The Chinese Art of War: Sunzi Bingfa - Case Study Example

Name Tutor Title: The Chinese Art of War: Sunzi Bingfa Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Role of the Art of War on Chinese culture 3 Role of The Art of War other Western cultures 6 Role of the Art of War in the Business world 7 Sun Tzu’s Competitive ethics in business 9 Problems in understanding, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War 10 Scientific tradition 10 Specialized language 11 Lack of illustrations, explanations and examples 12 Translation challenges 13 Conclusion 14 Bibliography 15 Introduction The Art of War is a Chinese military treatise written by Sun Tzu in the sixteenth century BC, during the autumn and spring period. The contents of the Art of War is profound and extensive, touching on a variety of subjects such as war rules, strategies, philosophy, military, diplomacy, and economy. Composed of thirteen chapters, with every chapter devoted to one element of war, it has long been recognized and praised as definitive work on martial tactics and strategies of its period, and one of basic texts on the subject. The Art of War is one of the most successful and oldest books on military strategy in the globe. It has had a great impact on business tactics, Eastern military thinking and beyond Sun Tzu identified the significance of positioning in strategy and that position is influenced by objective conditions in physical environment, as well as the subjective ideas of competitive actors within that environment. Sun Tzu taught that tactic wasn’t planning in the sense of working via a to- do list, but rather it needs appropriate and quick reactions to changing conditions. He stressed that planning functions in a regulated environment, but within a competitive environment, competing tactics collide, generating unexpected situations. Role of the Art of War on Chinese culture The Art of War had a significant on Asian and Chinese culture and history. During the nineteenth and twentieth century’s, Sun Tzu’s Art of War grew in fame and saw practical utilization in Western society, and this work has persisted to influence Western and Asian politics and culture. The Art of War illustrates a war philosophy for winning battles and managing conflicts. As opposed to popular belief, Sun Tzu work contains writings of the original author and also clarifications and commentary from later military philosophers, like Du Mu and Li Quan. It is highly accepted as a work of art on strategy and frequently referred to and cited to by theorists and generals since its translation, publication and distribution in the whole world (Bell, 2002). Of the manuscripts written before unification of China in the second century B.C, six main works survived, entailing The Art of War. During Song Dynasty in the early first millennium AD, these six works were merged with a Tang Dynasty manuscript into a collection known as the seven military classics. As a core part of this compilation, The Art of War created the foundations of the orthodox military theory in China. In the Art of War, Sun Tzu utilizes language that might be atypical in a text on strategy and warfare. For instance, the eleventh chapter assets that leader should be inscrutable and serene and able to understand unfathomable plans. The implication of these terms is clearer when inferred in context of Taoist practice and thought (Annellen, & Alexander, 2003). Sun Tzu observed the perfect general as an enlightened Taoist master, which has resulted to the Art of War a being regarded as the chief example of the Taoist strategy. Berger (2009) argues that, the Art of War is discerned from similar Western work like Prussian general’s Carlvon Clausewitz’s on war by this divine dimension. An understanding of Taoist point of view in the Art of War is crucial to understanding its aimed meaning. In early 1970s, scholars discovered a collection on prehistoric manuscripts written on uncommonly preserved bamboo slips. Amongst them were Sun Bin’s Military Methods and Sun Tzu’s Art of War. The discovery of the work of Sun Bin was thus regarded to be enormously significant, because of Sun Tzu relationship with Sun Bin, and the work’s demonstration of military thought in the late Chinese ancient times. The entire discovery expanded the entire Chinese works by hundreds. Nevertheless, the treatise of Sun Bin is the only well known extra text subsisting form the prehistoric period or possessing a close connection with Sun Tzu. The Art of war has influenced distinguished figures in China and traditional historians narrate that the initial emperor of the unified China, Qin Shi Huang, regarded the book important in terminating the Age of warring states. The Art of War was introduced to China in 760 AD and this book swiftly became famous among the Japanese generals (Liu, 2002). Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong to a degree accredited his 1949 victory over the Kuomintang and Chiang Kai-shek to The Art of War. Sun Tzu work greatly influenced the writings of Mao on Guerilla warfare, which further affected communist insurgencies around the globe. Mente (2000) argues that contemporary Chinese scholars overtly rely on the historical strategic lessons in The Art of War to develop their theories, in seeing a direct correlation between their contemporary struggles and those of the country in Sun Tzu’s period. There is an immense perceived worth in teachings of Sun Tzu and other conventional Chinese writers, which are frequently utilized in creating strategies of Chinese state and its principals. Role of The Art of War other Western cultures Apart from unification of China, The Art of War also considerably influenced unification of Japan. Mastery of its teachings was respected amid the samurai and its teaching was both exemplified and exhorted by influential shogun and daimyo such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga. Historians prevalently recount how the French emperor Napoleon studied the writings of Sun and utilized them to successful wage a war against the entire Europe. However, the emperor disregarded the central principles like attentiveness to activist conditions which is greatly credited for his ultimate defeat in Russia. Fleet Admiral Marquis who led the Japan forces to conquest against Russia in Japanese-Russo War was a fervent reader of Sun Tzu work. General Vo Nguyen Giap, the martial mastermind behind the victories over the American and French forces in Vietnam, was a fervent practitioner and reader of ides of Sun Tzu. The defeat of America in the Vietnam War brought The Art of war to the attention of the American martial thought leaders. Ho Chi Minh translated The Art of War work for his Vietnamese officials to learn. The Departments of Army in United States, via its general and Command staff college, has given a direction for the all units to maintain libraries in their particular headquarters for continuing learning of recruits in the art of war. This work is supposed to be maintained at every individual unit and personnel duty officials are coerced to set up short papers for presentation to the other officials about their readings. This Sun Tzu’s work is also listed on Marine Corps Professional Reading Program. During the 1990s Persian Gulf War, both General Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf Junior practiced the Sun Tzu’s principles of speed, deception and attacking the rival’s weakness (Tzu, & Gagliardi, 2004). Role of the Art of War in the Business world The Art of War is the most well known text on the Budo strategy is still regarded the most comprehensive text of partnering, strategy and success. It is thus regularly employed by top executive around the globe and taught in business schools. The Art of War is largely read and applied in the business world as the central primer for competitive strategy, which is simply adapted to marketing. In original Chinese, the novel work is nearly mathematical analysis of how the competition system functions. Although a basic translation puts the principles in military terms, the original formulas may be translated directly line by line from martial terminology to terms of business marketing. Business interpretation in the Art of War pertain to areas like business strategy, operational efficiency, partnering approaches for growth, managing workplace conflict and project planning and management. Sun Tzu’s models are about attaining victory or business growth with minimal conflict, minimal effort and maximum operational efficiency. According to Jeffrey, (2010), numerous of these translations have put the classic Chinese text into business setting. In military arts practices, people daily explore their strengths, weaknesses and true nature, with a lead from Sun Tzu’s text which states that if you know yourself and others you will be successful, if you know others and not yourself you will lose one and win one and if you don’t know others and don’t know yourself you are destined for failure in each battle. Within the business setting, these phrases are applied through having a yearly business S.W.O.T (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, partnering models for sales, support and marketing and operational schemes that tracks business actions and ensure effectiveness in project management and standard operating processes. Unfortunately, few military arts dojos operate with same levels of planning schemes to that utilized by huge corporate entities, but as Sun Tzu states, Confidence, momentum, desire and courage are all based upon the mind and if order is taken way and disorder created, all of these fall apart. Thus, Sun Tzu would dispute that without rigors of business plans, project management and defined objectives for growth, business will not identify their full potential. In some sense, the opposing armies are your competitors and you are battling for market share already taken up by other businesses or latent customers not involved in your market. Your schemes are your make up for the product, price, promotional strategies and distribution vehicle. Victory goes to business that can’t only attain territory form their rivals, but hold onto it, and most significantly make it profitable. Profitability is the main point that can be drawn from the teachings of Sun Tzu, as there isn’t a point in battling over a thing that verifies ultimately valueless, or is obliterated in the fight. An example is the price wars since business world has used business price wars to gain consumers but often all competing parties end up losing, implying that market is obliterated for all. Valued based schemes what a military art business, like all other businesses must be (Tzu, & Gagliardi, 2005). Sun Tzu’s Competitive ethics in business The Art of War is largely read and applied in the business world as the central primer for competitive strategy, which is simply adapted t o marketing. In original Chinese, the novel work is nearly mathematical analysis of how the competition system functions. Although a basic translation puts the principles in military terms, the original formulas may be translated directly line by line from martial terminology to terms of business marketing. The most universal misunderstanding among individuals who haven’t studied the Art of Work is its central competitive philosophy is Machiavellian, which is devoid of moral considerations in advancing its success principles in competitive arena. On the other hand, Sun Tzu teaches that moral behavior is the base for victory in competition (Donald, 2000). The ethics of Sun Tzu are pragmatic other than idealistic. He lays focus on the reality that direct conflict is innately costly and people who naturally respond to competitive situation through wanting to engage in fights and defeat their rivals are destined to defeat, even if they constantly win their fights. Krause (2005) notes that this is a fact in marketing battles, as it are in military battles. Sun Tzu advances his art of war as a strategy for substituting the artless, harmful conflicts that define majority of competitive battles, entailing those that are usually occur amid business competitors. His analysis is that successful conflict is so innately costly and is never valuable. We may triumph market through spending a lot of cash, then we can’t make a profit in doing so. Sun Tzu specifically says that a general that brawls a hundred battles and triumphs a hundred battles isn’t a great general. The Art of War teaches people to stop describing victory on basis of winning conflict or on basis of beating the opponents. Sun Tzu redefines success as advancing our position, promoting our market share, where possible, whilst avoiding expensive direct conflicts. Through use of strategy, as opposed to brute force, people can be able to advance their position in such a manner that other individuals don’t need to attack them, and supremely want to join them. In marketing and warfare, this implies getting openings where people can go around their competitors other than directly battling them (Gagliardi, 2005). Problems in understanding, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War Scientific tradition People who read The Art of War do not understand this work due to the fact that it is written more like a scientific treatise other than a how-to book. A how-to book is intended to assist the reader to understand the material, but in scientific work, whether ancient or modern, a person has to read each word and each sentence carefully in order to, learn the terminology. In a how-to book, it is easy to read and understand any chapter without having to study the previous chapters carefully, but science requires development of a precise language and if you miss a few paragraphs in defining concepts, one becomes completely lost (Gagliardi, 2010). With ancient science, there is an additional barrier to understanding the underlying scientific models and methods of that time. When the system of Sun Tzu’s is explained in contemporary terms, it makes rational sense, but one can’t understand the novel text without having an understanding on its underlying cultural context. There were 6 schools of thought during the era of Sun Tzu, which included Confucian, Monists , Fatalist, Legalist, Taoist and Yinyang schools and the work of Sun Tzu was written in context of all this work. Specialized language Because readers translate the Art of War into normal English, they think that they understand what is being articulated even when they do not. For instance, in the writings of Sun Tzu, the differences between conflict, battle, attack and fight are as immense as differences between irrational numbers, rational numbers, imaginary numbers and real numbers in mathematics. We are able to understand what the terms irrational, rational, imaginary and real mean but lack the idea on how these words describe different forms of numbers. The same is real in the work of Sun Tzu. One may know what conflict, attack, battle and fight normally mean, but unless one understands the very precise ways these words and other are utilized in the Art of War, one can’t appreciate what Sun Tzu is saying in any precise section (Gagliardi, 2008). When one begins reading the book, there are definitions of terms and this starts at the initial page and continues on every page. As one reads, one can’t keep track of the multitude definitions and as a definition follows another, the significant details of their vital aspects are simple to overlook. As the work continues, Sun Tzu employs his specialized vocabulary to articulate extremely sophisticated ideas. Majority of these opinions can’t be simply expressed with lack of vocabulary. Nevertheless, because readers don’t master fine distinctions of this vocabulary, they are not able to comprehend the highly detailed points being made. Lack of illustrations, explanations and examples It is not easy to understand the Art of War because Sun Tzu did not write a textbook for contemporary audiences. In contemporary textbooks, authors include exercises, examples, illustrations and practical drills which assist readers to master ideas but Sun Tzu do not have these features. Illustrations displaying connections amid these notions would be useful. However, his work incorporates descriptions of such illustration but is written in scientific tradition of his period. Even if modern readers use Sun Tzu work they do not have idea on the way this culture mapped ideas, and thus can’t make links that readers in his period naturally did (Gagliardi, 2010). If Sun Tzu had written in contemporary, he would have explicated these ideas deeply. He would have incorporated practice drills, exercises and examples to elucidate his concepts. Unfortunately, in his period, individuals studied from living masters and not form books. On practical level writing and duplicating books was time consuming and very expensive to involve a wealth of details and examples. The duty was placed o reader to learn the work other than the writer to clarify each idea in detail. Translation challenges People who read The Art of war do not fully understand its contents because there are numerous hurdles to developing a precise translation. The prehistoric Chinese is a theoretical language, implying that its characters can’t be appropriately understood as nouns, adjectives, verbs or adverbs, as words can be understood in a written language. According to Gagliardi, (2008), prehistoric Chinese characters demonstrate general concepts that may be translated within an exceedingly wide range of ways. While the reader begins with a particular set of characters in the Sun Tzu’s work, there is a query on what each of these characters means or what every character meant in the era of Sun Tzu. As anticipated over long durations of time, the meaning of particular Chinese characters has changed. Numerous of the most regular errors in translation of The Art of War emerge from reversal of meaning from a semantic drift. Sun Tzu utilized a very scientific model to his writing. He cautiously defined his terms all through and in some sense, the entire work might be regarded a definition of theoretical ideas and formal relationships amongst these concepts. Translation and understanding is also difficult because the work was written in a form of code. Majority of the writings of Sun Tzu work refers to a scientific scheme of analogies and diagrams used by Chinese in classical science. Just as contemporary poetry utilizes metaphors, prehistoric Chinese relied on the several connections in this scheme to express intricate ideas without having to elucidate them in detail. Sun Tzu’s scheme was less about particular concepts themselves than it is on their connections with one another. It is less on individual actions that it is on larger processes in which these actions play a minute role. The Art of War does not describe these processes in depth and ones understand them only after studying Chinese history and culture (Shibing, Y, 2002). Conclusion The Art of War has greatly influenced the business world and both the Chinese and popular Western cultures in the sphere of war. It is highly read and applied in the world of business as the core primer for competitive strategy which is adapted to marketing. In military art practices, Sun Tzu teaches how people explore their strengths and weaknesses in order to win a battle. This is applied in the modern business setting when business professionals SWOT analysis partnering schemes for sales and operational and marketing systems that track business activities and ensure efficiency in business operational processes and project management. It influenced Chinese culture and Unification of China and notable Chinese leader such as the Communist leader Mao Zedong. The Art of war also influenced the unification of Japan Apart from unification of China, The Art of War also considerably influenced unification of Japan and its teachings were both exhorted and exemplified by influential Japanese territorial lords like daimyo and shogun. Bibliography Jeffrey, D, 2010, A Teacher Diary Study to Apply Ancient Art of War Strategies to Professional Development, The International Journal of Learning, 7( 3), 21- 36. Shibing, Y, 2002, Sun Tzu's Art of War: The Modern Chinese Interpretation. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc, New York. Tzu, S, & Gagliardi, G, 2005, The Art of War plus the Art of Management: Strategy for Leadership, Clearbridge publishing, New York. Bell, S, 2002, Sun Tzu’s The Art of competing, iUniverse, Florida. Donald, K, 2000, The Art of War for Executives: Ancient Knowledge for Today's Business Professional, Berkley Publishing Group, New York. Gagliardi, G, 2005, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: plus strategy for sales managers, Clearbridge Publishing, New York. Annellen, S, & Alexander, S, 2003, Taoism: A Guide to Living in the Balance, Tuttle Publishing, New York. Tzu, S, & Gagliardi, G, 2004, Strategy Against Terror: Ancient Wisdom for Today’s War, Clearbridge Publishers, South Carolina. Berger, R, 2009, China’s management Revolution: Spirit, Land, Energy, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Gagliardi, G, 2008, Reader’s misinterpretations, retrieved on May 20, 2011 from Liu, D, 2002, The Tao and Chinese Culture, Taylor & Francis, London. Sawyer, S, 2005, The essential art of war, The Perseus Books Group, California. Gagliardi, G, 2010, Sun Tzu’s Warrior’s Rules for Winning Without Conflict, Retrieved on May 20, 2011 from< http://www.scienceofstrategy.com/main> Krause, D, 2005, The art of war for executives, Penguin Books, London. Mente, B, 2000, The Chinese have a word for it: the complete guide to Chinese thought and culture, McGraw Hill, England. Read More