Comments on: Idiots with MBA degrees

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:21:15 +0000

Colombian beer’s pretty similar to Peruvian beer. Aguila is pretty distinct.

By: wwelvaert

wwelvaert — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:16 +0000

I understand that the average middle manager working in a multi-national has a life and a family, and their priorities are to maintain a nice career path. The only way to accomplish that is to walk the company line, play the corporate culture, whether you like it or not. This is why Dilbert cartoons have survived for so long.

So my dislike for MBAs isn’t on a personal level, but more with our corporate culture in its entirety.

For example, you say “…in an industry moving toward commoditization…” That’s a perfect example of how business interests sometimes run counter to society’s. I’d rather find a good Belgian beer every once in a while than find average Belgian beer on every grocery store shelf. The “Stella” that you can buy everywhere now doesn’t taste anything like the original.

And how’s Columbian beer by the way?

By: Colin

Colin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:44:44 +0000

I worked for AB for 2 years and, despite the company’s relatively flavorless portfolio compared to European tastes, many of the AB middle managers I knew despised InBev management before being bought out because they were closing historic breweries.

However, I believe AB, the world’s largest brewer less than ten years ago, was eventually bought out by this consortium of small brands precisely because they valued tradition over economics. In my time there, I saw beers steal significant sales from competitors for tiny price discounts (elastic demand). In an industry moving toward commoditization, costs matter most.