Will You Add? - Business

Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution is a skill set necessary for survival in today’s business world. The ability to recognize conflict, understand the nature of conflict and to be able to bring swift and fair resolution to conflict will serve you well as a senior executive or entrepreneur. In today’s blog post I’ll share my perspective on the art and science of conflict resolution.How many times over the years have you witnessed otherwise savvy professionals self-destruct because they wouldn’t engage out of a fear of conflict? Putting one’s head in the sand and hoping that conflict will pass you by is not the most effective methodology for problem solving. Conflict rarely resolves itself…In fact, conflict normally escalates if not dealt with proactively and properly. It is not at all uncommon to see what might have been a non-event manifest itself into a monumental problem if not resolved early on.Developing effective conflict resolution skill sets are an essential component of a building a sustainable business model. Unresolved conflict often results in a loss of productivity, stifles creativity, and creates barriers to cooperation. W

thin constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.

All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.

Franchising the World: Signing Up Nation States as Franchisees
In the concept of Franchising the World, we will need to sign up nations. Some believe that we need to set up a marketing and sales department. A marketing department to alert the world of the benefits yes, but a sales department no, not really; you see; My strategy is to not sell franchises.Instead allow other Third Worlds to ask to join. As they see the success of others who have joined they too will join. Simply make the Offer Available thru the United States State Department or a New Committee at the UN, backed and funded by the US and World Bank.We allow the leader of the people who has the will of the people as well contact us, usually this will be a new leader from the people, who wants for the people and not himself. An entrenched leadership, disliked by the masses is a No Go. And just like tenure makes folks lazy, entrenched leadership makes them mean generally, sometimes paranoid and after ruthless to maintain their power.When a leader rises up from the people, it is at that moment that he is a candidate for the new plan; the people will follow him. That is my strategy in a nutshell. Machiavellian Princ

The best form of attack advocated by Sun Zi, is to preempt your rivals strategies.
The ability to subdue the enemy without battle is a reflection of the ultimate supreme strategy. The supreme is to attack enemies' strategies and plans, by thwarting them. Next is to attack the enemies' strategic alliances with other nations. The next option is to attack enemy troops. The worst option is to attack the cities. (Chapter 3)
So how do we preempt our rival's strategies? In the context of war, firstly, you must be able to anticipate the moves of your enemy. Secondly, the reason behind all these moves and thirdly, coming up with a strategy to counter these moves with the least amount of resources. All these generally need a lot of intelligence to carry out.
1) Anticipating your enemy's moves.
Just by looking step one, we have an idea how difficult it is going to be. You need to have immense first-hand knowledge of your enemy's advisory group and the dynamics of the group too. Each strategist has its specialty and specific liking on employing certain strategy, some would always look to use fire and some would always prefer to destroy everything and so on. The reason why the dynamics of the group need to be understood is each ruler or general has his favorite strategist and it could change with time. Like Liu Bei in the Three Kingdom Era, he would prefer to listen to Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao, also from the Three Kingdom Era, in his early days, prefer to listen to Guo Jia. So you need to have all these knowledge at your fingertips so that you can anticipate, to a reasonable extent, the moves that will be taken by your enemy. This is why intelligence work is very important in the old days. This importance is seen by the fact that Sun Zi devoted one whole chapter on espionage alone (Chapter 13).
2) Knowing the motives behind each enemy's moves.
Step two is you need to know the reason why these moves are adopted. This is because you can then better understand why these moves are carried out and if there are changes in movement or direction in the enemy's camp, you can still anticipate to some extent, what they are doing. And also you would have a better grasp of which is the weakest link in their plans. If you thwarted their plans at the weakest link, you would stop the momentum or the success execution of their plan.
3) Coming up with a counter strategy that can be executed within constraints.
Step three is a matter of working within constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
So
Dealing With High Fuel Prices
If you are a small business owner you know how something as little as the change in the price of gas can affect your business. It causes your shipping charges to increase, increases the cost of materials and if you operate a fleet of vehicles it can have a huge impact on your expenses. In this article you will learn three things that you can do to offset the higher cost of fuel.The most effective way to deal with changing fuel prices is to pass the cost on to your consumers. Raise prices to cover your extra expenses. Most business owners are reluctant to raise prices but consumers will generally not notice the small extra price for fuel.Another way to deal with increasing fuel costs is to plan your routes. Cut out wasted driving by planning your appointments so that there is the least possible driving. Try to serve all of your appointments in one neighborhood for the same time so that you are not running back and forth wasting gas.Setting up a temporary fuel surcharge is another idea. If you think that the fuel increases will be temporary you could set up a temporary charge on your customers invoice for fuel. Mos
oming up with a strategy to counter these moves with the least amount of resources. All these generally need a lot of intelligence to carry out.
1) Anticipating your enemy's moves.
Just by looking step one, we have an idea how difficult it is going to be. You need to have immense first-hand knowledge of your enemy's advisory group and the dynamics of the group too. Each strategist has its specialty and specific liking on employing certain strategy, some would always look to use fire and some would always prefer to destroy everything and so on. The reason why the dynamics of the group need to be understood is each ruler or general has his favorite strategist and it could change with time. Like Liu Bei in the Three Kingdom Era, he would prefer to listen to Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao, also from the Three Kingdom Era, in his early days, prefer to listen to Guo Jia. So you need to have all these knowledge at your fingertips so that you can anticipate, to a reasonable extent, the moves that will be taken by your enemy. This is why intelligence work is very important in the old days. This importance is seen by the fact that Sun Zi devoted one whole chapter on espionage alone (Chapter 13).
2) Knowing the motives behind each enemy's moves.
Step two is you need to know the reason why these moves are adopted. This is because you can then better understand why these moves are carried out and if there are changes in movement or direction in the enemy's camp, you can still anticipate to some extent, what they are doing. And also you would have a better grasp of which is the weakest link in their plans. If you thwarted their plans at the weakest link, you would stop the momentum or the success execution of their plan.
3) Coming up with a counter strategy that can be executed within constraints.
Step three is a matter of working within constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
S
Data Collection and Negotiations
What is data? How does it impact a negotiation. How do you gather it? Data is the meat of preparation. Negotiators should take the time to fully prepare. If they do this, often as not they will be better prepared than the other person. As a result, they will likely control the conversation and its outcome.Data is any information available about a given topic, person, commodity or situation. Having the discipline to gather, assess and use this data makes the difference between negotiating and begging. Preparedness is the key to a successful negotiation.Data is readily available in the information age. Computers, data bases, the Internet. newspaper archives, public libraries, even company historians all have a wealth of raw data. Knowing where to look and how to search are excellent tools to develop to help you be a better negotiator.Computers and the Internet are great tools when searching for data that is in the public domain. This type of information may be available at the library, newspaper archives, from a title company, or off the Internet. It is difficult to refute hard data. That is why it is worth the e
each ruler or general has his favorite strategist and it could change with time. Like Liu Bei in the Three Kingdom Era, he would prefer to listen to Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao, also from the Three Kingdom Era, in his early days, prefer to listen to Guo Jia. So you need to have all these knowledge at your fingertips so that you can anticipate, to a reasonable extent, the moves that will be taken by your enemy. This is why intelligence work is very important in the old days. This importance is seen by the fact that Sun Zi devoted one whole chapter on espionage alone (Chapter 13).
2) Knowing the motives behind each enemy's moves.
Step two is you need to know the reason why these moves are adopted. This is because you can then better understand why these moves are carried out and if there are changes in movement or direction in the enemy's camp, you can still anticipate to some extent, what they are doing. And also you would have a better grasp of which is the weakest link in their plans. If you thwarted their plans at the weakest link, you would stop the momentum or the success execution of their plan.
3) Coming up with a counter strategy that can be executed within constraints.
Step three is a matter of working within constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
S
Introduction to Succession Business Planning
If you own a business, you worked hard to get it up, running and successful. Succession planning makes sure your business survives when you don’t.Most businesses don’t think about succession planning until a crisis hits. Running a successful company takes a significant amount of effort and practically all of your time. Who has time to think about a future crisis, but one that may be way off in the future? Well, you better think about succession planning or that future crisis can cripple the business.One of the more infamous cases of a failure to do proper succession planning was Joe Robbie. Robbie was a very successful businessman. Most people, however, remember him as the owner of the Miami Dolphins football franchise. He also built the stadium the team played in with his own money.When Joe Robbie died in the early 1990s, he had an estate valued at just under $100 million dollars. Despite the fact he was an attorney, he had done almost no succession planning. There was no indication from him as to how the businesses were to be handled, ownership transferred and so on. It was chaos and his various family members
s moves.
Step two is you need to know the reason why these moves are adopted. This is because you can then better understand why these moves are carried out and if there are changes in movement or direction in the enemy's camp, you can still anticipate to some extent, what they are doing. And also you would have a better grasp of which is the weakest link in their plans. If you thwarted their plans at the weakest link, you would stop the momentum or the success execution of their plan.
3) Coming up with a counter strategy that can be executed within constraints.
Step three is a matter of working within constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
S
Acquiring Business Grants the Easy Way
Getting money to start a business is one the greatest obstacles an entrepreneur may face. There are so many options and red tape one has to go through, it can sometimes seem overwhelming at times. Having funds available when a business is young can mean the difference between the business failing or succeeding. Cash flow is one of the leading reasons a fledgling business fails. Businesses must have enough cash on hand so they can endure the tough times that all businesses eventually go through.Some people believe, wrongly, that business grants are free money from the government. Although many do not have to be repaid, there are usually stipulations attached to the grant. The grant winner must adhere to certain guidelines in order to keep the grant in good standing. There is also a considerable amount of time and effort involved when one is requesting a government grant.Also generally believed is that business grants are available to anyone who wants to start a business for any reason. This is not generally the case. If a person has an idea for a business and wants help from the government, a small business loan with a l
thin constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
So how do we apply all these to business?
Making reference to the book, Wharton on Dynamic Competitive Strategy Ed.by George S. Day & David J. Reibstein on Chapter 11.
In the chapter, the writer Jerry Wind from Wharton School, Dept of Marketing, wrote that preemption is risky because if you anticipate the wrong move, it could prove costly to you. Like seizing the wrong potential market that never materializes may cost you a lot in expanding capacity and so on.
The first step to formulating out your preemption strategy is to firstly, have knowledge of the trends in the markets. The technology, consumer preferences, demographic or social trends are some information we can look at before formulating our preemption strategies. Once we have information on all these, we can then figure out what are the new potential markets we can move into before our business rival does.
For example, Sony anticipated growth in the 3.5 inch disk in 1984, so it announced a fivefold increase in production capacity. It made this move even before IBM announced its intention for the next generation of personal computers would be. As such Sony was able discouraged would-be rivals from setting up their own plants since Sony could manufacture in big bulks due to its extensive capacity.
Searching for signs of movement from business rival's
So after determining the trends, the next or concurrent task (depending on your objective) would be to determine also how your competitors will react. Now you may say that information like this are hard to get, but if you look carefully, there may be some hints or signals that tells you of their intentions.
a) Competitive signals - Do a patent search and see what type of patent your rivals have filed, you would then have a general idea what technology they are currently developing on. Look out for news of planned strategic alliances. You would be able to anticipate which area they are moving into.
b) Competitive Analysis - Look at how your competitors react in the past and also their strength and weaknesses. In this way, you would have an idea how your competitors would react to your next move. (Please refer to point 1 & 2 above)
c) Distribution Channels - Look at all the available distribution channels, what are their strengths and weaknesses. Match them with the information you have on your competitors and you may be able to anticipate what type of distribution channels your competitors may used to attack the potential ma

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Will You Add? - Sun Zi Art of War - Pre-empting Rival's Strategies

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