Sunzi said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the people and a drain on the resources of the State. The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces of … Continue reading
The Attack by Fire
Sunzi said: There are five ways of attacking with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp; the second is to burn stores; the third is to burn baggage trains; the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines; … Continue reading
The Nine Situations
Sunzi said: The art of war recognizes nine varieties of ground: Dispersive ground Facile ground Contentious ground Open ground Ground of intersecting highways Serious ground Difficult ground Hemmed-in ground Desperate ground When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, … Continue reading
Terrain – Market Research and Business Intelligence
Sunzi said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: Accessible ground Entangling ground Temporizing ground Narrow passes Precipitous heights Positions at a great distance from the enemy Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called … Continue reading
The Army on the March
Sunzi said: We come now to the question of encamping the army, and observing signs of the enemy. Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighborhood of valleys. Camp in high places, facing the sun. Do not climb heights … Continue reading
Variation in Tactics
Sunzi said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country where high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do not linger … Continue reading
Maneuvering – Outsmarting Competitors
Sunzi said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof before pitching his camp. After that, comes tactical maneuvering, than which … Continue reading
Weak Points and Strong
Sunzi said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. Therefore the clever combatant … Continue reading
Energy in War and Business
Sunzi said: The control of a large force is the same 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 nowise different … Continue reading
Tactical Dispositions
Sunzi said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating … Continue reading
Attack by Stratagem
Sunzi said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army … Continue reading
Waging War
Sunzi said: In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li, the expenditure at home … Continue reading
Laying Plans
Sunzi said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no … Continue reading
Good Business
A rapid stream ran by the writers boyhood home. The stream turned a wooden wheel and the wheel ran a mill. Under that primitive method, all but a fraction of the streams potentiality went to waste. Then someone applied scientific … Continue reading
A Name That Helps
There is great advantage in a name that tells a story. The name is usually prominently displayed. To justify the space it occupies, it should aid the advertising. Some such names are almost complete advertisements in themselves. May Breath is … Continue reading
Letter Writing
This is another phase of advertising which all of us have to consider. It enters, or should enter, into all campaigns. Every business man receives a large number of circular letters. Most of them go direct to the waste basket. … Continue reading
Negative Advertising
To attack a rival is never good advertising. Don’t point out other’s faults. It is not permitted in the best mediums. It is never good policy. The selfish purpose is apparent. It looks unfair, not sporty. If you abhor knockers, … Continue reading
Leaning On Dealers
We cannot depend much in most lines on the active help of jobbers or of dealers. They are busy. They have many lines to consider. The profit on advertised lines is not generally large. And an advertised article is apt … Continue reading
Individuality
A person who desires to make an impression must stand out in some way from the masses and in a pleasing way. Being eccentric, being abnormal is not distinction to covet. But doing admirable things in a different way gives … Continue reading
Test Campaigns
Almost any questions can be answered, cheaply, quickly and finally, by a test campaign. And that’s the way to answer them – not by arguments around a table. Go to the court of last resort – the buyers of your … Continue reading