Our Liquidity and Capital Resources

We believe that our cash generating capability and financial condition, together with our revolving credit facilities and other available methods of debt financing (including long-term debt financing which, depending upon market conditions, we may use to replace a portion of our commercial paper borrowings), will be adequate to meet our operating, investing and financing needs. However, there can be no assurance that volatility in the global capital and credit markets will not impair our ability to access these markets on terms commercially acceptable to us or at all. See Note 9 for a description of our credit facilities. See also "Unfavorable economic conditions may have an adverse impact on our business results or financial condition." in "Our Business Risks."

In addition, currency restrictions enacted by the government in Venezuela have impacted our ability to pay dividends outside of the country from our snack and beverage operations in Venezuela. As of December 31, 2011, our operations in Venezuela comprised 8% of our cash and cash equivalents balance.

Furthermore, our cash provided from operating activities is somewhat impacted by seasonality. Working capital needs are impacted by weekly sales, which are generally highest in the third quarter due to seasonal and holiday-related sales patterns, and generally lowest in the first quarter. On a continuing basis, we consider various transactions to increase shareholder value and enhance our business results, including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and share repurchases. These transactions may result in future cash proceeds or payments.

The table below summarizes our cash activity:

2011

2010

2009

Net cash provided by operating activities

$8,944

$8,448

$6,796

Net cash used for investing activities

$(5,618

)

$(7,668

)

$(2,401

)

Net cash (used for)/provided by financing activities

$(5,135

)

$1,386

$(2,497

)

Operating Activities

During 2011, net cash provided by operating activities was $8.9 billion, compared to net cash provided of $8.4 billion in the prior year. The increase over the prior year primarily reflects the overlap of discretionary pension contributions of $1.3 billion ($1.0 billion after-tax) in the prior year, partially offset by unfavorable working capital comparisons to the prior year.

During 2010, net cash provided by operating activities was $8.4 billion, compared to net cash provided of $6.8 billion in the prior year. The increase over the prior year primarily reflects the incremental operating results from our acquisitions of PBG and PAS, as well as favorable working capital comparisons to the prior year.

Also see "Management Operating Cash Flow" below for certain other items impacting net cash provided by operating activities.

Investing Activities

During 2011, net cash used for investing activities was $5.6 billion, primarily reflecting $3.3 billion for net capital spending and $2.4 billion of cash paid, net of cash and cash equivalents acquired, in connection with our acquisition of WBD.

During 2010, net cash used for investing activities was $7.7 billion, primarily reflecting $3.2 billion for net capital spending, $2.8 billion of net cash paid in connection with our acquisitions of PBG and PAS, and $0.9 billion of cash paid in connection with our manufacturing and distribution agreement with DPSG. We also paid $0.5 billion to acquire WBD American Depositary Shares (ADS) in the open market.

We anticipate capital spending in 2012 of approximately $3.0 billion.

Financing Activities

During 2011, net cash used for financing activities was $5.1 billion, primarily reflecting the return of operating cash flow to our shareholders through share repurchases and dividend payments of $5.6 billion, our purchase of an additional $1.4 billion of WBD ordinary shares (including shares underlying ADSs) and our repurchase of certain WBD debt obligations of $0.8 billion, partially offset by net proceeds from long-term debt of $1.4 billion and stock option proceeds of $0.9 billion.

During 2010, net cash provided by financing activities was $1.4 billion, primarily reflecting proceeds from issuances of long-term debt of $6.5 billion, mostly in connection with our acquisitions of PBG and PAS, and net proceeds from short-term borrowings of $2.5 billion. These increases were largely offset by the return of operating cash flow to our shareholders through share repurchases and dividend payments of $8.0 billion.

We annually review our capital structure with our Board, including our dividend policy and share repurchase activity. In the first quarter of 2012, our Board of Directors approved a 4% dividend increase, raising the dividend payable on our common stock, effective with the dividend payable in June 2012, to $2.15 per share. We expect to repurchase approximately $3.0 billion of our common stock in 2012.

Management Operating Cash Flow

We focus on management operating cash flow as a key element in achieving maximum shareholder value, and it is the primary measure we use to monitor cash flow performance. However, it is not a measure provided by accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. Therefore, this measure is not, and should not be viewed as, a substitute for U.S. GAAP cash flow measures. Since net capital spending is essential to our product innovation initiatives and maintaining our operational capabilities, we believe that it is a recurring and necessary use of cash. As such, we believe investors should also consider net capital spending when evaluating our cash from operating activities. Additionally, we consider certain items (included in the table below), in evaluating management operating cash flow. We believe investors should consider these items in evaluating our management operating cash flow results.

The table below reconciles net cash provided by operating activities, as reflected in our cash flow statement, to our management operating cash flow excluding the impact of the items below.

2011

2010

2009

Net cash provided by operating activities

$8,944

$8,448

$6,796

Capital spending

(3,339

)

(3,253

)

(2,128

)

Sales of property, plant and equipment

84

81

58

Management operating cash flow

5,689

5,276

4,726

Discretionary pension and retiree medical contributions (after-tax)

44

983

640

Payments related to restructuring charges (after-tax)

21

20

168

Merger and integration payments (after-tax)

283

299

49

Foundation contribution (after-tax)

64

Debt repurchase (after-tax)

112

Capital investments related to the PBG/PAS integration

108

138

Management operating cash flow excluding above items

$6,145

$6,892

$5,583

In 2011 and 2010, management operating cash flow was used primarily to repurchase shares and pay dividends. In 2009, management operating cash flow was used primarily to pay dividends. We expect to continue to return management operating cash flow to our shareholders through dividends and share repurchases while maintaining credit ratings that provide us with ready access to global and capital credit markets. However, see "Our borrowing costs and access to capital and credit markets may be adversely affected by a downgrade or potential downgrade of our credit ratings." in "Our Business Risks" for certain factors that may impact our operating cash flows.

Any downgrade of our credit ratings by a credit rating agency, especially any downgrade to below investment grade, could increase our future borrowing costs or impair our ability to access capital and credit markets on terms commercially acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, any downgrade of our current short-term credit ratings could impair our ability to access the commercial paper market with the same flexibility that we have experienced historically, and therefore require us to rely more heavily on more expensive types of debt financing. See "Our borrowing costs and access to capital and credit markets may be adversely affected by a downgrade or potential downgrade of our credit ratings." in "Our Business Risks" and Note 9.

Credit Facilities and Long-Term Contractual Commitments

See Note 9 for a description of our credit facilities and long-term contractual commitments.

Off-Balance-Sheet Arrangements

It is not our business practice to enter into off-balance-sheet arrangements, other than in the normal course of business. Additionally, we do not enter into off-balance-sheet transactions specifically structured to provide income or tax benefits or to avoid recognizing or disclosing assets or liabilities. See Note 9.

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