the tension between the profitability and responsibility?
In completing the assignment, be careful not to restate or describe the issues in the case but to identify the relevant points and facts from the case and critically discuss them in the context of the material in the case and the broader material (class materials and further research on the case). Ensure you attempt to consider different perspectives and arguments but conclude with an argument rather than a restatement of the challenge and issues confronting PepsiCo India. You are required to support your discussion with reference to evidence and argument, especially when making inferences from information available.
Article: PepsiCo India: Performance with Purpose (by Rosabeth M. Kanter, Rakesh Khurana, Rajiv Lal and Natalie Kindred)