The Art Of Business War By David Brown

This week’s pick is about the greatest rivalries in the corporate world. This is the Myanmar translation of David Brown’s The Art of Business War, translated by Saw David and published by Today Publishing House as part of their Ideas and Perspectives Series No 42.
This book encompasses preface, introduction, nine chapters: 1 Entering the battlefield, 2 Waging war, 3 Strategies for success, 4 Positioning your business, 5 Substituting, 6 Strike at its weak, 7 Unfair tactics, 8 Conquering the heart and soul, 9 Resilience, and conclusion.
The preface revealed how fierce business competition could be, regardless of eras and conditions. Businesses universally face challenges and competitions that stimulate innovation and improvement. One might experience stress on how to strike at the right moment and overcome challenges to survive in the field. This book will shed light on Sun Tzu’s The Art of War principles and military strategies that can be applied to business wars.
This book includes quotes, tactics and the valuable strategic lessons of the greatest military strategies by Sun Tzu to effectively apply to business.
This book will guide you on how to fight and conquer in the fierce battle by using the wisdom and pragmatic advice of the military strategist Sun Tzu. The book started with his quotation “Do not make a move unless you see an advantage, do not use your troops unless there is nothing to be returned, do not fight unless the position is critical”. Even when profitable, there will always be others who are striving to improve and to be better. Rivals crave success and market dominance. One needs to take advantage of the enemy’s unreadiness, make one’s way by unexpected routes and attack unguarded spots. The book emphasizes the strategies, positioning, tricks and eye for exploiting vulnerabilities.
In Chapter I: Entering the battlefield, the book pointed out that a revered General who won the battle needs many calculations in his mind before the battle. X is the general symbol for unknown quantities across various theories. Every new business idea is an unknown X on the business landscape that needs a battle from the very start to achieve success.
It is said that nothing is fair in love and war. One needs to look at the leader first to find the weakness of the competitors. Their weakness might create great opportunities for you. To win in the business war, years of patience and strategy are key. Also, one needs to know when to strike when the iron is hot. Beyond lengthy campaigns, taking advantage of the right moment and seizing opportunities are required.
“Knowing yourself and the enemy leads to victory. You need not fear the results of the hundred battles. That principle applies to all areas of life where self-awareness and strategic assessment, and understanding the capabilities and intentions of the enemy are key to success.

GNLM