Dethroning the King: The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, an American Icon
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.94 (907 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B005JVZ45Q |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 539 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-02-24 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"Sad saga of an iconic brand and its "failure" to compete" according to Jason Stokes. Anheuser Busch was thrust headlong into the world of modern finance when an acquisition offer from InBev showed up at the door one day. This book chronicles the saga not only of that fateful offer and eventual takeover, but follows back to the critical moves that set this iconic company up for its eventual fall. I found it to be a damning investigation of the modern business world, the ruthlessness of cost efficiency, and finally, the sad realization that customers just aren't important unless you're able to squeeze more cash out of them.The book follows A-B through the leadership of "The Third" and the short tenure of "The Fourth." The Th. "I thought MacIntosh did a great job painting the picture of the dysfunction" according to bmg277. Overall, the book was very insightful. I thought MacIntosh did a great job painting the picture of the dysfunction, politics, and general nervous spiral that overtook AB. However, I would have liked to hear a lot more about the AB/Miller beer wars during the reign of The Third. That would have made for very interesting reading, rather than just saying they hit 50% market share. As for the Inbev part of the book, the acquisition happend very fast, but the writing slowed down considerably and jumped around without much intention. We got deep dives into the thoughts and feelings of a host of characters who had been all but absent before the e. August and Augusta Very important book on the evolution of American industry, in this case how the world's most valuable brand with 50% domestic market share became vulnerable to take-over and was eventually swallowed up by a more nimble, focused, and global competitor. We learn how the Busch family made the take-over financially possible by reducing their holdings to single digits over the years. Maybe more importantly the family also lost their way, focusing more on inter-family squabbles, new wives ands girlfriends, travel, avoiding each other, baseball and zoos. Setting up a small JV with Inbev led to the elephant getting his nose under the tent and eati
business history Reveals the critical missteps taken by the Busch family and the Anheuser-Busch board Argues that Anheuser-Busch had a chance to save itself from InBev's clutches, but strong forces behind the scenes forced it to capitulate From the very heart of America's heartland to the European continent to Brazil, Dethroning the King is the ultimate corporate caper and a fascinating case study that's both wide-reaching and profound.. In Dethroning the King, Julie MacIntosh, an award-winning financial journalist who led coverage of the takeover for the Financial Times, details how the drama that unfolded at Anheuser-Busch in 2008 went largely unreported as the world tumbled into a global economic crisis second in severity only to the Great Depression. Today, as the dust settles, questions are being asked about how the "King of Beers" was so easily captured by a foreign corporation and whether the company's fall mirrors America's dwindling financial and political dominance. How did InBev, a Belgian company controlled by Brazilians, take over one of America's most beloved brands after barely a whimper of a fight? With timing - and some unexpected help from powerful members of the Busch dynasty, the very family that had run