Companies Within Companies

QHow can I invest in Ben & Jerry’s? — S.S., Kenosha, Wisconsin

AYou can’t quite do so. Ben & Jerry’s was bought by Unilever in 2000 — and you can invest in Unilever, if you’re so inspired. Many companies you know are actually subsidiaries of other companies. For example, Restaurant Brands International owns Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons, while Clorox owns Burt’s Bees and WilliamsSonoma owns Pottery Barn and West Elm. Kellogg owns Kashi, Nike owns Converse and Gap owns Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta. Nestle owns Gerber and Purina, and CocaCola owns Honest Tea and Odwalla. TJX owns T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and Sierra Trading Post, while Yum! Brands owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.

QWhat do the jobs of CEO and COO entail? — F.L., Norwalk, Connecticut

AA company’s chief executive officer (CEO) will generally develop a company’s strategy and is responsible for seeing that it is carried out. He or she answers to the board of directors, who represent owners and shareholders. The chief operating officer (COO), often the same person as the company president, is responsible for executing the company’s strategy.

A CEO will typically serve as the company’s chief communicator, addressing media, employees, shareholders and customers — and will aim to meet all those constituents’ needs. He or she will make top-level decisions, will lead uppermanagement personnel, and will often work to get the public and investors interested in the company and confident about its future.

The COO manages day-to-day operations, dealing with customers and employees in sales, marketing, finance and more. The COO and the CEO work with the chief financial officer (CFO) to keep the company financially healthy. Want more information about stocks? Send us an email to foolnews@fool.com.