Soap Opera

The Inside Story of Procter & Gamble

Business & Finance, Business Reference, Infrastructure, Industries & Professions, Industries, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Soap Opera by Alecia Swasy, Crown/Archetype
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alecia Swasy ISBN: 9780307824226
Publisher: Crown/Archetype Publication: November 21, 2012
Imprint: Crown Language: English
Author: Alecia Swasy
ISBN: 9780307824226
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Publication: November 21, 2012
Imprint: Crown
Language: English

As the maker of Ivory soap, Tide detergent, and Crest toothpaste, Procter & Gamble is a household name. It is America’s thirteenth largest company, lauded by business schools as a model for success. But behind P&G’s wholesome image is a control-obsessed company so paranoid that Wall Street analysts, employees, and the chairman himself refer to it as “the Kremlin.” The company demands conformity and unquestioning loyalty from its employees, who work in a strict and oppressive environment. P&G’s wealth and power ensures it gets what it wants, from tax breaks to the eager services of Washington lobbyists.

In this explosive exposé, Wall Street Journal reporter Alecia Swasy—who covered P&G for three years—tells the full chilling story of life within the P&G behemoth. Drawn from interviews with over 300 former and current P&G employees (including CEO Ed Artzt), visits to P&G operations in five countries, and thousands of court and company documents, Soap Opera reveals the dirty tricks and draconian mind-set of the company with the “99 44/100% pure” façade. Included here is the real story behind P&G’s Rely brand tampons and their link to women’s deaths from toxic shock syndrome—and how P&G tried to suppress that evidence. Swasy takes us to Taylor County, Florida, where residents drink bottled water because P&G’s influence allowed the company to flood the local river with dioxin-laden toxic waste from its paper mill. Among these and dozens of other examples of the company’s cutthroat nature is Swasy’s own story of P&G’s unethical seizure of Cincinnati phone records in an effort to track down her sources. Wonderfully readable and impeccably researched, Soap Opera is a sobering look at the price of success in America.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

As the maker of Ivory soap, Tide detergent, and Crest toothpaste, Procter & Gamble is a household name. It is America’s thirteenth largest company, lauded by business schools as a model for success. But behind P&G’s wholesome image is a control-obsessed company so paranoid that Wall Street analysts, employees, and the chairman himself refer to it as “the Kremlin.” The company demands conformity and unquestioning loyalty from its employees, who work in a strict and oppressive environment. P&G’s wealth and power ensures it gets what it wants, from tax breaks to the eager services of Washington lobbyists.

In this explosive exposé, Wall Street Journal reporter Alecia Swasy—who covered P&G for three years—tells the full chilling story of life within the P&G behemoth. Drawn from interviews with over 300 former and current P&G employees (including CEO Ed Artzt), visits to P&G operations in five countries, and thousands of court and company documents, Soap Opera reveals the dirty tricks and draconian mind-set of the company with the “99 44/100% pure” façade. Included here is the real story behind P&G’s Rely brand tampons and their link to women’s deaths from toxic shock syndrome—and how P&G tried to suppress that evidence. Swasy takes us to Taylor County, Florida, where residents drink bottled water because P&G’s influence allowed the company to flood the local river with dioxin-laden toxic waste from its paper mill. Among these and dozens of other examples of the company’s cutthroat nature is Swasy’s own story of P&G’s unethical seizure of Cincinnati phone records in an effort to track down her sources. Wonderfully readable and impeccably researched, Soap Opera is a sobering look at the price of success in America.

More books from 20th Century

Cover of the book Black America in the Shadow of the Sixties by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Fascism, Integralism and the Corporative Society – Codex Fascismo Parts Four, Five and Six by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book 475th Fighter Group by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Essays on Life by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Walter Camp by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Ju 88 Aces of World War 2 by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Rogues and Redeemers by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book The Tories by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Stadt ohne Seele by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book When All the World Was Young by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Hill of Squandered Valour by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Ingrid Bergman and Her American Relatives by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book RFK Jr. by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book Interpretations of the Two Germanies, 1945-1990 by Alecia Swasy
Cover of the book The Blessings of Business by Alecia Swasy
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy