The corporate culture of Lincoln Electric Company today is an extension of that which founder John C. Lincoln and his younger brother James F . Lincoln instituted over a century ago. The company remains a profitable, growing and admired organization today. Its culture has been analyzed and used as an example in business education for many years. The company's success can be attributed to: the efficiency that its corporate philosophy and culture has instilled in its employees; meet customer needs; and finally reward shareholders. The essence of their corporate spirit is summed up by former President Mr. Willis: "Lincoln Electric is distinguished from most other companies by the importance it places on each of the groups it serves. (It) identifies these groups, in order of priority, as (1) customers, (2) employees and (3) shareholders” (Sharplin, Arthur, 1989). According to Carpenter, Taylor and Erdogan (2009), “When entrepreneurs start their own business, the way they want to do business determines the rules of the organization, the structure put in place in the business and the people they hire to work with them. James F. Lincoln was heavily influenced by religious teachings which he incorporated into his business ethics. According to Lincoln: Christian ethics should control our actions. If it controlled our actions, the savings in distribution costs would be enormous. Advertising would be a contact of the expert consultant with the customer, in order to offer him the best product available when all his needs are taken into account. Competition would then focus on improving the quality of products and increasing the efficiency of their production and distribution; not in deception, as is now all too common...... middle of paper ......ng employee participation in decision-making. According to Sharplin, “…we believe each person should participate only in the decisions they know best.” (2009) These qualities of company culture have grown and thrived at Lincoln Electric for over 100 years. Lincoln controls about 40% of the welding equipment industry. Its employees earn about double that of employees in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Employees stay with the company because the turnover rate is almost zero, usually leaving to retire. Works Cited Carpenter, M., Taylor, B., Erdogan, B. (2009). Organizational Culture, Principles of Management, 192-194. Retrieved from http://my.uopeople.org/course/view.php?id=695Sharplin, Arthur (1989). Lincoln Electric Company. Lake Charles, LA: McNeese State University. Retrieved from http://my.uopeople.org/course/view.php?id=695