Berkshire Hathaway the 300 billion conglomerate that Warren Buffett built is among the worlds largest and most famous corporations Yet for all its power and celebrity few people understand Berkshire and many assume it cannot survive without Buffett This book proves them wrong In a comprehensive portrait of the corporate culture that unites Berkshires subsidiaries Lawrence A Cunningham unearths the traits that assure the conglomerates continued prosperity Riveting stories of each subsidiarys origins triumphs and journey to Berkshire reveal how managers generate economic value from intangibles like thrift integrity entrepreneurship autonomy and a sense of permanence Rich with lessons for those wishing to profit from the Berkshire model this engaging book is a valuable read for entrepreneurs business owners managers family business members and investors and it is an important resource for scholars of corporate stewardship General readers will enjoy learning how an iconoclastic businessman transformed a struggling textile company into a corporate legacy