Art of War Summary Essay

Art of War is a famous Chinese military strategy book written by Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese military general. He was famous during his time and for his work entitled Art of War, which made him known even up to our century. According to Wallace (2010), Sun Tzu is the author of one of the most prominent pieces of literature during the era of the Warring States in which China entered around the first millennium B.C.E. In this work of art Sun Tzu takes a rational approach to the problem of conflict and dissects every aspect of it. Sun Tzu is undeniably an historical figure. The book is all about how to win a war by employing strategies and tactics given the information and ideas that every general must know from laying plans, handling his army, giving commands, positioning, maneuvering and all other important aspects mentioned by Sun Tzu. The book is concentrated on war strategies and tactics but Sun Tzu’s philosophies from the Art of War can be viewed from many perspectives. It can be applied on many circumstances including strategic management, the strategies and tactics that were laid on the book can be applied to many aspects of business management. Sun Tzu’s ideas believed that laying plans is vital before making any move. This idea is the same as careful planning and gathering reliable information before making any decision in strategic management. Assessing one’s environment is helpful in a business perspective, too. Know yourself, know your enemies. Knowledge is as important as guns and bullets in engaging war. Knowing the enemies and your own strengths and weaknesses is similar to SWOT analysis. Economic aspect must be considered in engaging business same as engaging in a war. Time is of essence that’s one thing that is common to war and strategic management. In business, decisions must be made in a timely manner. Be moral and ethical. Sun Tzu included Moral Law as one of the constant factors. In business, customers usually patronize those who are known for their ethical behaviour.   The true leader knows both how to utilize his resources and when to make a decision. He plans by making a combination of direct and indirect tactics. Handling resources and decision making are constant activities both in war and in managing business. Sun Tzu’s classical book was intentionally written for the conduct of war but his ideas and perceptions don’t just fit for war. The book addresses strategy in broad manner making it applicable to strategic management. II. Summary The first chapter of the book concentrates on ideas and information that a general must be aware of. The art of war is governed by five constant factors, all of which need to be taken into account. They are: the Moral Law; Heaven; Earth; the Commander; Method and discipline. These factors should be known to every general because this will serve as guidelines in conduct of a war. Knowledge on one’s environment and assessment of it is important to achieve victory. Sun Tzu believes that deception and intelligence will bring home the bacon. Second chapter’s central idea focused on how to do the battle, the tactics that must be employed when the battle is on and the economic aspect of war. Sun Tzu mentioned in this chapter that when you do battle for a long time it will dull your forces and exhaust your resources. Prolonged warfare only brings poverty to a country. Proper timing on when to attack, valuing every minute during the war, and making victory as the objective of every war will prevent prolonged warfare. Be flexible. Be a clever fighter. These are Sun Tzu’s message in the next two chapters. The fifth chapter tackles force and domination as a tool to build momentum. â€Å"The control of a large force is the same in principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers. Fighting with a large army under your command is not different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.† This just means that a large size of the army doesn’t secure victory, proper handling of men and right commands somehow does. Avoid being deceived and shaped. The army must remain invisible to its enemy and maintain unity. Sun Tzu emphasizes in the sixth chapter that an army must know their own strengths and weaknesses. Then, figure the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses with the help of deception. By this, one can see the opportunities and threats brought by the environment. Maneuvering is the seventh chapter’s focus. Sun Tzu said that tactical maneuvering is difficult. Yes it is. Keeping an advantage is hard to maintain but this is very essential to shield your army from defeat. The next chapters are focused on how to respond on different war situations. Adaptation is elaborated in the eighth chapter of the book. Sun Tzu focuses on the need for flexibility in this chapter. He explains how to successfully respond to shifting circumstances. The succeeding entitled â€Å"The Army on March† describes how the army must move from one place to another, paths that requires expertise before you can go through it and the areas that must be avoided to maintain advantage. Chapter ten looks into the general aspects of resistance and the six kinds of terrains or field positions which each of which offers advantages and disadvantages both in terms of advancing position and defending the army. Sun Tzu said that the art of war recognizes â€Å"Nine situations† and these are elaborated in the eleventh chapter. These are: dispersive ground; facile ground; contentious ground; open ground; ground of intersecting highways; serious ground; difficult ground; hemmed-in ground; desperate ground. Translators say that these nine situations can be generally grouped into early, middle, and late-stage conditions, and they range from scattering to deadly. In each of these situations, there is one and only one appropriate response. As the title says, â€Å"Attacking by fire† this chapter is basically lays down the five different ways to attack the enemy using fire. First, burn the soldiers in their camp. Second, burn their stores. Third, burn their equipment. Fourth, burn their weapons. Lastly, burn their supplies. The ways mentioned have been widely used by many battles. The last chapter focuses on the importance of gathering information from reliable sources and managing them. It specifically discusses the value and methods of developing good information sources. It describes five kinds of spies: local spies, inside spies, reverse spies, dead spies, and living spies. Reliable information can help mold your own strategy and gain competitive advantage.