Orthodox theorists often unwittingly invoke military language when writing about business-related phenomena. For example, in the world of commerce, the definition of the term strategy evokes competition between enemies: it can lead to victory or defeat. While most scholars agree that business literature from the 20th century borrows concepts from the military, there has been little attempt to appreciate the extent to which business literature of the digital age is influenced by military parlance and theorizing. This paper has two objectives. First, it demonstrates that the military and business literatures have somewhat similar historical trajectories and discontinuities. The second objective is to provide three lessons from military philosophers for those speculating about managerial issues in the digital era. Awareness of the relationship between business and military language can provide managers with a new perspective with which to view the challenges of the digital age.
About Rutgers Business Review
About Us
Guillaume Desjardins
Université du Québec en Outaouais
Guillaume Desjardins, Ph. D. is a professor at Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada. His work concerns the strategic implication of confusion and duplicity in the digital age for (i) those who craft and implement business strategy; (ii) consumers; and in (iii) what...
Sophie Marineau
Catholic University of Leuven
Sophie Marineau is a Canadian Ph. D. candidate in History at the Institute for the Analysis of Change in Contemporary Historical Societies, at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She works mainly on Russian foreign policy and on relations between Russia and the...
Anthony M. Gould
Université Laval; Griffith University; Monash University
Anthony M Gould Ph. D. is Professeur titulaire of employment relations at Laval University and Editor-in-Chief of Relations industrielles / Industrial Relations. Concurrently he is a visiting research professor at Griffith University in Brisbane Australia; on the...
Related articles
Human Resources
Management
Leadership
The Return-to-Office Decision Post-COVID: The Effects on Firm Performance
by Rob Bogosian, Lynda Byrd-Poller
Business leaders are facing critical, post-COVID return-to-office decisions that will impact organizational culture, employee engagement, and firm performance...
Case
Strategy
Marketing
Dollar Tree Case Study: Price Leadership and Strategic Planning for Market Success - When Dollar Store Items Sell for More than a Dollar
by Art Weinstein , Jasmine Pottinger, Ann Mantle
Dollar Tree, Inc. is the second largest dollar retailer comprised of Dollar Tree stores and the Family Dollar chain. This case analyzes the Dollar Tree division...