Sun Tzu and The Art of Business

SUN TZU AND THE
ART OF BUSINESS
SIX STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES FOR MANAGERS
Manuel Y Palcon II
MBA Student
PRESIDENT RAMON MAGSAYSAY STATE UNIVERSITY
SUN TZU
• A Chinese general, military strategist, writer and philosopher.
• credited as the author of “The Art of War”, which presents a
philosophy of war for managing conflicts and winning battles,
and regarded as a masterpiece on strategy. From Wikipedia
From Wikipedia
From Highlander Wiki

From Wikipedia
The Art of War

• The oldest treatise on military strategy
• Believed to be published on the 4th or 5th Century, written on
sets of sewn-together bamboo slats
• For 1,000 years, rulers and scholars across Asia consulted The
Art of War as they plotted their military maneuvers and
imperial conquests
• The oldest Japanese version dates from the 8th Century.
From Wikipedia
The Art of War

• It only reached the western world until the end of the 18th
Century, when a Jesuit missionary translated the book into
French.
• It was finally translated in English in 1905
• The Art of War presents the basic principles of warfare and
gives military leaders advice on when and how to fight
• It has 13 chapters which offer specific battle strategies.
The Art of War & The Art of Business
• Military Conflict and Business Competition are so similar that
many strategic management techniques apply equally to both.
• Business strategists have access to valuable insights that
military thinkers have refined over time.
From www.thoughtco.com From www.forbes.com
SIX STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES FOR
MANAGERS
1. Capture your market without destroying it
“Generally in war, the best policy is to take a state intact;

to ruin it is inferior to this….For to win one hundred
victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To
subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”
Sun Tzu
MANAGERS
2. Avoid your competitor’s strength, and attack their weakness.
“An army may be likened to water, for just as flowing

water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an
army avoids strength and strikes weakness.” Sun Tzu
THE COLA WAR: COKE VS PEPSI
THE COLA WAR: COKE VS PEPSI
MANAGERS
3. Use foreknowledge & deception to maximize the power of
business intelligence.
“Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles

you will never be in peril” Sun Tzu
MANAGERS
According to the blog of Andy Ng (http://
andyngtrainer.blogspot.com/2014/05/deception-and-foreknowledge-as-taught.html)
Foreknowledge is about 4 things:
• Detailed research and analysis from people who know the competition situation in
details
• Knowledge of the personality and behaviour profile of people
• Psychology of things, why people do things in certain way
• Knowledge about the environment, including business climate
MANAGERS
According to the blog of Andy Ng (http://
andyngtrainer.blogspot.com/2014/05/deception-and-foreknowledge-as-taught.html)
Foreknowledge does not stop at knowing your competitors. The most
important knowledge is to know yourself. You must know where you are
strong and where you are weak so that your weakness will not be exposed
and instead positioned as strengths.
MANAGERS
4. Use speed and preparation to swiftly overcome the
competition.
“Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the

enemy’s unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and
strike him where he has taken no precautions.” – Sun Tzu
MANAGERS
5. Use alliances and strategic control points in the industry to
“shape” your opponents and make them conform to your will.
“Therefore, those skilled in war bring the enemy to the

field of battle and are not brought there by him.” Sun Tzu
MANAGERS
6. Develop your character as a leader to maximize the potential of
your employees.
“When one treats people with benevolence, justice and

righteousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will
be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their
leaders.” Sun Tzu
THANK YOU!

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SUN TZU AND THE

From Highlander Wiki

The Art of War

The Art of War

“Generally in war, the best policy is to take a state intact;

“An army may be likened to water, for just as flowing

“Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles

“Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the

“Therefore, those skilled in war bring the enemy to the

“When one treats people with benevolence, justice and

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