ABSTRACT
It’s a disturbing thought – but the majority of companies have a life span significantly less than that of a human being. Even the largest firms can show worrying signs of vulnerability – for example, of the top names in the Fortune 500 list for 1985, less than half were still there by 1995. For the smaller firm, the mortality statistics are even more worrying. For instance, in 2003 over 200 restaurants were declared bankrupt in London alone.
