Unhealthy competition, or how to deal with ill-wishers at work. Healthy competition (het)

You will learn what competition is, what types of economic rivalry there are, levels and conditions of competition, how to compete effectively in business

We welcome regular readers of the online magazine “HeatherBeaver”! Regular authors of the resource Alexander and Vitaly are with you. In this issue we will talk about one of the key concepts in business - competition.

Without healthy and reasonable competition, economic development is impossible, and competitiveness is an indicator of the success of a company, product or commercial service.

So, let's begin!

1. What is competition - definition, history, levels and conditions of competition

Competition refers to rivalry between individuals interested in achieving a certain goal. If we talk about a market economy, the definition of this concept will be as follows:

Competition- this is competition in the market with other players (companies), aimed at obtaining commercial benefits by obtaining more sales at higher prices.

Modern competition is a very important element of the market. Thanks to it, manufacturers and service providers try to stand out from other firms in order to expand their existing customer base.

The main conditions of competition are as follows:

• economic isolation of the manufacturer;
• dependence of goods producers on market conditions;
• confrontation with other market participants;
• the presence of a large number of equal subjects.

When selling existing products, sellers strive to sell them on the most favorable terms - as expensive as possible. However, to stimulate consumer demand, they are forced to reduce prices so as not to completely lose customers.

This point is a plus for buyers, because in this case they will not unreasonably overpay.

The essence of competition is determined by several functions:

1. Regulatory. In conditions of competition, goods with the greatest demand are determined. This is necessary to increase the scale of production of in-demand products.
2. Motivating. It is competition that motivates the manufacturer to act actively under the most stringent conditions - to vary price levels, increase the scale of production, and look for new cooperation. This is the only way to increase the company's competitiveness.
3. Distribution. The distribution of enterprise income is carried out taking into account the contribution to economic activity.
4. Test. Competition controls market power and gives a potential buyer the opportunity to buy a product or refuse to purchase it in favor of cooperation with another manufacturer. If a sufficiently high level of competition is created in the market, then prices will be as objective as possible.

What does this look like in practice?

Businessman Petya sold oranges at an unreasonably high price, so he had a minimum number of sales every day. This was due to the fact that his direct competitors were selling oranges ten rubles cheaper.

In order to somehow increase sales, Petya decided to lower the starting price and compete with his opponents. After this move, orange sales doubled.

2. The importance of competition in the modern economy

Competition in a market economy is very important. In competition, leaders, challengers, followers and newcomers are distinguished.

From an economic point of view, competition in business guarantees the creation of more comfortable conditions for the purchasing side. The intensity of competition for a particular product group is determined by the number of competitors and the chosen strategies.

The positive aspects of competition that affect the economy include:

1. Intensifying the development of STP (scientific and technological progress).
2. Stimulating the response of product manufacturers regarding changes in consumer demand.
3. Averaging wages and profit rates.
4. Meeting consumer demand.

Economic competition forces manufacturers to use innovative technologies in the production of products. This approach guarantees an improvement in the final quality of the product.

Responding to changes in consumer demand ensures cheaper production costs and ensures that prices stop rising.

However, despite all the positive aspects, competition in the economy can also have a negative impact, such as:

• it is possible to create business instability;
• creating conditions for inflation and unemployment;
• there is a possibility of illegal actions of competing companies;
• industrial espionage;
• struggle for qualified specialists;
• underutilization of production capacity during recessions.

Example

An employee of company “K”, on behalf of management, got a job on the staff of a competitor company. During the two months that he worked in the new company, the employee studied all the working mechanisms.

After resigning at his own request, the industrial spy returned to his previous place of work and described to his managers the features of the functioning of competitive production. As a result of such a raid, Company K managed to increase the volume of products produced and, accordingly, profits.

At the moment, companies are fighting such phenomena by concluding a trade secret agreement with their employees.

3. Types of competition - perfect, imperfect, monopolistic, pure and other types of competition

Competition is classified according to various criteria. Here the scale of development of this phenomenon is taken into account, the fulfillment of the conditions of competitive market equilibrium is taken into account, and the ratio of demand to supply is analyzed.

The types of competition are described in more detail in the table below:

Despite such a large number of variations of this phenomenon, competition can be realized in two different forms - intra-industry and inter-industry. The latter arises between different enterprises and is expressed in the redistribution of capital between industries.

An imperfectly competitive market involves pure monopoly, as well as oligopoly and monopolistic competition.

Among the main features of an absolute monopoly, the following features should be noted:

• the uniqueness of the product being sold;
• one seller;
• monopolist price control;
• market power of one company.

Competition and monopoly are opposite concepts. However, under certain circumstances, the possibility of so-called monopolistic competition may arise. Here, manufacturers can offer similar product sales models that are not identical.

What does this look like in practice?

Each company that is a monopolist in a certain direction has monopoly power over its own product - it can change price indicators regardless of the actions of competitors.

We conducted a survey among 12 businessmen we know and found out how they identify their competitors and what they do to get ahead of them.

Product competition has a very positive effect on the quality of products.

In order to stand out from the general stream of manufacturers and increase the existing customer base, modern companies must be able to exist in the conditions of created competition.

You can increase the level of competition in various ways.

Tip #1. Study consumer demand over the long term

Long-term demand dynamics are a fundamental factor in making investment decisions to increase production capacity.

An increase in this indicator may indicate the advisability of searching for new sales channels and updating the product line. A decline in consumer demand in the long term indicates the need to reconsider the company's chosen development strategy.

Outdated production technologies negatively affect production volume and quality of goods. To increase competitiveness, it is necessary to resort to the implementation of technological innovations that are aimed at producing high-quality goods while minimizing costs.

The innovation factor allows us to minimize costs at the macro level and contributes to the optimization of the production process.

Tip #3. Use marketing and pricing technologies wisely

Marketing innovation refers to the sale of existing products using new marketing methods. We have already covered this in a separate article.

A detailed analysis of the most effective marketing technologies entails an increase in consumer interest and ensures a reduction in costs per unit of goods. Particular attention should also be paid to studying the pricing process.

Tip #4. Improve the qualifications of your company's employees

The basis for maintaining the competitiveness of any company is to improve the qualifications of the company's full-time employees. Personnel training can be of a mass nature or carried out individually.

In the latter case, we can talk about achieving the desired effect in the shortest possible time. Improving the qualifications of employees in the future has a very positive effect on the quality of the company’s services. Thanks to this procedure, employees will be able to solve assigned tasks of any level of complexity.

Tip #5. Analyze your competitors, study their strengths and weaknesses

The experience of competitive companies can be used when choosing a development strategy for your own enterprise. After a thorough analysis, maximum attention should be paid to studying their sides. This effective tool is called benchmarking.

A systematic and detailed study of the experience of competitors and representatives of related industries will allow you to avoid possible mistakes that were made by other market participants. Effective techniques that give the desired result can also be used to your advantage.

Tip #6. Increase productivity and quality

It should be noted here that an independent increase in production volumes cannot bring the desired result. To achieve a positive final result when using this method, it is necessary to take into account the costs of the enterprise and the level of final profit.

When organizing the production process and planning the volume of manufactured products, it is very important to ensure break-even of production activities.

When increasing the volume of production of goods, do not forget about quality standards. Providing high-quality services or products will be the key to entering the foreign market and will raise the company’s image among buyers.

Reaching a new level of sales allows us to generate additional demand. This makes it much easier for companies to influence consumers and encourage them to purchase the product.

Expansion of the existing sales market for manufactured products can be achieved in various ways:

• Attracting new customers. This method involves notifying about a product or service to a category of potential buyers who have not yet heard about the company’s product range. It is also possible to attract new customers by expanding the geography of enterprise activities.
• Finding new ways to use the company's products. Even one new application of manufactured products can increase sales volumes. Regularly looking for ways to use a product can increase profits.
• Intensification of the use of manufactured products. The main task of the manufacturer when using this strategy is to convince the buyer of a more intensive use of the products produced.

For example

The manufacturer of corn flakes convinced its customers that they would get great pleasure from eating a whole packet of cereal, rather than just half. Thanks to this move, sales levels increased significantly.

5. How to deal with competitors and who can help with this?

The development of competition pushes manufacturers to improve the quality of their own products. Only in this way can companies count on expanding their customer base and increasing profits.

However, in order not to get lost among your direct competitors, you need to be ahead of them in everything. Below are the most common ways to deal with other manufacturers or service providers.

Tips and ways to deal with competitors:

• Chat with your competitors. To communicate directly with representatives of competitive firms, you may need the help of relatives or close friends. The latter can play the role of potential buyers. It will not be possible to fully reveal all of your competitors' plans, but you will have a general idea of ​​their actions in the near future.
• Interview clients of competitive companies. Sending out questionnaires or surveying people directly near the store can indicate the actions of competitors, which customers evaluate positively.
• Study the specialized press. Notes in newspapers about the achievements of competing companies allow you to monitor the development and success of other companies.
• Attend industry trade shows. As part of such events, all companies openly present new developments, demonstrate updates to their product line, and share other useful information with visitors.
• Analyze competitors' advertising. If competitors’ advertising works, then you can project such techniques onto your business. Particular attention should be paid to those advertising mechanisms that ensure the expansion of the customer base. This tool in particular applies.
• Study competitors' websites daily. Every day you need to visit competitive sites and follow literally everything that is new - updating the news block, implementing promotional offers, updating the product line.
• Try competitors' products. The opportunity to try competitive products must be taken advantage of through personal experience. This is the only way to understand why customers prefer this company over yours.
• Collect printed products and CDs from competitors. All technical manuals, advertising brochures, catalogs and even price lists can be useful in achieving the final goal.

These steps will help you see the full picture of competitive activity and then take countermeasures to improve your business.

If independent study of competitors is a problematic task for you, then it is possible to use the services of specialized companies that engage in commercial, marketing and economic intelligence.

One of these firms is the Tornado detective community, which collects information and explores the operating environment of competitive organizations. Such business intelligence provides input for further strategic planning and is its basis.

6. Conclusion

Dear readers, let’s sum it up!

In this article, we introduced you to the basic concepts of competition and analyzed the different types of this phenomenon.

Competition is the basis of the mechanism of commodity production and market economy. The competition between goods and enterprises provides an opportunity for a potential buyer or consumer of services to make a choice in favor of the most acceptable terms of purchases and other types of cooperation.

This is a type of relationship between living organisms when they fight with each other for means of subsistence and conditions for reproduction. If individuals of different species participate in this struggle, then such competition is called interspecific, and if there is one - intraspecific.

It is quite obvious that the struggle between individuals requires the expenditure of precious energy, which is already in short supply. And since living beings are not inclined to waste it, if there is enough of everything, there will be no competition. Tell me, why should a wolf squabble with his brother over a killed hare, if there are already visible and invisible ones around? It's much easier and safer to catch it yourself. After all, it is easier to deal with a fairly harmless hare than with a dexterous and toothy predator.

But when food (or some other resource) begins to be sorely scarce, competition begins. This happens for various reasons. Sometimes this is due to changes in environmental conditions. This happened very often in nature, and even now sometimes happens. However, I would like to give an example from the distant past and recall the events that happened 4.5 million years ago.

In those days, the last glaciation was just ending, and it was very cool on our planet. There were also special natural communities called tundra-steppes, through which herds of mammoths roamed. However, soon, due to warming, these ecosystems began to disappear and the mammoths had nothing to eat (their diet mainly consisted of plants growing in these tundra-steppes).

It was here that serious competition for food began between these animals (this is confirmed by the remains of mammoths with traces of injuries inflicted on each other). We know the result - they died out without leaving descendants. This is what "healthy competition" has led to

It’s worth telling right away to those who believe that mammoths were exterminated by people: let them try to hunt a herd of African elephants with only spears and clubs. When frightened, any elephant goes berserk and rushes ahead, knocking down everything in its path. And mammoths, by the way, were very large elephants. It was clearly impossible for a person to cope with them (by the way, it is almost impossible to lure an elephant or a mammoth into a pit; they are very smart and immediately smell something wrong). It turns out that Stone Age hunters could only finish off a sick or wounded animal.

However, the shaggy musk oxen that existed next to the mammoths survived and have lived happily to this day. And all because when it became too hot, they were able to adapt to feeding on other plants and, as a result, left the dying ecosystem for the tundra. While mammoths enjoyed “healthy competition”, contributing to the extinction of their species, peaceful artiodactyl musk oxen calmly nibbled mosses and lichens, without even thinking about entering into competitive relationships. Indeed, why, if there is always a lot of moss in the tundra.

This is one of the universal ways to avoid competition - switching to using another resource. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes living beings, on the contrary, try to eat only specific foods, or, as scientists say, specialize. An example of this is the relationship between herbivores in the African savanna.

Have you ever been surprised by the fact that dozens of ungulate species peacefully coexist on the vast African plains? This is possible only because they do not compete with each other for food, since each species feeds on strictly specific grass. So there is no point in zebras fighting for food with the wildebeests living nearby: the food they eat is of no interest to striped horses. And vice versa.

To avoid competition, animals that feed on similar foods can sometimes “diverge” in hunting times. For example, representatives of five species of bats living in the Moscow region feed on the same nocturnal insects. However, they fly out to hunt at different times. Some - at dawn, others a little later, others - completely after midnight. Thus, they do not interfere with each other's hunting and, therefore, do not compete.

But sometimes competition can arise due to the fact that there are suddenly too many individuals of a certain species. In this case, mechanisms of population regulation begin to work, which lead to avoidance of intraspecific competition. Sometimes this role is played by predators or carriers of infectious diseases, but sometimes the species itself is capable of reducing the number of its individuals.

This is observed, for example, in wolves. Scientists have repeatedly noticed that if in some place there suddenly becomes an extremely large number of these gray predators, then she-wolves stop getting pregnant (although mating occurs, and quite actively). As soon as the number of wolves decreases, the females again give birth to offspring. It is still unclear what exactly serves as a signal to stop the appearance of wolf cubs. Some scientists suggest that the factor blocking reproduction is a special substance released during stress (wolves do not like a situation where there are many of them, this is a disaster for them).

So, as we see, any living creature strives with all its might to escape competition. It is the attempt at self-elimination, and not competition, that is the driving force of evolution. We can say that natural selection favors not those who try to win the competition, but those who most cleverly escape it. They turn out to be the real winners.

Scientists have long noticed that in normally functioning natural communities there is no interspecific competition at all. And on the contrary, if it suddenly appeared in an ecosystem, then, most likely, it will die in the near future. An example is some of the islands of the Mascarene archipelago. When people brought goats and rabbits there, these indiscriminate creatures quickly replaced local herbivorous species, which led to degradation of the vegetation cover (there was no one to pollinate plants and distribute their seeds) and soil erosion. The disaster was avoided only thanks to the intervention of the Jersey Wildlife Conservation Trust, led by Gerald Durrell.

As for intraspecific competition, in most cases it cannot be completely avoided, since one of its components is the eternal struggle of males for the attention of a female. However, it can also be minimized. Some animals always have several times more adult individuals of the fair sex than strong ones, so competition here is simply pointless.

Others establish a strict hierarchy in which only dominant individuals can gain access to females (although there is a struggle for dominance here). And in still others, for example, ants, most of the individuals are generally incapable of reproducing. So, as you can see, there are plenty of ways here too.

Maybe modern businessmen, instead of talking about the benefits of competition, should learn to avoid it? Fortunately, there are many teachers in the wild...

Competition extends beyond politics and economics. We compete from about two and a half years old until the end of our lives: at school, at work, in love, family and even in hobbies... Competition can contain elements of cooperation, or it can be destructive for relationships.

And much here depends not so much on personal qualities and the specific conditions in which it unfolds, but also on the type of culture - my colleagues and I came to this conclusion while working as part of a large international project to study stereotypes of perception of competition. In particular, we compared the situation in three very different countries: Japan, Canada and Hungary.

As a result of a survey of university students, it turned out that their understanding of the meaning of competition differs radically. So, in Japan, her goal is to work on herself, her own growth and development. Moreover, for the Japanese this is two or three times more important than for Hungarian and Canadian students. The other is perceived as a partner and a tool for self-improvement, and the “I” is the center of attention. As one student wrote, “Competition that benefits both parties is important because it can increase our competence and develop our human qualities, but competition solely for the sake of winning spoils people.”

A “happy competitor” knows how to cope with both defeats and victories without experiencing envy, apathy, gloating or guilt.

Canadians see the meaning of competition as strengthening their own motivation. They perceive the other only as a rival, and the focus is on personal victory and goal achievement.

Finally, in post-socialist Hungary (as, probably, in Russia), competition is seen as a tool of social selection, designed to distinguish successful people from losers. Collaborative relationships with competitors are practically impossible, because the worse the other performs, the better for us.

Knowing that competition can be healthy and positive, I would define a “happy competitor” as follows: he is aimed at self-improvement and self-development, is fair and honest towards his opponent and is capable of cooperation with him. He also knows how to cope with both victories and defeats without experiencing envy, gloating, guilt or apathy.

1. Opposites. If you like fics with “impossible love”, with interfaculty love, then this is the place for you. There will be no love between a bad boy and a good girl, but here you will see the crazy relationship between a good boy and a bad girl! And it's definitely no less interesting.

2. Non-standard pairing. How many fics do you know based on Ronsi? Personally, if I have come across something similar, the pairing was secondary (minor) and was not particularly revealed. In ZK, the line of Ron and Pansy is the main one and, believe me, very well developed.

3. Ron Weasley. As much as I love Ron, I hate it when they make him out to be some kind of narrow-minded, always eating, girl-beating moral monster. In Healthy Competition, Ron is what Rowling might have turned out to be. That is, as close as possible to the canon. Yes, something in his life failed, but this does not make Ron somehow miserable, here he is trying to achieve his goals and this cannot but rejoice.

4. Pansy Parkinson. Since Rowling didn’t really describe this character, I think she can be molded into anything. Yulia managed to make a piece of candy. This is exactly how Pansy Parkinson appears in my head. Here she is a strong woman with her little weaknesses. A woman who is ready to fight to the last for what is hers. This is exactly what a Slytherin should be. And not a slutty redneck bitch who always sets everyone up and falls under everyone with whom it is profitable, in principle, to sleep. In general, Julia, thank you for Pansy.

5. Eternal struggle. Ooooh I love fics where the main characters fight for something. In ZK there is more than enough struggle and competition. The way Ron and Pansy compete can be re-read forever, and most importantly, even at the very end it is unclear whether they will stop competing or not. Although my opinion is that even if they get married, the struggle in their family will never stop! =)

6. Humor. The entire fanfic is imbued with humor, but unobtrusive humor, I call it calm =)) Throughout the fic you sit with a wide smile on your face, and thanks to this very calm humor, even difficult moments are perceived easily.

7. Easy to read. The fanfic is written simply, easy to read, there are no heavy words. There is a justification for all the actions of the heroes, there is no understatement, although I would really like to read the second part of the film. (Yulia this is not a hint at all!)

8. NTs-17. Incomparable erotic scenes! There may not be many of them, but they are incomparable, they are delicious, they are exciting, I think every guy and every girl would like to be in the place of Ron and Pansy, I certainly do.

9. The other side. In this fanfic you can see how Ron's career turned out and how the Weasley twins' store grows. Here you will find out why Ron did not become an Auror, but went to help George. Here you will see new characters, here you will get acquainted with a small part of the life of Diagon Alley.

10. Well, and most importantly, this is a fic by the incomparable Jane Evans, and I recommend reading, reading, and reading everything she wrote!!!

2.2. Unhealthy competition

Avoiding competition is the best way to beat the competition.

Humans as a species belong to the class of mammals. Despite centuries of evolution, the natural principle inherent in us has been preserved and manifests itself every day. If we divide the human race into species, we will see around us herbivores and predators, birds, insects, tigers, foxes, bears, hamsters. Herbivores and small rodents cannot achieve much in business. As a rule, the struggle for a place in the sun arises regardless of the wishes of the competing parties. The paradox is that we tend to call any rivalry competition: two men falling in love with one woman, challenging the rights to a plot of land, fighting for the same market, and so on. However, competition in business is a very specific concept. Competition in the economy means the desire of market participants for the greatest profits with minimal costs to the detriment of other participants, and competing parties can play fairly or not. Dumping, that is, a significant reduction in prices in order to attract customers, or rather, outright lure them, is today classified as a method of unfair competition, although consumers benefit from this. True, not for long, since being lured from one manufacturer of goods or services to another, they often end up with lower quality, incompetent service, and prices subsequently skyrocket.

Competition between unequal rivals can be called unhealthy. In nature, competition between different genera and species of animals is extremely rare. Different species of animals choose for themselves a strictly defined habitat, where they have enough food and free space. For example, in the African savannah, lions and cheetahs do not intersect in the same territory; if there is not enough food, they expand their range, but do not enter someone else’s land. Intraspecific competition is inevitable, first of all, due to the desire of males to continue their kind. Some animal species generally strive to limit their numbers, for example, wolves. For these gray predators, too large a flock is unacceptable; they are loners by nature. Therefore, if there is too much population, females stop giving birth to offspring, although they mate with males. When there are fewer wolves, females regain the ability to reproduce.

If we look at humans as representatives of the animal kingdom, we will understand why competition with other companies is almost always unhealthy, but within a company it is natural. In the process of evolution, animals have adapted to fight for survival not with new, unknown rivals - representatives of other species and genera, but within their own pack, hive or pride. Competition within a species is understandable - it is a struggle for dominance. Competition between species is a struggle for destruction. Nature abhors a vacuum, so the best way to avoid unhealthy competition is to find other resources and markets that are not already occupied by potential competitors.

Market and Competition Questions Who are your competitors in the current market? What changes are happening in the market? What types of companies can infiltrate your