Business essay (link to The Prince by Machivallie)

Tapia 11

Alexis Tapia

Dr. Beehler

BUS 100W (Sec 036)

15 March 2015

The Prince & Hollister Co.

In 1513, an Italian man named Niccolo Machiavelli, wrote The Prince. Machiavelli was positioned as Second Chancellor of Florence after being a man of letters. He then failed in serving as a diplomat until 1512, but showed strength in wanting to unite the states. After leaving his diplomatic position, Machiavelli was forbidden to face politics and only focused on writing. His writing was suspected of conspiracy. It is also suspected that Machiavelli wrote The Prince to gain office and to have an effect on policy. Generally in his text, Machiavelli discusses several philosophies on how to be a good ruler. The Prince is a classic form of text because it has crossed over time and people have been reading it for thousands of years. It has also provided great insight, especially in the business world. Hollister Co.’s organizational strategies mirror the concepts Machiavelli provides to The Prince. Both The Prince and Hollister Co. suggest that a prince or a business appeals to people’s wants, builds their own legacy, knows when to leave their ruling position, and faces any conflict with others; and, through this parallelism Hollister Co. has shown business improvement.

First, Niccolo Machiavelli explains how it is important for a new prince to appeal to people’s wants. Hollister Co. matches this through the concept of customer base. Machiavelli explains how a new prince should appeal to people’s wants by stating,

“Besides the reasons mentioned, the nature of the people is variable, and whilst it is easy to persuade them, it is difficult to fix them in that persuasion. And thus it is necessary to take such measures that, when they believe no longer, it may be possible to make them believe by force” (Machiavelli 25).

Here, Machiavelli demonstrates how it is hard for a new leader to introduce a new tactic. Those who found the old tactics convenient will greatly oppose the new prince and his new tactic. A prince who depends on his skills to persuade others will not be able to win them over. Machiavelli proposes that a prince who depends on his own strengths, skills, and forces will not fail. This will result in the ruler being strong and respected. Turning the picture over to the business world, Machiavelli is suggesting that it is difficult to maintain a customer base. To develop customer loyalty, a business must appeal to passion—not reason—in this case it is marketing. Businesses that do well in the market appeal to emotions which is considered pathos. When a customer connects to a business’ product with positivity, a loyal costumer has been gained. Hollister Co.’s version of Machiavelli principles is transitioning their product as Business Insider explains, “[Hollister Co.’s franchiser] is planning to transform its struggling Hollister brand into a fast fashion retailer…The transformation will mean lower prices and more styles for Hollister shoppers” (Peterson). The business concept is introducing a new tactic of lower prices and added styles for customers. Hollister Co. is doing what they believe is correct in order to maintain and gain customers. So, Hollister Co. parallels Machiavelli’s point of appealing to people’s wants. It is a ruler’s, or in this case, a corporation’s job to give the public what they want so they can achieve any ruling or business goal, especially if such a business needs to climb back to success.

Another important component of being a good ruler, according to Machiavelli, is building your own legacy. The company, Hollister Co., replicates Machiavelli’s tactic in which a new Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O.) ruling position has the chance to structure their new title. The Prince explains,

“… for men change their rulers willingly, hoping to better themselves, and this hope induces them to take up arms against him who rules: wherein they are deceived, because they afterwards find by experience they have gone from bad to worse. This follows also on another natural and common necessity, which always causes a new prince to burden those who have submitted to him with his soldiery and with infinite other hardships which he must put upon his new acquisition” (Machiavelli 4).

Through Machiavelli’s quote, it can be seen that people will purposely trade the recent arrived leader for another one in hopes that the new leader will be better. The prince then finds himself in a sticky situation with the people that put him as leader. The new leader cannot keep the support of those people because it is difficult to meet all of their expectations of improvement. Machiavelli also shows us that the new prince has to handle this softly because he is in their debt. Now that he is in power, the prince has a great risk of losing his new power. Through this notion we can see how a new ruler will always be compared to the former ruler. It is up to the new ruler to eliminate the comparisons made with his predecessor. In order to develop his own legacy, he must structure things differently and change old customs. Machiavelli also highlights how if your predecessor was great, the new ruler must be even better. Machiavelli suggests that new rulers should differentiate themselves from the old, even though people do not always react well to change. In the business world, the same principality is seen for Hollister Co.’s new C.E.O., or in this case C.E.O.s. For instance, pressure was building upon recent C.E.O. Mike Jeffries’s replacement. A new C.E.O. team, Fran Horowitz and Christos Angelids, has been considered to replace Jeffries as head of the Hollister brand. Wall Street Journal clarifies that, “The C.E.O. succession race will likely take years before Abercrombie [Hollister Co.’s franchiser] directors prefer a gradual power transition…At the same time, Ms. Horowitz and Mr. Angelids need time to demonstrate how they perform in their roles and how they get along in the company’s culture…” (Dulaney). The potential new C.E.O.s actually have the opportunity to see how their leadership and the company turn out. They have the chance to eliminate the comparisons with their predecessor, as Machiavelli believes. They have the ability to build their own legacy and be better than Jeffries and through it guide the company’s change—or not—depending on their leadership. What building your own legacy means for Hollister Co. is demonstrating how flexible and determined they are as a business to regain themselves into the business industry, especially in a competitive sector such as clothing retail stores.

Thirdly, Machiavelli’s The Prince has proposed on how a prince should know when to leave his ruling position in order to benefit his state. Mike Jeffries, Hollister Co.’s recent C.E.O. has decided that it is best to resign his position in order for the corporation to advance. Machiavelli points out that,

“Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge” (Machiavelli 7-8).

Based on the quote, one can get the idea that a prince needs to know that he has the alternatives of goodwill and ruination. Since the most recent option will create discontentment for society, he should use it only if he is sure there will be no negative consequences. These consequences will prevent any group seeking revenge against him. Machiavelli also presents that pity feelings are meaningless, but that self-motivation factors are to be ensured no matter the risks and decisions being made. Hollister Co.’s C.E.O. Mike Jeffries’s failure mimics the passage. Jeffries has failed as a leader to keep up and successfully work with Hollister Co.’s business changes. The Shop-eat-surf website reported how Jeffries has made the decision to leave his C.E.O. position. He believes it is best he gives the leading position to someone else commenting that, “It has been an honor to lead this extraordinarily talented group of people. I am extremely proud of your accomplishments.  I believe now is the right time for new leadership to take the company forward in the next phase of its development.” Jeffries takes a form of risk, but his leadership decision expresses that he is sure that there will be better outcomes for the company if someone else takes his leading position. As leader he is taking a stand, as Machiavelli would support, and using his option of goodwill for the better of the company. Jeffries’s decision on knowing when to leave his C.E.O. position means Hollister Co. is signaling improvement for their industry, as would a prince in order to improve his state. Through this the parallelism between The Prince and Hollister Co.’s can be pictured.

Lastly, Machiavelli has emphasized a prince’s conflict with other rulers, or in other words, war. Hollister’s Co.’s mirrors war through business competition. The Prince reveals that,

“A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank” (Machiavelli 67).

The passage suggests that a ruler should step away from the easy way out and seek triumph. When there are several competitors to deal with, it becomes less pleasurable. Having no conflict with others and enjoying the success and space is better (but of course that isn’t always the case). A prince must focus completely on winning, remaining victorious, and successfully be able to keep and gain territory. Competition is probably one of the biggest issues any business has to face, and a business must also always focus on other businesses trying to win this business battle. Hollister Co. has faced competition for several years now. Biz Journals has claimed that, “Abercrombie [Hollister Co.’s franchiser] has been working in the past year at re-energizing its namesake chain and the lower-priced Hollister brand [by remodeling their stores]. It is one of several companies in the teen apparel segment, alongside American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Aeropostale Inc., trying to revive sales with a group of consumers that has moved away from those once-dominant brand names” (Eaton). The competition, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Aeropostale Inc., have made it difficult for Hollister Co. throughout the years, but now the company is considering in remodeling their stores’ physical attributes in order to appeal to their lost costumers and at the same time prove to their competitors that they will be successful by making this big move. Machiavelli would reinforce this, as he has proposed in terms of war with others. Remodeling Hollister Co.’s stores enables one to see the company’s enhancement as a business and see how it manifests Machiavelli’s philosophy of war and competition.

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince has been read by many people and has presented a reflectivity on business principles. Although this book was written in the 16th century, both The Prince and Hollister Co. attract society’s desires, build their bequest, know when to depart governing positions, and triumph in wars. Through these mirrored points, Hollister Co. has presented an enhancement in their customer base, their new potential C.E.O.s, the recent C.E.O.’s decision to resign, and presenting a new store layout in order to beat competitors. Machiavelli discusses several philosophies on how to be a successful prince centuries ago, and despite the time difference, Machiavelli’s ruling tactics relate and might not always relate to all of Hollister Co.’s business characteristics; but, as has been considered above, Machiavelli’s The Prince has featured Hollister Co.’s business improvements.

Works Cited

Dulaney, Chelsey, and Joann S. Lublin. "Abercrombie Names Hollister President As It Works on Succession Plan." WSJ. N.p., 15 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

Eaton, Dan. "Hollister at Easton and Polaris Getting Company's New Look - Columbus - Columbus Business First." Columbus Business First. N.p., 3 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.

Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince Trans. W. K. Marriott. J.M. Dent & Co.: London; E.P. Dutton & Co.: New York, 1908. Print.

Montgomery, Tiffany. "Abercrombie/Hollister CEO Mike Jeffries Exits." Abercrombie/Hollister CEO Exits. N.p., 09 Dec. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

Peterson, Hayley. "This One Decision By Abercrombie & Fitch Could Save Hollister." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 07 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.