The Art of War, by Sun Tzu

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I found The Art of War, by Sun Tzu to be incredibly relevent to today's business environment. Being a Marketing student in the School of Business made Tzu’s razor sharp strategies and philosophies very applicable to the modern day competitive business world. In this cutthroat job industry, getting a job of choice has come to be a match, and many students are not well-informed of how to fight this “war.” In his text, Tzu relays information regarding how to prepare for battle by staying flexible, covering different grounds and prepping for diverse conditions: all which can be applied to a business setting. Each chapter in The Art of War is intended to cover a different section of combat, but from a business student prospective, I believe that Tzu’s attitudes and viewpoints can be a useful, pertinent tool to all young business majors entering the workforce.

Nowadays, everyone knows getting a job post college is very difficult; it’s become quite the “dog-eat-dog world.” One way to look at this challenging job market is similar to a battle- that’s where The Art of War comes into play. I view this relatively short, compact read as a book filled with powerful words of wisdom and advice as a strategic guide for the tasks I expect to face post-college. Getting a job is a tough fight, and Tzu’s strategies are here to help the many business students of the world out. For example, in chapter one, Tzu states that “…therefore measure in terms of five things, use these assessments to make comparisons, and thus find out what the conditions are. The five things Tzu references are: the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership and the discipline (page 2).” While intended for prepping for battle, I interpreted this part of the text as a...

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The rise in college graduates and the decrease in jobs have made starting a career as a young adult a challenging one, similar to a war. Many students are lost and are searching for help, advice and information to guide them in the right direction. While looking at the job industry as a battle is an unorthodox theory, The Art of War is filled with advice that most will not learn in any class in college. With guidance in subjects like staying flexible, covering different grounds and prepping for diverse conditions, any business student could take these war tips and apply them to a business setting. After reading The Art of War, I believe that Tzu’s values and ideas can help me and all other beginning work seekers succeed in getting a job post-graduation.

Works Cited

Tzu, Sun. The Art of War. Trans. Thomas F. Cleary. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 2005. Print.

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