CNBC – Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world’s largest brewer with 500 brands in more than 100 countries. In 2016, Flemish Interbrew and Brazilian Ambev, together known as InBev, merged with the American legacy company Anheuser-Busch, which ultimately brought AB under the leadership of 3G Capital.
3G Capital is a Brazilian-American global investment firm whose tactics include an aggressive, and at times controversial, cost-cutting strategy. AB InBev’s longtime priority of aggressive acquisitions has been coupled with a focus on profit and price per barrel rather than volume share. Premiumization and expanding beyond beer continue to be winning strategies. In 2021, the company amassed $54.3 billion in revenue with 169,000 employees worldwide. As overall beer consumption has declined, AB InBev has transformed from merely a beer company to the largest beverage company in the world.
Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals by Oliver Bullough
Britain, according to this damning book, is a land of dirty money. It has become the country of choice for dictators wanting to hide their cash, and oligarchs wishing to launder their reputations. Yet instead of waging war on this illicit finance, we’re helping it to propagate. Our national debasement is a sordid story, but Oliver Bullough canters through it with wit and such a colourful set of case studies that it is at least a little easier to stomach. His account begins with the Suez crisis in 1956, which Bullough pinpoints as the moment when Britain’s imperial power crumbled and the nation searched for a new role in the world. The job we chose? Playing Jeeves to kleptocrats. Since the Brexit vote there has been a lengthy debate about what kind of country Britain should strive to be; Bullough argues convincingly that we haven’t spent enough time scrutinising what it has already become. Ros Urwin Profile, £20 Buy a copy of Butler to the World here
Megathreats: The Ten Trends that Imperil Our Future, and How to Survive Them by Nouriel Roubini
Nouriel Roubini is not known as “Dr Doom” for nothing, and this book from the economist who predicted the 2008 financial crisis is a bleak look at some of the horrible threats facing our survival on Earth, from economic collapse to a new cold war and the rise of artificial intelligence. But it is also an important wake-up call to how fragile modern civilisation is. Roubini lucidly lays out the challenges we face. Maybe save reading this until after the festive period. TK John Murray, £20 Buy a copy of Megathreats here
A Pipeline Runs Through It: The Story of Oil from Ancient Times to the First World War by Keith Fisher
In this epic, deeply researched history of oil, Keith Fisher, who spent 15 years on the book, takes us from the Byzantine era to the US oil boom of the 19th century and the rise of barons such as John D Rockfeller, and ends with the First World War. He unsparingly shows what a great but terrible industry oil exploration has been. No one comes out well, but the brutality involved in clearing indigenous communities to open up areas for exploitation are harrowing, especially the cruelty from what would become Royal Dutch Shell. TK Allen Lane, £35 Buy a copy of A Pipeline Runs Through It here
0:15 This island nation has moved to the metaverse – Rising seas are due to swamp Tuvalu by the end of the century. So the Pacific archipelago of 12,000 people has taken a remarkable step, declaring itself the world’s ‘first digital nation’.
1:39 Crosswords battle memory loss – Researchers studied 107 elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. 4 times a week, they spent half an hour either doing a crossword or completing tasks on a popular brain-training computer platform. Then they were reassessed after 12 and 66 weeks. Crossword players scored better on cognitive decline and daily functioning tests.
2:50 UK is rolling out ‘buzz’ stops for bees – The UK is planting bee-friendly native flowers on the roofs of roadside bus shelters, creating a parallel transport network for bugs. Management company Clear Channel aims to convert 1,000 shelters overall with native plants such as pansies and thyme.
4:05 Entrepreneur running 200 marathons for water – Guli is an Australian entrepreneur and environmental activist. She plans to complete Run Blue in time for the UN Conference on Water in March 2023 and to inspire as many people as possible along the way. Guli’s mission has taken her to the front lines of the global water crisis.
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The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
Financial Times – The FT’s global business columnist Rana Foroohar looks at why the US should bring manufacturing jobs back home. In the second of three films based on her new book, ‘Homecoming: the path to prosperity in a post-global world’, she follows the all-American supply chain of clothing company American Giant, to see how it impacts jobs, businesses and communities
Video timeline: 00:00 Made in America, Again 01:20 An all-American supply chain starts here 03:17 What went wrong with globalization? 07:00 The cotton gin – a risky business 09:53 Automation at a high-tech mill 13:16 Why manufacturing is important 19:59 The family-run finishing factory 23:21 Worker innovation at the sewing factory 27:33 Education, training and community 29:07 A moment for change?
CBS Sunday Morning – Let’s be clear: Ice is more than just frozen cubes of water. Correspondent Serena Altschul checks out how the quality of ice is key to a cocktail.
Hundredweight Ice has been fabricating and delivering crystal-clear ice to bars and restaurants throughout New York City and beyond since 2011. It is a family owned and operated business, and proudly honors the strong pedigree of bartenders from whence it came. Hundredweight is the first ice company of its kind, dedicated solely to supplying the finest quality of frozen water intended for use in exemplary cocktails–wherever they are sought and enjoyed.
0:15 Global Population Reaches 8 Billion – That’s 8 times more humans than existed in 1800. Even so, the world’s population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950 due to a declining global fertility rate. Today there are an average of 2.3 births per woman. In 1950 it was 5. The world’s population is projected to peak at 10.4 billion by 2080.
1:49 The Economic Case for Climate Adaption – Climate adaptation means preparing our ecological, social and economic systems so they can cope with the future impacts of climate change. Heatwaves, storms, wildfires: the costs of climate change are already mounting but so far only 20% of climate finance has gone towards adaptation.
3:44 French Start Up Blends Wind and Solar Energy – Unéole’s energy system combines a photovoltaic rooftop panel with 2 compact wind turbines, generating 40% more energy than an ordinary rooftop panel. Solar panels work best in strong sunlight but Unéole’s units generate power when it’s overcast or during winter and can turn through the night to ensure a steady flow of power. The turbines are silent, so they don’t disturb building occupants and they’re built from mostly recycled aluminium and steel.
4:54 Lab Grown Blood Used in World First – UK scientists have transfused lab-grown blood into humans for the first time. It could revolutionize treatment for people with rare blood types, especially those who need regular transfusions. Two people were injected with 1-2 teaspoons of the synthetic blood to see how how their bodies respond. So far, so good – the trial participants are fit and healthy with no reported side effects.
0:15The World’s Fastest Shoes – These inventors have made the ‘world’s fastest shoes’. They let you walk at 11kph, which is the speed of a run. The shoes are called Moonwalkers and they’re powered by a tiny electric motor that turns 8 wheels on the base of the shoe.
1:37These Cities Are Facing a Housing Bubble – Years of low interest rates and cheap mortgages have increased demand among homebuyers but the supply of housing has not grown at the same rate. This mismatch has caused house prices to shoot up around the world, creating housing ‘bubbles’. When these bubbles burst, prices can plummet and experts say rising interest rates could be the pin that pops them
2:53First Female Crash Test Dummies – The crash test dummy most often used as a stand-in for women Is just a scaled-down version of the male dummy. At 149cm tall and weighing 48kg, it’s actually the size of a 12-year-old girl. The new crash test dummy is 163cm tall and weighs 62kg, taking into account the physiology of the female body. It was created by Astrid Linder and her team in Linköping, Sweden.
4:22This Company Is Making Chocolate Healthier – The world’s biggest chocolatier has created a new, healthier chocolate. Which contains 50% less sugar, 60-80% more cocoa and zero processed additives. Second-generation’ chocolate uses a new method of preparation. Growing, fermenting and roasting the cocoa beans differently reduces their bitterness without the need for lots of sugar.
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