Cadbury breaks-up business in two parts
Cadbury's chief executive Todd Stitzer has confirmed plans to split the business in two parts. The beverages business, which includes Dr Pepper and Seven Up, would be separated from the confectionery division, ending its four decades as a combined company.

The soft drinks business is estimated at around £7bn while the confectionery unit is valued at £9bn. The combined company currently has a stock market value of £12.6bn.

Although a sale of the beverages business is seen by analysts as the most likely option, the company said it has not decided whether the unit would be sold or floated separately in the US. The company will make further detailed announcements in June. The private equity houses Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Lion Capital and Blackstone are all said to be interested in Cadbury's beverages business. Analysts said the confectionery business too could be snapped up. The food group Kraft is being mooted as a potential buyer, along with US confectionery company Hershey.
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Cisco to acquire WebEx
New York: Network equipment maker Cisco Systems plans to buy unified communications, company WebEx Communications Inc. for $2.9 billion. Cisco said including WebEx's existing cash, the deal is worth $3.2 billion.

Cisco said it would launch a cash tender offer for all outstanding WebEx shares at $57 each, a premium of 23 percent to the shares' Nasdaq close at $46.20 on Wednesday.

The deal has been approved by the board of directors of both companies and is expected to close during Cisco's fiscal fourth quarter ending late July. Cisco said it expects the deal will not impact its full-year 2008 earnings before special items.

WebEx (WEBX) has more than 2 million registered subscribers and helps them hold meetings and share information over the Web.
It's the largest acquisition for Cisco since its $6.9 billion purchase of set-top box maker Scientific Atlanta in 2005.

WebEx will help Cisco in its battle against Microsoft in the growing market for unified communications which are technologies that help collaboration in the workplace, including instant messaging, e-mail, calling services, and letting even far-flung users know when colleagues are unavailable

Cisco and Microsoft are engaged in a battle for attaining supremacy in communications services. On Mar. 14, Microsoft purchased voice-recognition services provider Tellme Networks after Cisco acquired Reactivity, which helps companies improve how they do business over the Web, for $135 million in cash, and Five Across, a provider of social-networking capabilities.
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