Brands have played a critical role in the evolution of multinationals in alcoholic beverages. As this article shows, brands often determined the nature and scope of mergers and acquisitions in this industry and so help explain the successive merger waves that have transformed it since the 1960s....

Since the banking crisis of 2008 the global economy is perceived as riskier than before. Firms that cannot manage risks have withdrawn from countries in which they previously invested. These problems are not new. For centuries firms have invested in risky foreign environments, and many of them...