"Built to Last"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews and analyzes James Collins and Jerry Porras' book, "Built to Last," which discusses the difference between a good company and a great company. It describes the content of the book and the arguments that the authors present. The paper also discusses some of the examples that the authors provide and looks specifically at the myths that the authors present in their book.

From the Paper:

"This book, written in the late 1990s, suffers from one critical problem, from the point of view of a contemporary reader. Many of the companies built to last in the eyes of the authors more than ten years ago are now suffering considerable financial difficulties or suffering from severe image problems like Wal-Mart. To demonstrate their principles, the authors use so many companies that it is hard to understand what went wrong--did all of these companies lose sight of their vision, as Collins and Porras no doubt would assert? Presumably the authors have not retracted their book, and said that their book was not built to last, despite its title and despite the failure of some of these companies to continue to thrive? Or has the current market environment become so fluid that no company is built to last, now that employee turnover has reached an all-time high and consumer brand loyalty is at an all time low?"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Collins, James & Jerry Porras. Built to Last. New York: HarperCollins, 1997.

More papers on "Built to Last":

• Book Review # 10902 : "Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies"
• Term Paper # 127256 : "Management Course Journal"
• Research Paper # 129051 : "BMW Business Strategy"

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