One would not select a dullard to a high managerial position unless they wanted to corporation to fail miserably. Lastly and most importantly is the control of expenditures. As the drive of any corporation is the desire for profits, cutting costs and making sure everything is as efficient as possible is quintessential to the realization of those profits. Much of the Art of War deals with running the most economically efficient war. .
There are seven considerations by which the Art of War claims they can predict victory or defeat. The first and third, respectively, are "Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law?" and "With whom lie the advantages of Heaven and Earth." To relate to Chinese history, this is means which Chinese leader has the divine right to win. To be imbued with the Moral law is to be one with the law which can only mean the leader has a deistic quality him. It can only be proven by the outcome of the battle and similarly the company imbued with the "Moral law" will only be discovered as they succeed in a takeover. The second consideration, "Which general has most ability?" is similar in manner to the first consideration as it is discovered only at the outcome of the takeover. One could suppose one could be more able that another based on experience, education, strength and other such scales of judgment but by that reasoning Goliath surely should have beaten David. .
The fourth consideration asks "On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?" Keeping an army in line and punishing those who commit infractions against code of the army is equivalent to maintaining a corporate policy that keeps all employees lawful. It couldn't be more relevant as recent corporate scandals have plagued American business. I point to Tyco, Arthur Anderson, and Enron just to name a few. It is apparent discipline was not maintained in those corporations as their leaders were the ones committing infractions.
