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'THIS IS NOT A BOOK ABOUT CHARISMATIC VISIONARY LEADERS. IT IS NOT ABOUT VISIONARY PRODUCT CONCEPTS OR VISIONARY PRODUCTS OR VISIONARY MARKET INSIGHTS. NOR IS IT ABOUT JUST HAVING A CORPORATE VISION. THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT SOMETHING FAR MORE IMPORTANT, ENDURING, AND SUBSTANTIAL. THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT VISIONARY COMPANIES.' DRAWING UPON A SIX-YEAR RESEARCH PROJECT AT THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, COLLINS AND PORRAS TOOK EIGHTEEN TRULY EXCEPTIONAL AND LONG-LASTING COMPANIES AND STUDIED EACH COMPANY IN DIRECT COMPARISON TO ONE OF ITS TOP COMPETITORS. THEY EXAMINED THE COMPANIES FROM THEIR VERY BEGINNINGS TO THE PRESENT DAY - AS START-UPS, AS MIDSIZE COMPANIES AND AS LARGE CORPORATIONS. THROUGHOUT, THE AUTHORS ASKED 'WHAT MAKES THE TRULY EXCEPTIONAL COMPANIES DIFFERENT FROM OTHER COMPANIES?' FILLED WITH HUNDREDS OF SPECIFIC EXAMPLES AND ORGANIZED INTO A COHERENT FRAMEWORK OF PRACTICAL CONCEPTS THAT CAN BE APPLIED BY MANAGERS AND ENTREPRENEURS AT ALL LEVELS, "BUILT TO LA