Built to Last (Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras)
Built to Last, first published in 1994, great work by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras, who set out to determine what’s special about “visionary”, great companies like Hewlett-Packard, Wal-Marts, 3G, those that have demonstrated longevity and great brand image.
This is a myth-breaking work, disproving generally acknowledged opinions and conventional wisdom. It unveils the principles that made visionary companies successful, kept them on top for long years and still support their prosperity.
I ran into this book in some bookstore which generally sold pulp fiction and I was very surprised. Built to Last brought up my interest in management and social interactions.
Moreover, this is also a great example of correct, thoroughly thought and sound analytical work, perfectly structured where none left unfounded. This may be taken as a standard and tutorial for those who want to write good dissertation or sound scientific work.