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Julie Macintosh's Under The Influence

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When you think of something as quintessentially American, a patriotic scene flourished with red, white and blue is bound to come to mind. But why lies in the background? Is it hotdogs and hamburgers? Is it a family enjoying a summer day? Does the image include a delicious ice-cold beverage? Does that delicious American beverage happen to be a Budweiser? Peter Hernon and Terry Ganey give the history and the rise of a beer dynasty in Under the Influence. Journalist Julie Macintosh documents the inevitable downfall in Dethroning the King. The Busch family lived the American dream and marketed patriotic and nationalistic pride to its fullest extent until its takeover in 2008 by the contested InBev, a Brazilian beer giant. The head of the dynasty, …show more content…

In doing this, he broke tradition and altered his relationship with The Fourth. In 2006, the board of directors finally named The Fourth as successor and said “He brings with him the new thinking of his generation, yet appreciation for the great traditions and values of this company” (Mactintosh 104). It is safe to say that if The Fourth had been handed the reigns earlier, he might have been able to save the company from takeover, but at the same time, relinquishing control from August III was obviously not the easiest …show more content…

Initially, Modelo was the more appealing option. They were also a family owned company with a similar family dynamic. Carlos Fernández was the head of Modelo at the time. Interestingly enough, Modelo was not interested in the deal because years before, August III had gone to Mexico for a visit and offended the controlling families of the company. The behind the scenes head of Modelo, Don Antonio, was not fond of The Third or AB. The only way Don Antonio would allow the deal to be completed was if Carlos became the head of the companies. The grass was not much greener on the other side. The board and especially The Third would never let that slide. AB followed the deal all the way through to the end and then backed out at the last minute to pursue the deal with InBev. In the end, InBev had a better offer on the table and it seemed that greed took over. Essentially, what mattered was the amount AB could gain per

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