Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince" offers a scientific code of action, which distinctly covers axioms for leadership and the leadership process that are relevant today in the business environment. The paper also points out, however, that there are temporal limitations affecting certain validities of Machiavelli's work, especially around his acceptance of war to answer all problems and his belief that all men are evil. Nevertheless, the paper concludes that the concepts that Machiavelli details in his book can be used to motivate an organization's employee, to find ways by which employee productivity can be increased, and to find strategic actions by which the leader's strategic vision can be developed on the market, towards reaching a high level of profitability and, generally, towards increasing the performances of the company.

From the Paper:

"Both today and in Machiavelli's times, a cost opportunity evaluation would have helped the decision making process. In using in-house activities, you are able to follow more closely on the production process and better coordinate it. The employees are likely to be more committed in their "fight", to pay more attention to detail and perform better. On the other hand, you cannot use them for other activities, you are limited in your range of activities (as in Machiavelli's times, you took these people away from their fields, for example)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bennis, W. (2003) On Becoming a Leader. New York: Perseus Publishing
• Gardner, J. (1993) On Leadership. New York: Free Press.
• Machiavelli, N. (Translated by W. K. Marriott 1908) The Prince. Online version at http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm. Last retrieved on August 3, 2007
• Petre, M. D. (1960) "Machiavelli and Modern Statecraft," in The Edinburgh Review, Vol. 226, No. 461, p. 93-112.
• "The Prince" book review. On the Internet at http://www.ciao.co.uk/The_Prince_Nicolo_Machiavelli__Review_5526698. Last retrieved on August 3, 2007

More papers on Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince":

• Analytical Essay # 3581 : "Machiavelli's "The Prince"
• Comparison Essay # 113072 : "Machiavelli and Hobbes"
• Analytical Essay # 124650 : "The Prince" and Modern Business"
• Book Review # 129039 : "Machiavellian Virtue in "The Prince"

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