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Dethroning the King: The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, an American Icon
How the King of Beers collapsed without a fight and what it means for America's place in the post-Recession worldHow did InBev, a Belgian company controlled by Brazilians, take over one of America's most beloved brands with scarcely a whimper of opposition? Chalk it up to perfect timing--and some unexpected help from powerful members of the Busch dynasty, the very family t...more
Hardcover, 380 pages
Published
October 26th 2010
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published October 7th 2010)
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This book provides a deep look into three interesting dynamics surrounding people, power, and business.
One tale is about the psychology of the Busch family as a result of years of wealth and responsibility stacked upon their shoulders. There is enough dysfunction to go around which will allow you take stock of your own relationships.
Another tale is the dynamic of the Busch family with the world around them. Here we find leeches, adversaries, peers, and cowards. The many exchanges where the Busch...more
One tale is about the psychology of the Busch family as a result of years of wealth and responsibility stacked upon their shoulders. There is enough dysfunction to go around which will allow you take stock of your own relationships.
Another tale is the dynamic of the Busch family with the world around them. Here we find leeches, adversaries, peers, and cowards. The many exchanges where the Busch...more
think of this book as a kind of sequel to "Barbarians at the Gate." If you've already read that book, this one will be a familiar story: iconic American company grows lazy and complacent. After failing to perceive growing threats to its business, a leaner, more ambitious upstart takes it over. The author's style is a bit lighter than Burroughs's and there isn't quite as much background provided as in "Barbarians," but it is still an entertaining read. Particularly interesting is the window it pr...more
This was a good, quick overview of the InBev takeover of Anheuser-Busch. The chapters dealing with the mechanics of the takeover, including board meetings and evolving strategy, were especially strong. I also really enjoyed some of the gritty details, like the description of the smell of the conference room as the company executives and their lawyers and bankers worked around the clock to ink the final merger agreement. I was surprised to learn that the Busch family only owned 4% of the company...more
So, I don't drink. But while (and even after) living in St. Louis, I developed such an appreciation for all Anheuser-Busch did for the community, that I knew that if I DID drink, it would definitely be a Bud. When, a year or two after leaving St. Louis, I heard that AB was taken over, I was devestated (stong word, chosen carefully). I felt like I, personally, had been attacked and sold. Talking to people still there, I had reason to be sad - the city just wasn't the same. When I found out about...more
This compelling insider's view of the rise and fall of Anheiser-Busch brewing empire is a difficult book to put down once begun. It details the 2008 sell off of the iconic American corporation to the international brewing behemoth In-Bev. At times is reads like a season of "Dallas", proving the maximum that "truth is stranger than fiction". It will blow your tiny mind!
Very interesting chronicle of the downfall of a major American company. Good read. A little hard to get into in the beginning, but then picks up as the wheeling and dealing begins.
The first 100 pages were a really fast read. It got bogged down in the middle but picked it up at the end. I could not put it down and read it in less then 24 hours.
A well researched and written book by Julie MacIntosh. Great information on hostile takeovers and good insight into an American icon.
Provides insight to the megalith A-B and the striking personality differences between father ("the third) and son ("the fourth").
picked it up to support a classmate. couldn't put it down because it was great writing.
love stories powered by people
love stories powered by people
This was an entertaining read from a couple of perspectives: business strategy (was it by design or accident that A-B play it right, assuming the sale was right for the shareholders), change in leadership of an American icon company, family dynamics and drama, and the beer industry. The author did a nice job of story telling to keep the reader involved. At times there were too many details but for some readers those details may have been important. Don't expect to find clear cut key business lea...more
Powerful story made even more so by the stunning behind-the-scenes detail MacIntosh uncovers. A must-read!
Fascinating to see the politics of this company and the behind the scenes decision-making.
The behind-the-scene look at the dysfunctional Busch family was fascinating, if not tragic. Very interesting read. The boardroom intrigue, the strange father/son agendas, how the whole deal played out-great stuff.
Interesting to read how anheuser busch got purchased. Its a true comedy of errors.
Tough to read but extremely interesting - I learned a lot about AB.
Facinating look behind the curtains of the Takeover of A-B
I should have finished this book three years ago... Interesting read, especially since the focus is solely AB's. The book deserves a sequel, but then written both from our (InBev's ) perspective, and describing what happens to the Budweiser brands between 2009 and ?.
I laughed out loud when the author described how sorry an AB executive was when he heard that AB's theme parks were being sold off. And I felt sorry she did not have the time to include what happened to August IV after he became a o...more
I laughed out loud when the author described how sorry an AB executive was when he heard that AB's theme parks were being sold off. And I felt sorry she did not have the time to include what happened to August IV after he became a o...more
An interesting insight into the gargantuan merger that rocked St. Louis in 2008. A sad tale of missed opportunities and financial pressures and an aged beer baron willing to cash in his family's legacy rather than hand it off to his son. The book is populated with the bankers and lawyers who made the deal happen, and an external view of the personalities of the men in charge of Anheuser-Busch, InBev, and Groupo Modello (the Mexican brewery that might have offered AB a way of fending off InBev).
Interesting story about the Anheuser-Busch hostile takeover by InBev. I enjoyed reading about the rise and the personalities of those that built the empire. The book got pretty deep into discussing mergers and acquisitions, which is not my first choice in reading material, but the characters kept it moving along. This book did really show how inertia and arrogance can harm a company. The actions of August III were amazing and how he sold out his own son and father.
This book was very interesting, especially if you have any ties to Anheuser-Busch (my dad retired from there and I worked in the Tour Center for 3 years). I enjoyed reading about the different personalities, the family history, etc. It got a bit confusing and dragged a little in the middle once the heart of take-over talks began (there were a lot of people to keep track of and it became a bit repetitive), but overall I feel like I learned a lot from reading this.
awesome. awesome. awesome. as long as you can stand reading 340 pages of business strategies, boardroom politics and the ACQUISITION OF ACQUISITIONS.
couple of things i learned:
- when you have a billion dollars, buy up everything you can. otherwise you will fail.
- don't let some old codge run your company and stonewall against expansion.
- eventually, even the clydesdales get hurt.
couple of things i learned:
- when you have a billion dollars, buy up everything you can. otherwise you will fail.
- don't let some old codge run your company and stonewall against expansion.
- eventually, even the clydesdales get hurt.
Really interesting details about the AB fall/takeover, but wow the writing is not the best. The story line seems to jump around all over the place. It seems like a lot of sections had too many juicy anecdotes for the author to know what to do with them. So they are all just stuck in there with no solid tie in to that section. This one has been a little hard to finish.
A well researched look into the history and takeover of Anheuser-Buch
Well written interesting book.
An interesting book about the history of the company and how choices over the years eventually led to a weakened state ready for InBev's takeover. In my opinion, the author left out one important factor in the takeover - how the devaluation of the dollar helped to create an environment where AB was within InBev's reach.
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In-depth history written by a journalist in the midst of the hostile take-over of Anheuser-Bush. Not only does it capture the personalities of the Busch family, it covers opportunities lost by failure to recognize global trends. Well done!
Mar 24, 2011
Deborah
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
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giveaway-books-received
I was quite pleased to find out this morning, that I was the winner of the Facebook Hudson Booksellers Fan Page giveaway for this book! I am really looking forward to reading it, and I know that my hubby will want to read it too.
It's a remarkable account of how once-upon-a-time mighty and powerful player had to fight for mere survival and compete with seemingly unimportant competition. Must read non-fiction!
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Jul 24, 2011 06:47am