The Prince by Niccolo Machiaveli - Book Report/Review Example

Application of Machiavelli The of the book The Prince, NiccoloMachiaveli grew up in a chaotic environment. During his period, popes led armies, strong city states fell one after the other and governments changed within a duration of just weeks. As a student, he was educated by humanist ideals of the Renaissance. His book, The Prince, seems to have acquired its storyline from these ideals. Niccolo’s book, The Prince was published about five years after he passed on. Since then, his work has greatly influenced magnitudes of people. The main intention of Niccolo, was not to make the book popular, but to achieve a position in the Italian government that was forming. The book has straight forward ideas. It mainly discusses ways in which to gain power and keep its efficiency. Niccolo had a strong conviction that a strong leader has to maintain dominion, mainly for his citizens, and not for his own gain (Machiavelli 11). The book puts forth a question, whether a prince is better loved or feared, which has been a cause for immense debate over the years. The author first says it is better to have both, but since it is impossible, he finds being feared better. He argues that as a leader, it is one’s responsibility to run and control the nation or empire. Niccolo, however, does not believe in cruelty and only warrants it for militia (Machiavelli 30). Though Niccolo insists on being feared rather than loved, he still asserts that people should not dislike their leader, or it will channel to his ruin. Niccolo also added in the book, ways to conquer other states, and maintaining control foreign lands. The Mercedes Benz Company For a long time, through analysis and innovation, the Mercedes Benz Company has succeeded in acquiring a large share in the market which has been a major contributor to its high level of sales in the globe. With progressive advancements in technology and research, there has been a lot of competition(Mercedes-benzpg 11). The expansion of market of the Mercedes Benz Company to nations such as China has made it face enormous competitive challenges. Volkswagen AG and the BMW company have always been the rivals of the company. For a long time now, the Mercedes Benz company and motorcade have been used to define class and prestige; its fall in the market may mean that it will lose its status, profit and class. Karl Benz had one of his creations patented in January 1886, where Mercedes Ben drew its origin.Vehicles by the brand name Mercedes Benz were for the first time marketed in the year 1926. Since its inception, Mercedes Benz has maintained a reputation for its longevity and quality. The company has also received a Platinum Award for its plant in Germany. On a general note, the Mercedes Benz Company has been prosperous over the years, irrespective of the difficulties itmay have encountered such as the competitiveness(Mercedes-benzpg 11). The company uses different techniques to keep afloat in the motor industry, even in the presence of its strong competitors. Its use of media has helped the company to make its products known. It also posts its updates online, about the emergence of new models, or prices of its products. The company also carries out extensive research on the market. This enables it to come up with products that satisfy the needs of the market, since the company will base the product on its preferences. Other than that, the company has an excellent management body. Its managers usually are persons who have gained exposure to the essentials of running companies. Their experiences make them efficient while running the company. The company has a very stable brand value, which makes it lead globally in the production of premium cars(Mercedes-benzpg 14). The company is also known to be innovative. It has come up with several innovative ideas such as the development of anti-locking brakes. Other than that, the company sets aside funds to run its research and development. As seen earlier, carrying out research is a potential boost for any company in terms of sales. Globally, the company runs in more than twenty states. It has more benefits, such as the safety of the products it comes up. It is also worth noting that the company rarely runs low on capital. A market survey however reveals that maintain a Mercedes- Benz vehicle is costly(Mercedes-benzpg 17). The company could consider trying to develop fuel efficient cars. It could also try venturing into new markets to expand its roots. Factors that may threaten the progress of the company are such as intense competition from automobile brands such as Audi, Porsche and BMW. The fuel prices are also on progressive rise, which also serves as a threat. Lastly, the government policies bestowed upon the automobile sector in the globe limits several factors in the company. This also acts as a threat to the company. Relationship between The book; The Prince and the Methods Used by Mercedes Benz to Operate From the book The Prince, the main ideas brought out are related to political power. The author of the book stresses on methods one can use to maintain power, and he in fact goes on to say that a leader is better feared than loved(Machiavelli 21). He however goes on to explain that the leader should be careful not to offend his people because if they hate him, there is likelihood that he will get out of power. Relating the book to the Mercedes Benz Company, it is evident that the book faced great opposition. Using the concept of maintaining power for instance, a company can never dictate. It is obviously any company’s wish to get the lion share of a market and to make the rivals fall. However, the upkeep and the good name of a company are hard-earned. A company has to spend money and time working on strategies to boost its sales and popularity. One of the concepts brought out in the book is gaining fear instead of love. A company like Mercedes Benz would never succeed on the basis of fear. The modern world is highly democratic and only gives room for democratic concepts, people and bodies. There is a limited possibility therefore, that Mercedes Benz could use dictatorship to run. Its only way to win over people would be to make products that people will love. Conduct market surveys as mentioned earlier, take note of the people’s preferences, and make products related to them. Through this approach, the company can maintain the dictatorial and democratic side of the bargain. Based on the fear and love concept, Niccolo’s policy on fear fails. It is the love for a company that keeps its market hooked to it, not the fear. Niccolo however, hints that it is never right for a leader to have his people hate him (Phillips 20). Using this concept, the Mercedes Benz Company already has gained a good name as is. Maintaining the good name should apply as a priority for the company. The good name is likely to win people over. As stated in the book,” it is not necessary for people to love their prince; it is better if they fear him (Machiavell 20). However, the prince should ensure that his people will not hate him”. Based on that concept the company should work hard to maintain its good name among people, and to make sure that it deviate from any habits that may make people hate it, which will definitely lead to its downfall. Another concept used in the book is that of free will. On the same theme, Niccolo puts forth two ideas, which are fortune and prowess. He defines prowess as an individual’s abilities or talents and fortune as luck or chance. In his book, Niccolo plants an argument that is meant to examine what amount of a prince’s accomplishment or failure emanates from his free will. He later argues that linking free will as well as determination, fortune controls half of the actions by a human being, leaving the other part to free will (Phillips 15). Conclusively, one can gather that one should be confident in the strength of human beings to change fate to a degree, and also equally confident that the control of humans over events is by no means absolute. From the above theme, the Mercedes Benz Company can gather a few lessons. First, in the running of a business, many will agree that fortune is not a major determinant. An emphasis on the hard work of the company still comes in(Mercedes-benzpg 17). On the other hand, the free will of the consumers of a product should never be abused. The company cannot force its products to the market, or rather, cannot force people to buy its goods since they are free to decide which pleases them most. In this case, the company cannot shape the destiny of its buyers. It should instead, aim at coming with products to attract people. The success of the Mercedes Benz Company relies heavily on its environment of operation, free will of the people and the effort it puts in to market its products. This therefore leaves no room for luck while running a business(Mercedes-benzpg 18). The company should ensure that it runs in an environment that is compatible to its products. For instance, it cannot go to market or start up a million dollar car project in a poverty stricken area; it should go to an environment that has ready potential consumers. Since the enterprise has already put forth a brand name, it is more likely to sell. Since people trust the brand, they are willing to purchase the products of the company. In this very case, the success of the company relies heavily on its market. Another concept captured in the book is virtue. People praise characters such as honesty and generosity, which Niccolo defines as virtues (Phillips 10). He argues that virtues are not necessary; and that a leader should employ some cruelty, which is a vice. This is another concept that is unacceptable in the success and running of a company. Instead, a company that looks to succeed should put in effort towards applying as several virtues as possible. Mercedes Benz should apply virtues such as honesty, transparency, accountability and responsibility. The company should not use cruelty to acquire buyers. It should instead operate in such a sense that it is the virtues that market it. Values such as transparency and honesty are likely to win the trust of the buyers(Mercedes-benzpg 27). They will trust the safety of the product and will even spread news to others. Implementing vices such as exploitation, or cruelty or dishonesty are likely to lower the profile of the company. Another theme discussed in the book is human nature (Phillips 5). Niccolo observes that humans are good friends in time of prosperity and are absent in times of trouble. He also goes on to describe humans as selfish and deceitful. This may fail to run a significant contribution to the running of a company, but the diverse nature of human beings can be used to come up with products to suit their needs. Conclusion The book The Prince was a source of controversy or quite some time after its publishing. The author himself, Niccolo faced great criticism due to his ideas in the book. It is important to note The Prince, was only an insignificant percentage of his entire work. He wrote about the cruelty of his time, which was perceived as normal. People even related his name t demonism later on. Since his years, Niccolo never really earned a better name. People got stuck to his ideas, which were mostly difficult to agree with. Niccolo mainly applied dictatorship in his ideals. The application of his ideas to the running of the company may prove to be unsuccessful. Niccolo bases his ideas on dictatorship. A majority of the modern society highly disregard dictatorship. Instead, companies run on a democratic kind of setting. Even while choosing the board, a company normally relies on the majority vote. The free will of consumers is important in determining the popularity of a company, and to some extent, the success too. This makes the ideas presented by Niccolo inapplicable in running the Company Mercedes Benz. Works cited Phillips, Tim. Niccolo Machiavellis the Prince: A 52 Brilliant Ideas Interpretation. Oxford: Infinite Ideas Ltd, 2008. Internet resource. Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Lanham: Start Classics, 2013. Internet resource. Mercedes-benzSl: R129-series 1989 to 2001. Veloce, 2013. Print. Read More