The Art of .COMbat: Ancient Wisdom for the Competitive Economy

Drawing upon classic battlefield principles first espoused more than 25 centuries ago in The Art of War, Lycos product manager Shawn McCarthy has created a contemporary framework that adapts many of its most timeless tenets for today's wired business world. McCarthy's aptly titled update, The Art of .COMbat, outlines what he describes as "an entirely new way of understanding and managing the cutthroat context of the new economy, the internal structure of the new company, the urgency of new customer demands, and the new economy's fiercely competitive climate." Divided into three sections (Basic Training, Preparation, and Going into Battle), it examines various ways that cutting-edge firms are already using the Internet successfully--and, with help from the legendary Sun Tzu, pinpoints how similar benefits might best be attained. Tying the old to the new, McCarthy discusses specifics such as trimming fat from supply chains, integrating the Internet into all activities, gaining customer loyalty by delivering value, and challenging conventional notions of time. By modifying ancient advice like "what you attack is not the enemy, but the enemy's strategy," he turns the proven wisdom on its head and makes it even more relevant for the new millennium. --Howard Rothman