Philip Morris to recruit at Fletcher

Tobacco giant Philip Morris International has brought its graduate recruitment efforts to Tufts.

The company will recruit for several open positions at an information session tonight at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Despite controversy surrounding the corporation, its presence is protected under University codes.

It is not atypical for private companies to recruit at Fletcher. But Philip Morris' status as the world's second largest tobacco manufacturer -- marketing such brands as Marlboro, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, and Merit -- makes it distinctive.

According to Fletcher's director of career services, Susan Ingleby, approximately one third of organizations who collect resumes or recruit at Fletcher are private companies. "Private sector recruiting has been down dramatically the last couple of years because the market has been affected by the economy," she said.

According to Ingleby, the positions being offered to Fletcher students by Philip Morris International came through an alumnus in Hong Kong who works for the company.

"One of our staff had been in Hong Kong a couple of years ago when the Dean was there and had met him and maintained a relationship," she said. "The positions they had to offer were overseas, so he contacted my staff person and asked if we'd be interested in posting those positions."

The positions are in Argentina, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Japan.

Though Ingleby acknowledged that Philip Morris is "absolutely" a controversial company, she said that it is the free choice of employees to decide where to work. "As long as the organizations do not violate any laws," the University does not bar corporations from recruiting, Ingleby said. "We're dealing with people who have several years of work experience," she said, adding "this is not an opportunity we went out and looked for."

The University Student Services Handbook policy on programs and speakers states that "the University will strive to uphold the right of a campus organization to invite speakers or hold programs, even controversial ones, and to hold them without interruption."

The University does not invest in any tobacco-related corporation, but Ingleby said that this does not affect University policy on speakers and presentations.

Philip Morris declined to comment for this article and referred queries to the website of its parent company, Altria Group, Inc., which also owns Kraft Foods. The website asks prospective employees: "Are you up to the challenge of supporting our mission to be the most responsible, effective and respected developer, manufacturer and marketer of consumer products intended for adults?"

The website also lists the benefits of working at Philip Morris, whose benefits package has been ranked first for the past four years by Money magazine.

"Philip Morris is probably a very good employer," said Balbach, who specializes in the tobacco industry. "They have a long history of hiring and promoting women and minorities. There's a lot of company loyalty."

"I suspect they have to be a good employer because you have to convince people to work for a company that markets death and illness," she said.

A cigarette, Balbach said, is the "only product legally sold that when used as directed, kills."

Philip Morris International and Philip Morris USA are second only to China's nationalized tobacco industry in worldwide cigarette production. While the number of smokers is declining in the United States, the international market is still a major source of profit for tobacco companies.

Philip Morris' website emphasizes that the company is well-positioned. "Look at our past performance, the quality of our employees and the continuing growth of our business: we feel confident about our future," the website reads. "We believe there will continue to be a market of adult smokers and we feel well placed to meet their needs."

Balbach contributed a viewpoint to Monday's Daily that detailed Philip Morris' business practices.