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A Report

On

The Prince

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Table of Contents

About the Author ..3

Italian Context .5

Synopsis 6

Analysis of Protagonist in terms of Leadership Abilities...........................................................9

Comparison of the protagonist with a literary character .......................................................11

Comparison of the Protagonist with a Modern Day Leader13

Relevance of Theme in Todays Context ................................................................................15

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release, and he retired to his small property at San Casciano, near Florence, where he devoted himself

to literature.

Machiavelli lost his office but he desperately wanted to return to politics, tried to gain the favor of the

Medici by writing a book of what he thought were the Medici's goals and dedicating it to them. Andso The Prince was written for that purpose

In 1521-25 he was employed in diplomatic services and as historiographer. It was in the year 1520

that he received a commission at the instance of Cardinal de Medici to write the "History of

Florence," a task which occupied him until 1525.It is somewhat remarkable that, as, in 1513,

Machiavelli had written "The Prince" for the instruction of the Medici after they had just regained

power in Florence, so, in 1525, he dedicated the "History of Florence" to the head of the family when

its ruin was now at hand.

Machiavelli was taken to illness and he died in Florence on 22nd June 1527 at the age of 58.

Machiavelli's best known works are (amongst many others)

Discorsi Sopra La Prima Deca Di Tito Livio (1531, Discourses on the First TenBooks of Titus Livius)

The Mandrake(1528) a satirical play History of the Affairs of Lucca. Seven Books on the Art of War

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.

Italian Context

The book has been written during the secondpart of the year 1513, while the last chapter

(the one directed to the family of the Medici)

has been written some years later. The book

has been published for the first time in 1532.

It has been considered as the birth of the

modern politics, in fact a lot politicians will

read this book before starting to work in the

politics.

Since in the book, the relationship between

politics and ethics has been drawn in a

particular new way, the Catholic Church

banned it since its first publication, claiming

that in doing politics, ethics must be

respected. Instead, according to the author,

sometimes a Prince is allowed to do things

which are in contrast with the ethics in order

to reach superior projects.

The book has been written by the author in order to comply with two main scopes, the first was to a

personal one while the second was in order to help the Italian population. The personal reason according

to which the author has written the book is because he wanted his job back at the Secretary of the

Republic of Florence, and trying to do so, Machiavelli dedicated the book the family of the Medici.

The second reason, the non-selfish one, was instead aimed to push and encourage one of ruling familiesaround the Italy to step up, trying to defeat all the foreign armies, and joining the Italy under a single

State. In fact, at that time, Italy was not a single country but it was divided into different little countries

and there was no family able to have enough power to create a single Italian country.

In addition, the State of the Catholic Church used to hold the temporal power, and so it was very strong

and very connected with other foreign countries

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(new territories added to an existing one) are of two kinds. If the new territory shares the samelanguage and customs as the old one, the prince must extinguish the former ruling line and rule as

before. If the new territory does not share the language and customs, the prince should either reside in

it or set up colonies consisting of his own citizens or soldiers. Whether he chooses to reside in it or set

up colonies, he must protect weaker neighbors, weaken powerful ones, and not let powerful forces

enter his territories.

There are four ways a new prince can acquire a principality: by one's own arms, by the arms of others,

by evil means, and by civil means. A principality that is won by a prince by his own arms is most

secure. Machiavelli lists great princes who came to power through their own abilities: Moses, Cyrus,

Romulus, and Theseus. They ruled effectively because they were all armed, unlike Savaronola, a

Dominican friar who lost power because he did not take up arms. A principality acquired by the arms

of others needs a prince with both fortune and virtue. Cesare Borgia is an example of a prince who

came to power through fortune, but lost his power through an unfavorable change in fortune, even

though he was a great leader and did almost everything right. Princes who come to power through evil

means may gain power but not glory because of their conduct. Those who come to power by civil

means (election by the nobles or the people) must remember to win the support of the people because

they are crucial in times of adversity. Machiavelli also mentions the ecclesiastical principality with the

pope as the ecclesiastical prince. In describing how the position of pope has come to wield much

power, Machiavelli does not make a great distinction between a religious prince and a territorial

prince.

Machiavelli identifies three kinds of armies: mercenary, auxiliary, and native. Since mercenary forces

are hired hands that fight for a wage, they are unreliable in the face of battle. Auxiliary forces, or

forces borrowed from an ally, are dangerous if they are victorious because the prince who uses them

is under their obligation. Machiavelli strongly encourages every prince to use his own native troops.

History has shown that princes who accomplished great things always used their own troops. In fact, a

prince's sole activity is the art of warfare. He must always engage himself in the physical and mental

exercises of warfare, especially in times of peace.

Regarding how a prince should rule and act, Machiavelli states that in an ideal world, it is virtuous for

a prince to be good. But in reality, princes who distance themselves from ethical concerns and do

whatever it takes for the benefit of their states rule best. Therefore, it is better to be parsimonious thangenerous, cruel than loving, crafty than honest. Machiavelli's general rule is to be as good as

Synopsis

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circumstances allow, but be willing to resort to any means necessary for the good of the state. A

feudal prince must be wise in controlling the nobles and keeping the people content. Even fortresses

are useless if the prince does not have the support of his people.

A prince gains esteem and glory through his courage. He must undertake great enterprises that allow

him to display his abilities. When two neighbors are at war, a prince must never be neutral; he musttake sides. The prince must have the wisdom to choose the least risky venture and act on it

courageously. Wisdom is also needed in picking and satisfying his closest advisors and avoiding

flatterers.

Machiavelli laments the decline of the Italian city-states and attributes it to the use of mercenary and

auxiliary armies instead of native forces. In concluding that virtue, or abilities and fortune must come

together for success, Machiavelli implores Lorenzo de' Medici to be the leader Italy has been waiting

for-a prince to unite the Italians, drive the barbarians out of Italy, and restore his beloved nation to her

former glory.

THEMES

Major Themes

In The Little Prince, Saint-Exupry explains the importance of seeing the whole truth in order to find

beauty. He believes that visible things are only shells that hint at the real worth hidden inside. He

points out that man has not learned to look beneath the surface, or perhaps, has forgotten how to do

so. Because adults never look inside, they will never know themselves or others.

All his life, Saint-Exupry thought that grown-ups cared mostly about inconsequential matters, such

as golf and neckties. When they talked about important matters, they always became dull and boring.They seemed afraid to open up their hearts to the real issues of life; instead, they chose to function on

a surface level.

In the book, the fox teaches that one can see only what is important in life by looking with the heart.

Because of this lesson, Saint-Exupry leaves the desert as a different person. He has accepted the

Little Prince's thought that 'the stars are beautiful because of a flower that cannot be seen. In

essence, the foxs lesson is about how to love, a most important lesson for everybody to learn. The fox

points out that it is the time that one wastes on someone or something that makes it important. The

fox also tells the readers that love can overcome existentialism: One only knows the things that one

tames.... Men buy things already made in the stores. But as there are no stores where friends can be

bought, men no longer have friends. A human must earn a friendship, not buy it.

Finally, Saint-Exupry explains how all joy and pleasure must be earned, not given or received. As an

example, he shows the joy that the Little Prince and the pilot feel when they taste the water from the

well. Its sweetness comes from their journey under the stars and the work of the pilots arms making

the pulley sing. In the end, the Little Prince again experiences a new joy. Leaving his shell behind,

he has gone to the most beautiful place he can imagine -- his star, which is his love; he has returned to

his own little heaven.

Minor Themes

Saint-Exupry scorns mans obsession with the wrong things, such as wealth, power, and technology;

he uses the King, the Businessman, and the Lamplighter to highlight this theme. The king puts a great

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deal of importance into being obeyed, even though he orders only what would happen anyway. The

businessman takes great pride in owning all the stars, but he is too busy counting them to gain any

pleasure from their beauty. The Little Prince tries to teach him the pointlessness of his property.

The Little Prince also scorns the Lamplighters fascination with science and technology. He is so

caught up in the importance of lighting his lamp, that he misses what is important in life.

The need to have faith is another minor theme in the book. The Little Prince arrives on the Earth

during a spiritually troubled phase and stays until he has resolved his confusions. During his stay, he

teaches the narrator the importance of having faith and belief. Many critics have called the Little

Prince a Christ-figure, for he is described as being free of sin. He also believes in a life after death. At

the end of the book, he returns to his star, his heaven.

MOOD

The mood is mostly adventurous and mysterious, with a philosophical overtone. At first the Little

Prince does not reveal his identity, creating an initial sense of mystery. Then as the Little Princerecounts his travels, the mood becomes adventurous. As he questions the fox and the narrator, the

mood becomes philosophic. At the end, when the Prince arranges to be bitten by the snake, the mood

again becomes mysterious. Although he seems to die from the snake bite, the narrator cannot find the

Princes body when he looks for it the next morning. He can only assume that the Prince successfully

returns to his star.

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There is no main protagonist in the book per say, but the book talks about what traits should an ideal

prince possess and what behaviors should he display. So in that sense, the prince can be examined as

the main protagonist. Some of the main traits and behaviors suggested for the prince are as follows

- Better be feared than loved- Gain the support of people (The ability of being seen as an effective ruler)- Be proficient in the art of war- Have the basic intelligence required to rule the state

New Ideas:

Political Realism: Machiavelli was among the very first thinkers to formalize the idea of political

realism. Political realism prioritizes national interest and security over ideology, moral concerns and

social reconstructions.

Modern Materialism: Machiavelli is also considered as the father of modern materialism.

Materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter as opposed to

monism, dualism and idealism. His texts advice prince to be selfish (since spirituality is discounted by

the belief), in fact it is assumed that the prince is power hungry.

Analysis using popular Leadership Frameworks:

Nature vs Nurture: Machiavelli builds on the premise that the prince can be trained to become a

powerful ruler.

Trait Theory:

The authors expectations of the princes traits are in agreement with trait theory:

Openness

- Expects the leader to be open to changeWhosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.

Conscientiousness

- Echoes throughout the text of The Prince

Extraversion

- Favors the prince to be extrovert, expert in dealing with people, their expectations etc.

Agreeableness

- Has strong opinions on this, he doesnt expect the prince to be agreeableBetter feared than love

Analysis of Protagonist in terms of Leadership Abilities

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- However, recommends helping people when it doesnt cost much

Neuroticism

- Warns against excessive display of emotions like mercy, kindness

Situational leadership:

Situational leadership theory holds there is no single "best" style of leadership, but the required

behaviour to lead changes according to the situation. In The Prince, the premise is that prince is

well positioned to acquire power. Machiavelli seems to favour authoritarian style of leadership in such

a situation.

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Chanakya

and was responsible for the creation of Mauryan empire, the first of its kind on the Indian

subcontinent. His works were lost near the end of the Gupta dynasty and not rediscovered until 1915.

Chanakya, known as the King maker was responsible for the defeat of Alexander in India and also

and also for the creation of Mauryan empire which unified the Indian subcontinent for the first time.

He was the sole person behind the rise of Chandragupta Maurya rise to power

ArthashastraChanakyas Political Treatise

The Arthashastra discusses monetary and fiscal policies, welfare, international relations, and war

strategies in detail. Because of its harsh political pragmatism, the Arthashastra has often been

compared to Machiavelli's The Prince. There is said to be no other literary work that talks so openly

about when using violence is justified? When killing domestic opponents is wise? How one uses

secret agents? How the king can use women and children as spies and even assassins?

Prevalent in contemporary politics, Chanakyas strategies to hold power have be re-iterated through

Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi, a fictional retelling of the life of Chanakya. The novel relates

two stories in parallel, the first of Chanakya and his machinations to bring Chandragupta Maurya to

the throne of Magadha; the second, that of a modern-day character called Gangasagar Mishra who

makes it his ambition to position a slum child as the Prime Minister of India.

Comparison of the protagonist with a literary character

Full name Vishnugupta Sharma

Born 370 BC

Died 283 BC (aged 87)

Born in a family of Brahmin as

the son of Acharya Chanak in

Pataliputra, Magadh (Modern

day Patna, Bihar, India

Chanakya

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Comparing Machiavelli and Chanakya

The criminal conquests of Chanakya have been considered ruthless at times. But, only if one could

see that the ultimate aim of Chanakya has been to crown the prince who is capable of governing the

welfare of the citizens to save his mother land from the invasion of foreign kings like Alexander,

Chanakyas deeds would have been seen in a different light.

The below quote highlight this subtle difference between Chanakyas and Machiavellis ends.

Contrary to this, the Prince by Machiavelli suggests that the prince should choose civilians who can

be commanded by the great but not those who aim to be the prince. Machiavelli also supports the

principle of ruling by fear than love when it is not possible to do both.

Both Chanakya and Machiavelli had an insider view of politics as they serve in the administrative

roles of ruling kingship. Their political treatises had a great influence on Rulers of the world and also

is said to be valid in the scenario of current day politics of thousands of years.

When it comes looking at the personal life of Chanakya and Machiavelli, it is evident that Chanakya

differs from Machiavelli, in his desire for power. While Machiavelli has always desired to hold

power, Chanakya only desired to see a wise and happy kingdom. Also, in their personal conquest of

their goal in life, Chanakya has achieved all that he wanted to, while Machiavelli died with his

discontentment of not being able to come back to politics.

With just a few subtle differences pointed, it still happens that Chanakya and Machiavelli were truly

similar in their opinions about the way to conduct politics in a state or kingdom.

Difference between

Chanakyas and

Machiavellis ends.

In the happiness of his

subjects lies the king's

happiness, in their welfare

his welfare. He shall not

consider as good only that

which pleases him but treat

as beneficial to him whatever

pleases his subjects"

Chanakya.

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We can now go through each single point useful to compare the two of them:

1) Both the Machiavellian Prince and Adolf Hitler were very caring of the art of war, which isvery important in order to maintain a country under control. In fact, as the history shows,

Hitler was very keen to the art of war, creating paramilitary organizations which had the

purpose to control every single street in the country. Force and violence, so, were used as a

mean to be able to control a country; otherwise if you cant use the art of war you are not able

to dominate possible revolutions which can happen in the country.

2) The Machiavellian Prince pays a lot of attention to the well-being of the people of hiscountry, saying that you can even break the law and the ethics code in order to increase the

well-being of your population. A similar concept can be applied to Hitler, even though somedifferences must be pointed out. Hitler was a very mean person, because he killed a lot of

people who called diverse as Jewish, disables and gays. But, here we can find the similarity

with The Prince, he really cared of people from Germany, who were of Arian race. And for

these people, he really was willing to do whatever he could just to save them. In fact, a

sentence can be reported which really conveys the standpoint of Hitler: A day will come in

which it will be bigger honor to have the title of citizen of the Reich as street cleaner than to

be the king in another foreign country. After reading this word you can really see that Hitler

had a real big plan for the German people, trying to let them become the best people in the

world, who could dominate the world.

Comparison of the Protagonist with a Modern Day Leader

It is not truth that matters, but

victory. - A. Hitler

The end justifies the means

- N. Machiavelli

Any similarities between the two

sentences?

They both mean that its not about of the

truth or the means you use, the

important thing is the point you reach at

the end, the result you get. And of

course, for Hitler the only thing that was

important is the victory

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After this comparison is useful to compare two sentences said by them in order to understand an

additional connection.It is not truth that matters, but victory A. Hitler The endjustifies the means N. Machiavelli. These two sentences basically say the same thing, its not aboutwhat you use, what you do or what you say, the only thing that matters at the end will be the result

you get. And of course, for Hitler the result was the conquering of new countries to add to his big

empire.

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The context or setting of the book is during the chaotic times in which assassination and robbery were

common, a period of history during which Italian city-states were continuously sacked by armies of

different countries. Given this violent and unstable background, Machiavelli, as well as others who

have endured harsh living conditions, believed that a prince should use any means to restore peace

and order.

The Prince therefore talks of the importance for strong centralized leadership and power of the

prince but it would be a mistake to presume that Machiavelli considered dictatorship as the ideal form

of government, or that he advocated immoral behaviour just for the sake of it. Machiavelli was a firm

believer in republicanism. No republic, however, could ever come to existence and survive in a

chaotic environment. Therefore, the first step for its creation was, in his view, transforming social

disorder into social order using force and deceit if required. How to achieve security and stability isthe central subject of The Prince therefore bringing forward the theme that Ends justify the

Means where in the ends talked about in the book are fear/power of the prince.

Classical Greek and Roman thinkers had already reflected on the subject of leadership and

Machiavelli shared some of their ideas; for instance, both Plato and Machiavelli believed in strong

political leadership (as opposed to, say, economic leadership) and agreed that political power should

be concentrated in the hands of a few. Nonetheless, Machiavelli is considered by many the first

modern thinker.

According to Machiavelli, politics is not concerned with fostering virtue but with ensuring security

and survivala view that set him apart from some of the thinkers. For example, Aristotle felt that the

state should be founded on the concepts of friendship and trust, while for Machiavelli it was based on

the fear of the prince and a system of coercion. These appear to be harsh concepts but it must be

kept in mind that modern political scientists see the state as a necessary agent of coercion In the

modern day world, how many people would avoid paying taxes if doing so were voluntary and the

motivations for compliance limited to moral exhortations.

Human beings are self-interested

Adam Smith knew self-interest is ever present in human affairs and believed that it is frequently

beneficial to society. Mathematicians and political scientists developed Game Theory under the

premise that players attempt to outdo their opponents. Some evolutionary anthropologists believe that

selfishness, an element of the instinct of self-preservation, has been essential for the survival of the

human species.

In the modern world, corporate takeovers rarely, if ever, are grounded on concepts of moral virtue

(they may be the result of a desire to optimize the use of resources), layoffs are seldom averted by

Relevance of Theme in Todays Context

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invocations to social justice (they may a response to reduce expenses), and power games and

politicking are rarely discouraged even if we talk of ethical principles.

In general, social systems that underplay the roles of self-interest are destined to fail. The collapse of

communism affords a dramatic confirmation of the pivotal role that self-interest plays in human

affairs. Whereas Marx and others correctly realised the importance of self-interest in a capitalist

system, they believed that under a communist regime such human trait would be transformed into

concern for the common good. Thucydides, the great Greek historian of the 5th Century BC, says

it is an impossible thingyou would have to be simple-minded to believe that people can be

deterred, by force of law or by anything else that is frightening, from doing what human nature is

earnestly bent on doing.

Despite the pervasiveness of self-interest in human affairs, Machiavelli says that (Ch10) a prince

whose acts are governed exclusively by it is unlikely to succeed for three reasons

As he has no absolute control on fortuna (chance) As other people are unwilling to help unless they see a gain in doing so In society, one person cannot accomplish anything on his or her own

These observations are equally relevant to the survival of enterprises or personal careers and talk of

the importance of strategic planning and people management.

Adaptation

"The Only Constant in Life Is Change

This is a very famous line by the Greek philosopher Herakleitos; Heraclitus of Ephesus (c.535 BC -

475 BC).

According to Machiavelli, the ability to adapt is a skill that the wise prince should cultivate to

increase his chances of success with the understanding that there is no foolproof guide or set of

principles that will prove effective.

Machiavelli uses the well-known metaphor of the lion and the fox ( Ch 18) to illustrate that the peak

of efficiency is attained when the prince can adapt to prevailing conditions and act accordingly.

Machiavelli explains that because times and affairs in general and individually change often, and

men do not change their imaginings and their procedures, it happens that a man at one time has good

fortune and at another time bad. And certainly anybody wise enough to understand the times and the

types of affairs and to adapt himself to them would have always good fortune, or he would protect

himself always from bad, and it would come to be true that the wise man would rule the stars and the

Fates. But because there never are such wise men, since men in the first place are short sighted and in

the second place cannot command their natures, it would follow that Fortuna varies and commands

men and holds them under her yoke.

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Adaptation, a necessity in an evolving environment, is facilitated by an understanding of change and a

disposition towards flexibility. The strategic value of the ability to change in response to prevailing

conditions has long been recognized by sages like Master Tzu, who refers to those who can adjust to

their surroundings as individuals of genius. Although these principles may seem obvious, it is

interesting to note the relatively recent transformation which has taken place in the field of marketing:

initially, products and services were firstly developed and then sold (concept of selling), but now

companies increasingly identify customers needs and then develop products and services to satisfy

those demands (concept of marketing).

The corporate landscape abounds with companies that have underperformed or failed due to their

inflexibility. Emerging markets have become so volatile that multinational companies cant tackle

them with strategies they developed decades ago. The key to predicting, adapting and seizing

opportunities is a mix of leadership and committed staff.

People Management

Machiavelli says a prince should not worry too much about conspiracies, as long as his people are

devoted to him; but when they are hostile, and feel hatred toward him, he should fear everything and

everybody (Ch 19). Everybody wants to feel good about oneself and part of that feeling originates in

how people are treated and rewarded. Therefore, the astute manager finds ways to express and

cultivate such positive expectations which could be through material incentives, peer sanction, a sense

of purpose, loyalty etc. John Quinn Adams says if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn

more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

Machiavelli observed that Roman generals were able to detect problems when they were easy to cure

by having Roman citizens live with the inhabitants of conquered cities. This interaction afforded the

military command an opportunity to gauge what was in the peoples minds. Roman leaders

understood that waiting for problems to surface was a potential recipe for disaster. The parallels in

modern day context are straightforward - managers must make every effort to become acquainted

with what is important for the business associates by engaging in meaningful interactions with as

many employees as possible. This shows the importance of communication. By communicating with

staff members, managers can minimize problems that in the long run threaten to undermine the

competitive position of any company like high employee turnover, less than ideal communication

flow among departments, suboptimal use of intellectual capital, and lawsuits that could have been

avoided.

Virtue and Fortune

A lot of emphasis has been laid on the two terms Virtue and Fortune in the book. For Machiavelli,

Virtue meant risk taking ability, confidence and aggressiveness (Ch 15). He felt it is a trait that the

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prince must cultivate and use effectively. Machiavelli argues that even though there are circumstances

when the best course of action is to wait, or move cautiously and yet others where it is difficult to

determine whether a daring or conservative approach is best. In such situations, virtue leads to

success more often.

Fortune is like chance. In chapter 25, Machiavelli, rather than portraying Fortune as a goddess who

has complete control over human affairs, talks of joint control. He says I think it may be true that

Fortune governs half more or less of our actions, but because of human free will, the remaining 50%

is decided by us. Therefore, he felt that even though it determines 50% of our lives, we can take

charge of the remaining 50% through preparation. For instance, even though we are powerless against

the destructive force of a flooding river, it is possible to build dykes during the dry season to prevent

or at least mitigate the damages. Similarly, we should be prepared to seize without hesitation the

opportunities that fortune may bring forward. Foresight, action and virtue are the ways of dealing

with fortune.

In an inspiring passage of his Discourses, Machiavelli writes about fortune and leadership that

One sees there how great men remain the same whatever befalls. If fortune changes, sometimes

raising them, sometimes casting them down, they do not change, but remain ever resolute, so resolute

in mind and in conduct throughout life that it is easy for anyone to see that fortune holds no sway over

them. Not so do weak men behave; for by good fortune they are buoyed up and intoxicated, and

ascribe such success as they meet with, to a virtue they never possessed

If fortune affects human affairs, it should come as no surprise that it also influences business

enterprises in our modern day context. A study by M. Porter confirms this assertion and reports that

the drivers of firm profitability are as follows:

Unexplained variation (chance): 42.89% Year effect: 2.39% Industry effect: 18.68% Corporate parent effect: 4.33% Business unit effect (the effect of a business units competitive position in the industry):

31.71%.

Ironically, this study suggests that Machiavellis assessment of the role of chance, if applied to

enterprises, is an optimistic one. Warren Buffett also expresses a similar opinion by stating that when

an industry with a reputation for difficult economics meets a manager with a reputation for

excellence, it is usually the industry that keeps its reputation intact.

This is not to minimize the role of business leaders.

A leaders virtue remains the same anddoesnt sway in conditions of good fortune or bad.

At the same time one will not argue that every industry has cycles and even the most competent of

managers can falter in such conditions. In business terms, two of the most important determinants of

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profitability are environmental attractiveness (industry effect), which lies beyond the reach of

management, and competitive position within the industry (business unit effect), which the leaders

can influence.

Constant Planning and Preparation

In Chapter 14 of The Prince Machiavelli talks of the roles that planning and preparation have in

government affairs the prince should never turn his mind from the study of war; in times of peace

he should think about it even more than in wartime. Perhaps as

Machiavelli wrote these lines he had in mind the pitiful opposition that Florentine military presented

to the foreign troops that restored the Medici family into power. The inability of the Florentine

Republic to protect citizens, along with the scenes of murder and pillage that Machiavelli probably

witnessed, reaffirmed his conviction that an able ruler must never idle away his days of peace, butvigorously make capital that will pay off in times of adversity.

Though it is argued that Machiavelli urged dishonest behaviour and did not differentiate between self

interest and selfishness, any judgment of his advice must be grounded in an understanding of his

historical circumstances, keeping in mind what has happened in recent times too. For example, during

the Cold War, for example, the United States and the ex-Soviet Union relentlessly planned and

prepared for a potential conflict that threatened their very existence.

We can also consider the parallels between strategies in warfare and business as they relate to

scenario planning, a tool designed to inform about near-term choices and sketch possible futures. In

this context, scenarios are plausible projections of potential futures, and they combine assumptions of

what could happen in future with forecasts. Machiavelli sketches the use of scenario planning by

mentioning the thought process of Philopoemen, prince of the Achaeans when he was in the

country with his friends, he would sometimes stop and ask them: suppose there were enemies up in

those hills, and we were here with our army, who would have the advantage? How could we get at

them without breaking ranks? If we wanted to get away, how would we do it? If they tried to get

away, how could we cut them off? As a result of this constant practice, no unexpected difficulty

could ever arise when he was at the head of his army, for which he did not have a ready remedy.

In the book it is said it is clear that when princes have thought more about the refinements of life

than about war, they have lost their positions. The quickest way to lose a state is to neglect this art; the

quickest way to get one is to study it. Like the prince that continuously surveys the military

landscape, enterprises that aspire to prosper in dynamic environments must devote time to planning

and preparation.

Relevant Knowledge

A prince should be knowledgeable about the art of war. When surrounded by armed men, the only

way to get obedience is by respect for the art of war. Similarly in modern day context, companies

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recruit qualified employees and more weightage given to work experience in relevant area. Growing

up the ranks also helps because it gives the person an authority to manage people, whom he has been

a part.

As part of the princes development, Machiavelli also recommends that the prince should be well

versed in history because men have the same passions, and react in similar ways to similar

circumstances; a lot of things that happens in the world have a resemblance to what has happened

before. Yet, each new situation is unique and the prince should not place his trust on absolutes.

Similarly, business leaders should understand proven formulae but note rely solely on them, instead

use critical thinking and a broad knowledge base.

Studying the lives of great individuals is time well spent because their actions often reflect a deep

understanding of strategy and human nature. Machiavelli suggested that the most beneficial approach

is for the prince to engage in an interactive dialogue, where the prince questions an individual and

carefully ponders his responses, rather than merely to draw up a passive understanding of their

successes or failures. Here we can draw a parallel with case studies, a staple of MBA education. Here

the premise is not, of course, that the same measures that proved profitable in any given set of

circumstances will produce comparable results in the future, but instead that a critical examination of

how experts approached a problem will yield insights into new and unique cases.

Conclusion

Machiavellis practical-objective approach to reality constitutes his appeal His theory seems practical and expedientwhich fits in well with this fast moving generation It is not important to be judgmental about what is said at the first sight but its imperative to

give these thoughts due consideration as an when required

My reconciliation of the different texts that we have gone through till not is, Machiavelli looks atonly the ends, he felt its more essential to meet the and thereby he doesnt differentiate between self

interest and selfishness, where as in Mahabharat, the conflict is about the task and the goodness of a

path, the epic is full of internal conflicts of which dharma should one follow, where as we would find

Gandhi, having decided on the dharma, where he gave priority to his dharma as a national leader over

his family and personal life, and thereby focussed on the means deployed to undertake the task.

Ends (Machiavelli) -> Tasks (Mahabharat) ->Means (Gandhi)