Dethroning the King : The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, an American Icon

by MacIntosh, Julie

• ISBN13: 9780470592700
• ISBN10: 0470592702
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-10-26
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The amazing true story behind the siege of America's favorite beer company

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? Timing, and some unexpected help from powerful members of the Busch dynasty, the very family that had run the company for more than a century.

In Dethroning the King, the 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 only to the Great Depression. Today, as the dust settles, questions are being asked about how theKing of Beer was so easily captured by a foreign corporation, and whether the company's fall mirrors America's dwindling financial and political dominance.

-Discusses how the takeover of Anheuser-Busch will be seen as a defining moment in U.S. 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.

“There’s a lesson for au all in book on brewing. a great read.” -Morning Advertiser

“Dethroning the King, is the compelling play-by-play of InBev's takeover of Anheuser-Busch. Give MacIntosh a Stella Artois for her excellent reporting.” -Stltoday.com

"Dethroning the King is a brutally detailed look at the hostile takeover of Anheuser Busch, the legendary icon that at one time was the epitome of American business success. It is a story that may well go down in American business history as one of the defining moments of this era. An insightful and brilliantly written work. As American business continues to dramatically change, this compelling book should be on every businessperson's reading list." -Business Lexington

Author Biography

JULIE MACINTOSH, an award-winning financial journalist, led the Financial Times's coverage of the takeover of Anheuser-Busch as its U.S. Mergers and Acquisitions Correspondent. She also covered the near-collapse of the global banking system while on the mergers beat and, before that, wrote for the newspaper's influential "Lex" column. Prior to joining the Financial Times, she spent six years as a reporter and correspondent for Reuters, and in 2003, was named one of NewsBios's "Top 30 Business Journalists Under 30." MacIntosh studied as a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in business journalism at Columbia University and earned a master's in journalism from Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and a master's of business administration from Columbia's Graduate School of Business. She received her undergraduate degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She regularly appears on CNBC and MSNBC.

Table of Contents

Cast of Characters	p. xi
Author's Note	p. xv
Prologue	p. 1
The Game is Afoot	p. 5
Crazy and Lazy at Loggerheads	p. 23
The Colossus	p. 37
Selling the American Dream	p. 57
The Fourth Abides	p. 77
The Hunter's Frozen Trigger Finger	p. 111
A Babe in the Woods	p. 127
The Old Gobi Desert Trick	p. 143
Mr. Brito Goes to Washington	p. 161
Angry Bedfellows	p. 181
The Board: August, August, and Augusta	p. 203
The Montagues and the Busches	p. 241
A Seller from "Hello"	p. 257
Put Up or Shut Up	p. 275
A Long Way from St. Louis	p. 295
A Toast on Both Sides	p. 311
Cash Out or Hunker Down	p. 323
Epilogue	p. 341
Notes	p. 351
Acknowledgments	p. 365
About the Author	p. 367
Index	p. 369
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