The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of distinction between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.
-- Sir William Francis Butler
Based on their six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras chose eighteen truly unique and enduring companies, to study each of them in direct comparison to one of its top competitors. In this book, they study the companies from the time of their launch to the present day - as start-ups, as midsize businesses, and as large corporations. The authors have delved into the habits developed by the truly exceptional companies throughout their history to be where they are. The book is filled with a large number of specific examples and is structured into a lucid framework of practical ideas that can be applied by entrepreneurs and managers at all levels. Built to Last offers a practical blueprint for building companies that will flourish long into the competitive 21st century and even beyond.