Introduction:
When most people think about the attributes of beer, words like crisp and refreshing come to mind, or drinking a nice cold one on a hot summer day. According to Beer Serves America, the beer industry employs more than 890,000 Americans in virtually every corner of the U.S. These jobs help strengthen many sectors of the economy. Payroll exceeds $21 billion, with federal, state, and local governments receiving tax revenue in excess of $30 billion annually. (www.beerservesamerica.org). According to a January 2001 study by Standard & Poor's DRI, 44% of every Beer sold in the United States was consumed by taxes. The tax burden on beer is far higher than the average consumer good in the U.S. economy: total federal, state, and local taxes equal 31.7% of final sales of all products (GNP) in the U.S. The income generated by the beer industry manufacturers and related sales and distribution partners added $10.7 billion in Federal personal income, profit, and payroll revenues and $3.6 billion in similar state-local revenues.
Nearly a century and a half old, Anheuser-Busch Company, Inc. is the world's largest brewing company. The company operates fourteen breweries, twelve in the United States and two overseas. The focus of Anheuser-Busch's operations and resources is beer, adventure park entertainment and packaging, though the company has interest in other areas. Throughout its life span, Anheuser-Busch has been involved with aluminum beverage container recycling, malt production, rice milling, real estate development, turf farming, creative services, metalized paper label printing and transportation services. Above all other aspects, Anheuser-Busch is best known for its be ...