Review of the Art of War by Sun Tzu (Book Review Sample)

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Review of the Art of War by Sun Tzu
The Art of War is a book written by Sun Tzu and has a total of 13 chapters. It has been described as a formal and systematically written discourse on the subject of Chinese military. It was written during the 6th Century BC. The book contains a lot of information which the military used and in addition to that, even businessmen gained a lot from it. It is actually still in use up to date. It has since been translated into many languages but was first translated into the French language in 1782. Each chapter of the book gives a detailed explanation of a particular feature of warfare.
The book considers lying of plans as the initial step that comes before waging war. Plans are very important because they act as guidelines to achieving any goals. After plans have been strategically laid, then waging of war of war against the enemy follows. Tactical disposition is another important measure in form of war (Sun 72). The Art of war considers energy as a very important tool in winning and this is efficiently achieved by maximizing on the strong points. Winning is achieved by focusing on the weak points of the enemy as well.
War has a variety of tactical variations that should be intelligently applied. The book emphasizes on the need to engage a strong force and this is by ensuring that the military is strong. In this endeavor, the situational positioning becomes of great significance (Sun 52). This is where the army locates the best attack positions and the defending positions as well. The Art of War has therefore tried to show that war has to be handled in a variety of ways and weapons alone cannot result to victory. Intelligence is another important factor and without it victory cannot be achieved (Sun 156).
The strategies highlighted by the book The Art of War have been effectively applied in the business world. Relating to the book’s view that strategic positioning is crucial in war, it is also crucial that businesses should be strategically positioned. This is in relation to customers, raw materials and technology amongst other factors. Lying of plans is also another important strategy that has been discussed in the book and in the same way important in any business setting. Businesses should embark on lying of plans before hitting a particular niche market.
Many businesses have applied the tactics from the book to counter the challenge of competition in a particular niche market. Intelligence is an aspect that has been broadly discussed in the book and as well it is a crucial aspect in any business setting. A business should be intelligently operated because it requires some crucial decisions for smooth flow of operations. Intellige...