Create something from nothing

“Make believe” is a business manoeuvre that can be practised by new entrant to the market or a medium company facing a giant in business competition. The central theme here is to simulate an illusory idea and introduce it into the enemy quarter and allow him to wonder what all is about.

One good example of this business manoeuvre is to spread false info that a takeover bid is eminent over the strong enemy by a consortium of firms whose identity is not disclosed.  The idea here is to sell a lie as truth. The falsehood is repeated 3 or 4 times without any effort to actualize the takeover. At this moment, enemy considers that it is plain rumour or fake news and go about his normal routine as if nothing happened and nothing would happen in the near future. 

The theorem “create something from nothing” is the seventh one in the Chinese “36 stratagem” that discusses how to fight an enemy using an intrigue and simulate it as truth so that enemy believes it is serious initially, and when nothing further happens after few occasions, lowers his guard and concentrates elsewhere. Following a pattern of false-false-false suddenly it becomes true. Now the takeover bid is done at such speed that the target firm has no wherewithal to fight back.  Most InfoTech companies are taken over or acquired by this process.

In Chinese folk lore there is an incident that is celebrated giving rise to this stratagem. In 756 AD, General Ling Hu Chao of the Qin state attacked Yongqui that resulted in Qin state exhausting all its arrows. General Chang Sun defending the fortress found two imperatives: one he need to replenish lost arrows secondly he need to contrive a manoeuvre to defeat the invaders. So he ordered his men to lower straw mannequins in front of the Qin army few times.

Consequently Qin army fired several volleys of arrows. After lowering 3 straw mannequins General Sun got enough arrows. By this time General Chao of Qin state, thought there is no point raining down arrows. When the fourth straw mannequin was lowered he ignored at his peril. In fact the fourth time, it was highly trained warriors who emerged from the mannequin and made short work of the Qin Army in no time!

 

Cheers! 

 

Muthu Ashraff Rajulu

Business Strategist

Mobile: + 94 777 265677

E-mail:   cosmicgems@gmail.com

Blog:   Business Strategist

 

 

 

How to conduct manoeuvre in business warfare?

As business competition today almost borders on business warfare, small and medium sized companies resort to adopt manoeuvre to take on the opponents in market place. This manoeuvre warfare is carried out in the following lines: 

1. Make offensive against the reputation, business process and the people behind the success of enemy indirectly

2. Orient towards the supply chain and delivery channels of the enemy in the market place and game the enemy mainly for operational win in salami way that add-up to greater damage as time moves on, bringing out demoralization at the  enemy quarters

3. Deploy business team selected for their ability of using un-conventional warfare against the enemy marketing leaders moving depth wise so that high doses of negative propaganda is directed over them. There are two vantages: concentrate limited resources used very effectively against opponent and leaving most of the reserves behind to cover for any counter attack by the opponent.

4. Fight in non-conventional manner using fake news and make news that target the people and products of the enemy that are dogs at present and also turn against any stars the rival has so as to deprive him the chance of  transforming these eventually as cash-cow. Here the battle zone is fluid but perfectly legitimate for war fighting, consequently the opponent is curtailed in raising this matter in court of law for seeking legal redress. 

 

Cheers! 

 

Muthu Ashraff Rajulu

Business Strategist

Mobile: + 94 777 265677

E-mail:   cosmicgems@gmail.com

Blog:   Business Strategist

 

 

Manoeuvre warfare in business competition

Manoeuvre warfare is the staple of great military leaders like Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon and Rommel. Today Spetsnaz Russian Special Forces has perfected this art to great operational excellence. Business firms are also resorting to manoeuvre warfare while facing business competition.

The concept behind manoeuvre warfare is to defeat an opponent by destroying his morale and the willingness to fight rather than bringing devastation over him. It is operationalised by using a series of military manoeuvres that finally add up to greater quantum thus leading to victory. 

It does not mean firepower is not used at all. In fact it is the judicious use of fire power that breaks opposition at a particular weak point creating an opening through which, flank or by pass manoeuvres are made feasible to take out command and control. This manoeuvre is said to inflict huge psychological damage to the opponent.

There are eight aspects of manoeuvre warfare as outlined by Major K P Anastas Armor in his monograph: 

1. Attack at moral and psychological level in the narrow strike zone of their formations where a weak link is observed.

2. Focused at operational level so that linkage is made to overall strategy

3. Oriented towards selected specific points for taking on the opponent’s forces

4. Deployment of own forces in depth wise manner such that heavy concentration of men & materials are used to crack open the target

5. Reserves at the rear is large to meet up with any eventuality following such foray

6. Adopt indirect approach bordering on secrecy, speed and surprise

7. There is no set battle field yet warfighting is carried out in fluid manner such that it can take place in virtual or actual space

8. Fire power assists, yet it is the manoeuvre that matters, finally. 

Firms in information and telecom technology are in better position to use business manoeuvre based on manoeuvre warfare. All the biggies including google and medium ones including Nokia are adept in using manoeuvre warfare to beat their competitors! 

 

Cheers!

 

Muthu Ashraff Rajulu

Business Strategist

Mobile: + 94 777 265677

E-mail:   cosmicgems@gmail.com

Blog:   Business Strategist