International Business Issue Diageo PLC
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International Business Issue for Diageo PLC
Bobby Owen
BUS 280
Professor Smith
August 4, 2015
International Business Issue Diageo PLC
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Everybody has heard of these brands: Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, and Guinness.
Besides being established alcoholic beverages known worldwide, all these popular alcoholic
beverages also have one thing in common: they’re owned by London based British multinational
alcoholic beverage company Diageo PLC. According to Diageo PLC’s—commonly known as
simply Diageo—history page, the company itself is pretty young, having existed since only
1997. But their roots go back much further, with Diageo claiming that “[their] earliest ancestor
company formed in 1749,” with that being Justerini & Brooks, whom were wine merchants, and
“blenders of the famous J&B whisky range.” In addition, Diageo states, “10 years after that, in
1759 Arthur Guinness signed the lease on the now world famous St James’s Gate brewery in
Dublin[.]” Furthermore, many of their distilleries began in the late 18th century; and through the
19th and 20th centuries their brands and business continued to grow under multiple parent
