Summary Of The Book

In, the authors, Collins and Porras, list out the results of a six-year long research undertaking, one that they conducted at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. They took eighteen companies that they labelled ‘visionary’, and found out what sets them apart from the rest.

The term ‘visionary’ in this book means that the company was begun before 1950, has proved its merit in terms of commercial success, has a considerable trust value in the eyes of the general public and has outperformed its other peers and contemporaries. The authors highlight eighteen companies, all of which are a hundred years old on an average, and have been ahead of the stock market by at least fifteen per cent since 1926.

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

Why is Walt Disney so popular, while other animation studios have fallen behind? What makes Hewlett Packard such a respected name in the world of electronics? How did Sony make it to the exalted position that it now enjoys in the corporate world? Other companies like General Electric, Wal-Mart, IBM, 3M, and Boeing are also spoken about in this book. Readers can understand all this and more when they peruse.

About The Authors

James C. Collins

Jim Collins has written other books likeand

Jim Collins obtained a degree in Mathematics from Stanford University, after which he completed his MBA, then doing eighteen months of consultant praxis with McKinsey. He then joined Hewlett Packard in the capacity of a Product Manager. He presently conducts business management related research at a management laboratory which he began in Colorado.

Jerry I. Porras

He has written books such asand

Porras is an analyst of business and management.