The Inspirations of Tao Zhu-gong: Modern Business Lessons from an Ancient Past discusses the 12 business principles of Tao Zhu-gong and relates them to today?s corporate setting. They state 12 vital abilities that one will need in order to succeed in business. Ranging from handling customers and employees to managing a company and its products to making business decisions, the principles cover most of the areas necessary for a business to develop.



The 12 principles date back more than 2,000 years. Even so, they are still of great significance as they deal with the universal and age-old complexities of running a business. This book also demonstrates their relevance to any business size from sundry shops to international corporations to dot-com companies.



Tao Zhu-gong, himself, was a great military strategist who resigned from the high position of a Prime Minister to become a businessman. Using what he had learnt from his military days, he accumulated a fortune that would be equivalent in modern times to that of Bill Gates?s. In his lifetime, Tao Zhu-gong came up with these 12 principles which, unfortunately, are not only unknown to the western world but to many Chinese as well. Whether in the East or the West, every businessman will have much insight to gain from the 12 business principles of Tao Zhu-gong.



Table of Contents:



Preface

About the Author

Prologue: searching for effective business management principles in the orient



The First Principle: Ability to know people

The Second Principle: Ability to handle people

The Third Principle: Ability to focus on the business

The Fourth Principle: Ability to be organised

The Fifth Principle: Ability to be agile and flexible

The Sixth Principle: Ability to demand payment

The Seventh Principle: Ability to use and deploy people

The Eighth Principle: Ability to articulate

The Ninth Principle: Ability to excel in purchasing

The Tenth Principle: Ability to diagnose and seize opportunities and combat threats

The 11th Principle: Ability to initiate and lead by example

The 12th Principle: Ability to be far-sighted

Epilogue: Old Wine in New Bottles: What else is new?



About the Author



Professor Wee Chow Hou is Professor of Business Policy, former Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration and Director of the Graduate School of Business, National University of Singapore.

Widely published in over 200 publications, Professor Wee has also consulted for organizations round the world on marketing and strategic planning.

He is a much sought-after international conference speaker who has conducted executive training for over 120 major organizations.