Ok...so expansion in Asia. Yes there are examples of companies...

Ok...so expansion in Asia. Yes there are examples of companies where this hasn't worked. There are also examples where this has worked. The point, I think, is that if they didn't try then people would be upset that they weren't doing enough to grow. How big do you think a company selling soft drink can get if it just stayed in Australia? And yet when they try to expand, people say that it can't be done successfully.

The truth is that unless they try, then we really won't know. This perpetual hope might also be called 'animal spirits' which may in fact be the single driving force behind any economic growth.

Let's assume that coke volumes are dropping, never to return again...if you read the annual report and look at the website, CCL and TCCC are doing a lot to diversify away from coke being the main income source. They are developing a range of products. I'm not sure what else they could be doing to reassure people that this is not another Kodak. If your expectation is that they will all of a sudden be able to shift the lion share of earnings away from a product that has been around since 1886, this is not realistic.

Can they be doing more. Yes they can. As I mentioned before, this is not clear buy right now but I certainly don't think it is as dire as you make it sound.

I am not sure on Mount Franklin...but before you jump to any conclusions what if they managed to sell it for double the 'real' value? Then it would a master move by management. Surely. What if they used the money to buy back stock, reduce debt or successfully reinvest to cause earnings to grow 10x. All of these are possibilities but at this stage that is all they are. Until we get an update from the company, it is hard to know what the long term of effect will be.