ABSTRACT
The French company Compagnie Generale des Eaux was originally formed as a water utility in 1853. In 1998, it adopted a new name, Vivendi, designed to reflect the fact that it by now held a diversified portfolio of assets with interests in water, energy, waste management, transport, telecoms, media, construction and property. In March 1998, a merger was agreed between Vivendi and Havas, France's then largest publisher of books and business information titles. This was completed in May, whereupon Havas became part of Vivendi's media and communications division, comprising holdings in telecommunications, publishing and multimedia, audio-visual and Internet.
