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

by Macintosh, Julie

• ISBN13: 9781118157022
• ISBN10: 1118157028
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-11-08
• 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 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. 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.

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." She regularly appears on CNBC and MSNBC.

Table of Contents

Cast of Characters	p. xiii
Author's Note	p. xvii
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. 355
Acknowledgments	p. 369
About the Author	p. 371
Index	p. 373
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