Subsidiary Brands as a Resource and the Redistribution of Decision Making Authority following Acquisitions

This paper analyses the moves global brewery companies undertake towards the distribution of decision making authority in their multinational organization and the likelihood of newly acquired subsidiaries to influence these moves. In this consumer goods industry, brands are suggested to be the primary subsidiary specific resource to influence these distribution processes. Empirically this paper explores three European acquisitions of the Dutch brewery corporation Heineken in Switzerland, Slovakia, and France. We explore whether differing brand value (regional/international, standard/premium) has had an impact on the subsidiaries‟ ability to maintain a certain degree of decision making authority after the take-over. The results of our case studies show, however, that the ownership of valuable brands may not be considered as a critical resource for subsidiaries here.