Market analysis of competition in the industry. Research of competition in the market What competition gives in the market

Keywords

MARKET FOR HIGH-TECH PRODUCTS/ COMPETITION / COMPETITIVENESS/ MARKETING / HIGH TECHNOLOGY/ INNOVATION / CLASSIFICATION OF INDUSTRIES / MARKETING BASED ON HIGH TECHNOLOGY / TECHNOLOGICAL UNCERTAINTY

annotation scientific article on economics and business, author of the scientific work - Derunova Elena Anatolyevna, Volkov Andrey Timofeevich, Sterkhova Svetlana Aleksandrovna

The article analyzes the differences between innovations in marketing activities and marketing of a high-tech product. Type issues considered high technology from the point of view of their classification when competing in the market of high-tech products. The technology types are classified based on production performance and product performance. The strengths and weaknesses of each classification are given. Proposed general scheme marketing plan for high-tech products depending on the type of innovation. Marketing is divided into three levels: strategic, functional and tactical. The variety of consumer needs of high-tech products is systematized, such as: variability of consumer demands and consumer fear, concern about unforeseen consequences or side effects, incompatibility of technological standards for new products, continuity of generations of technology, rapid and unpredictable development of technology, competitiveness(the emergence of substitute products, new competitors), growth or decline in income and other marketing disturbances. Proposed approaches to the penetration and dissemination of innovations among the largest but poorest socio-economic group of the population, the so-called “base of the pyramid” marketing. The interaction between the structural divisions of the company during the launch of a high-tech product on the market is revealed.

COMPETITION IN THE HIGH TECHNOLOGY MARKETPLACE

The article looks at the difference between marketing innovations and high-technology product marketing, as well as the classification of high technology types competing in the high-technology marketplace. The types of technologies are classified according to the performance index and the product index, the advantages and disadvantages of each of the technologies are given. The author also suggests the general high-technology product marketing plan in accordance with the innovation type, with the latter (marketing) having three levels: strategic, functional and tactical levels. The author classifies the diversity of high-technology product consumer demands such as the variability of consumer demand and consumer apprehension, concern about the unpredictable consequences and side effects, the incompatibility of technical standards for new products, the continuity of the generations of equipment, booming and unpredictable technology development, competitiveness (the launch of substitute products, new competitors, the growth and the falling of profit and other marketing disturbing deviations). The author suggests the approaches to the distribution of innovations among the largest but the poorest socio-economic population group the so called “base of the pyramid” marketing. The cooperation between company departments while launching the high-technology product is described.

There are five levels of competition. To determine the level of competition in your city or region, you need to:

study the territory in which you plan to do business;
make a list of competitors;
find out the strategy of attracting customers by competitors.

What levels of competition are there?

High level of competition characteristic of a mature market in which developed enterprises operate. The standard of living of the population in such a market is high, so the quality of the goods offered is the best. Great value has a service level. Markets with a high level of competition offer a wide range of products - from economy class to luxury. Competition in such a market is high. Marketing and promotions very diverse, companies take an integrated approach. The market with level of competition above average.

Average level competition is typical for emerging markets. Buyers prefer high quality goods and services, a fairly wide range of goods and the ability to choose prices and quality are important to them. In a market with an average level of competition, there are mainly price arguments. Unfair competition occurs quite often. As soon as a strong player appears in such a market in the form of a powerful federal network, the situation can change for the better.

The level of competition is “below average” also typical for emerging markets. The standard of living of the population in such markets is below average. The population cannot afford any excesses. For such buyers, the best price-quality ratio is very important. To stand out among competitors, companies dump and offer all kinds of discounts that incur losses for partners. Unfair practices are also possible.

Low competition market completely undeveloped in terms of progress. As a rule, in the area of such economic relations There is a poor population that cannot make any demands on the quality of the product and its range. Everything on the shelf is sold out at short time because there is no alternative. In such a situation, the consumer does not pay attention not only to quality, but also to price. There is unfair competition and high criminalization of the market.

How does the size of a locality affect the level of competition?

The locality in which you are going to work will tell you a lot about competition and the possible struggle for a leading position in the market.

High level of competition and above average, usually typical for large cities and regions. For example, these are Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, etc. More than a million people live in such settlements, the infrastructure is highly developed. All new products reach these cities first. Salaries and incomes of the population are quite high.

Average level of competition typical for medium-sized cities. The number of inhabitants in such settlements ranges from 150 thousand to 1 million people. The main condition for such a city is the presence of a city-forming enterprise where most of the population works and has decent salaries. The income of the population in such cities is lower than in large cities, but the income is enough to create high demand. Active actions businessmen are allowed to conduct civilized competition by improving methods and means of PR and promotion.

Below average competition typical for small cities that do not have a city-forming enterprise. Small city, a medium-sized city, an urban settlement or a suburban area - these territories are not always interesting for business representatives, since trading here is very problematic. The number of people living in this area is less than 100 thousand people, but more than 20–25 thousand. Not everyone can make large purchases here; the solvency of the population is quite low. But in such settlements there is often a high activity of entrepreneurs from among local residents.

Territory with low level of competition- countryside. The incomes of residents here are low; less than 5–6 percent of the total population receives average and high incomes. Farmers and owners of large farms receive very low incomes, since investments are constantly required for the future harvest or livestock farming season. It is impossible to sell expensive quality goods here due to low income consumers and also because it has historically happened that the population of villages goes to central cities to make large purchases.

How to choose competitors for analysis

Once you have decided on the territory where you will do business, identify organizations that offer goods and services similar to yours (in terms of characteristics, quality, needs met) in the same market segments. Quite often, entrepreneurs make two mistakes. In the first case, the list of competitors is too small or the company is generally confident that there are no competitors. Such a decision can lead to a loss of vigilance, and before you know it, your competitors will take leading positions. In the second case, the list of competitors is too large, and it is simply impossible to study all the companies included in it. Therefore, you should strive to ensure that the list includes 5-10 main competitors, depending on the specifics of the activity.

For example, when choosing competitors, you can focus on companies that set trends in the development of the segment. Such organizations often anticipate the wishes and interests of potential clients, and also attract the best talent due to their reputation and image.

How to figure out your competitors' customer acquisition strategy

Who are the competitors' buyers? Need to determine target audience competitor – in what price segment it operates. So, if you are planning to enter the b2b market, then you can find out this information using the sections where the activities of a competitor are described and a list of large and significant customers is given.

What are the sales conditions (prices, discounts). Find out what conditions your competitor is offering to new and existing customers. Assess the risk of losing customers if a competitor's offer is more profitable. Analyze whether the company can offer more attractive terms. Find out whether the competitor promotes its products through agents (independent or within product distribution networks), and on what terms it cooperates with them. You can assess this by surveying your competitor’s employees – contact them as a potential client.

Does the competitor have its own trademark? Find out whether the competitor has its own trademark (an important competitive advantage, since it contributes to product recognition). Study the range of products manufactured under the competitor's trademark. You can find out about a trademark through the registers of Rospatent and.

Does the competitor have a license? A company that has a license appears reliable in the eyes of customers (i.e., it is a competitive advantage).

What kind of advertising does the competitor give? Analyze what types of advertising the competitor uses, how actively, and what advantages of products (services) he emphasizes. Find out whether the awareness of products (services) among specialists and clients has increased after advertising campaigns.

Porter's five-factor model for analyzing the level of competition

To assess the level of competition, you can use Porter's Five Forces Analysis model, a technique developed by Michael Porter at Harvard Business School. The five forces include:

analysis of the threat of the emergence of substitute products;
analysis of the threat of new players;
analysis of market power of suppliers;
analysis of consumer market power;
analysis of the level of competition.

When opening a company, you can evaluate one factor - the level of competition.

Example of analysis of the level of competition

To assess the level of competition, the head of the Alpha company assessed four parameters. The results are presented in the table.

Table. Analysis of the level of competition

Parameter	Evaluation score
Parameter	1	2	3
Number of competitors	Low level – from 1 to 3 participants	Medium level – from 3 to 10 participants	High level – more than 10 participants
Number of competitors		2
Degree of product differentiation on the market	The products of enterprises differ significantly from each other	A standard product on the market has additional advantages	Companies sell a standard product
Degree of product differentiation on the market		2
Market Volume Growth Rate	High	Average	Market stagnation
Market Volume Growth Rate		2
Limitation on price increases	Loyal price competition, there is an opportunity to increase prices to cover costs and increase profits	Possibility of raising prices to cover rising costs	Fierce price competition, price increases are impossible
Limitation on price increases	1
Total	7 points

Interpretation of results:

4 points – low level of competition;
5–8 points – average level of competition;
9–12 points – high level of competition.

The Alpha company has an overall result of 7 points. Thus, the level of competition can be characterized as average.

In the 19th century, a small funeral home operated and flourished in Kansas City. But one not very happy day, its owner Almon Strowger calculated his income over the past months and found that turnover was falling, but his main competitor, on the contrary, had increased sales.

A small investigation showed: the fact is that the wealthiest clients had already begun to use telephones, and in the event of the death of a relative, they called the telephone exchange, where the wife of Strowger’s main competitor worked. When she was asked to connect with a funeral agency, of course, she redirected everyone to her own husband.

This is a story about unfair competition. And it could have ended in completely different ways. Having counted his losses, the entrepreneur could well have closed his own agency or killed the telephone operator in a fit of rage. But Almon Strowger acted differently: when complaints to the station management did not yield results, he focused on creating a mechanism that would replace manual labor. So in 1892, the first automatic telephone exchange was invented and patented, which the creator himself called “a telephone without young ladies and curses.”

Such is the diversity of competition! It can serve as an engine of progress, or, on the contrary, it can become the cause of brutal crimes. And in order to form your own opinion whether competition is beneficial to society or dangerous for it, you will have to understand in detail the nature of this phenomenon. Shall we get started?

Competition -what is this in simple words

The word “competition,” borrowed from the German “konkurrieren,” was first recorded in the Russian dictionary in 1878. The term originates from two Latin words:

con – together;
currere - to run.

Thus, competition is the rivalry of several subjects to achieve one goal. Moreover, the successes of one always mean losses for the other. Biologists consider competition to be the driving force of evolution: it is thanks to it that the fittest representatives of flora and fauna are preserved on the planet, and the weakest gradually die out.

Economists characterize competition as a struggle between companies. Each of them defends its own interests: it tries by any means to attract the attention of buyers, sell as many goods and services as possible and ultimately get maximum profit.

Interestingly, the word “competition” has the same roots as “competition”. But in this case we're talking about not about the constant struggle for the buyer, but about the desire to achieve victory in the competition.

Competition as an economic law

For the first time, humanity encountered the phenomenon of economic competition in ancient times, in conditions of simple commodity production. Already in primitive society, each artisan sought to extract maximum benefit for himself to the detriment of other participants in market exchange.

With the emergence of the slave system, competition only intensified. Farms became larger, the labor of forced and hired workers made it possible to produce more and more, strengthening their position in society.

But it was only in the 18th century that Adam Smith, a Scottish economist and philosopher, became interested in competition as a phenomenon. He drew attention to the fact that a stable connection is emerging between rival companies. And he suggested that competition is not an accident, but an objective force that actively influences not only sellers and buyers, but also the development of the industry as a whole.

At the same time, 3 conditions necessary for the emergence of competition were formulated:

Complete economic independence of each manufacturer, in which each company acts solely to achieve its goals.
The dependence of each seller on the current market situation: the volume of supply and demand, size wages, exchange rate. So, if the average salary of a sales consultant in Moscow is 40,000 rubles, the company can hardly count on finding, and most importantly, retaining an experienced, conscientious employee by offering him 25,000 rubles a month.
Lack of agreements with other manufacturers, that is, the struggle of all against all.

In such a situation, for the manufacturer the only way to remain a winner - to fight to improve the quality of the product, reduce your own costs, and after them, prices. This is how the law of competition works - an objective process of removing expensive, low-quality products from the market. The essence of the law is revealed more fully through the functions that competition performs in the economy.

Functions of competition in economics

In a market economy, competition has 6 main functions:

1 Regulating. In conditions of free competition, firms produce exactly as much product as the consumer needs. Equilibrium is not established immediately; the company arrives at it after several months of work, analyzing the volume of demand and sales.

For example: the manufacturer of school desks made of natural wood “KIND” sells 1500 – 1700 budget “Novichok” models during the summer season. If by June the company does not fulfill production plan In order to meet demand, she will have to introduce additional shifts, urgently expand the staff of workers, but still, not every buyer will agree to wait for their purchase instead of the standard 3 days 2-3 weeks. Some profits will be lost. The reverse situation is also a lose-lose: an excess of production entails the need to expand warehouses, and with them the overall costs of the enterprise.

Thus, competition in the market determines the amount of demand for each firm's products and determines the optimal volume of production.

2 Allocative. Its name comes from the English “allocation” - “placement”. And it means that in competitive environment success is easier to achieve for enterprises that are located closest to production resources.

It is not for nothing that all hydroelectric power plants are located near large water sources, and the energy they produce supplies nearby regions. There is also no point in installing wind power plants in the Moscow region, which belongs to the areas of the 1st, most windless, category. And here Krasnodar region, according to the wind map of Russia, a coefficient of 6 is assigned. And here the installation of wind power plants will be completely justified.

3 Innovative. Rapid development of technology in modern world- the result of competition. The easiest way to trace this process is through evolution. mobile phones. Only 36 years have passed since the release of the first model intended for free sale - Dyna TAC 8000X. On the scale of science, this is quite a bit. But today a smartphone is already a full-fledged replacement for a camera and game console, player and computer. And the engineers are not going to stop: leading manufacturers present new products every six months.

4 Adaptive. This function lies in the ability of enterprises to adapt to the external environment, offering customers exactly what they expect. Yes, the majority grocery stores They have already either switched to a 24-hour work schedule or are closing closer to midnight. This allows customers to buy groceries after work in peace, and allows entrepreneurs to increase profits.

5 Distribution. The market is a living organism that is constantly changing. Every day, entrepreneurs assess the situation and decide for themselves whether it makes sense to continue investing their own resources in existing projects or whether it’s time to explore new horizons. Thus, from low-income industries, where there is already a sufficient number of producers or the demand for products is steadily falling, there is a constant outflow to more promising areas.

6 Controlling. In conditions of fair competition, no manufacturer or seller can take a dominant position in the market and become a monopolist.

Working together, all the functions of competition transform the industry into an efficient, self-regulating system. And the combination of competitive industries creates a more or less successful market economy. That is why competition is often called the engine of a market economy.

Advantages and disadvantages of competition in the market

For society as a whole, competition is a positive phenomenon. She:

stimulates the development of scientific and technological progress, thereby improving the quality of life of the population;
forces manufacturers to quickly respond to consumer requests: expand the range, improve the quality of goods, look for ways to reduce costs;
forms fair market prices as opposed to the predatory pricing policy of monopolists;
prevents the development of shortages of goods and services.

And the main sign of the presence of free competition in most sectors of the state and an effective market economy in general is the increase in the middle class among the population.

There are also negative aspects in the competitive environment:

a huge temptation for many manufacturers to use “dirty” methods to combat competitors;
instability of the situation on the market for goods and services: out of 100 entrepreneurs, 95 burn out in the first couple of years of their activity;
a large number of bankrupt commodity producers provokes an increase in unemployment;
income is distributed unevenly between different social groups population.

Conditions for maintaining competition

Free competition is a very unstable market model. Left to their own devices, entrepreneurs first eliminate weak players from the game. They leave due to insufficient resources:

And then viable companies begin to negotiate among themselves: to maintain prices and even merge. Economically, this is more profitable for companies than constantly developing technologies and looking for ways to reduce costs. But the buyer ends up with inflated prices and an artificially created shortage.

2 economy class hairdressers have opened in a residential area. But the first was opened by a student without initial capital, and the second by an experienced businessman with sufficient capital, who knows well that a new business requires constant injections in the first months. Given the same prices, the chances of a hair salon owned by a student surviving are minimal.

But a businessman can attract visitors with a bright opening, greater comfort, for example, by immediately installing a TV. Later he will send masters to advanced training courses and offer new services, and maybe even lure best workers from your competitor. In an effort to become a monopolist, he can work for a limited period of time even at a loss, which a student cannot afford. But after the competing hairdresser goes bankrupt, it will be possible to dictate their prices.

Thus, competition naturally always, sooner or later, leads to the emergence of a monopolist enterprise. And the only way to preserve the rivalry of entrepreneurs is government intervention.

Only external deterrents can protect firms from each other and prevent unfair competition. Therefore, all developed countries of the world have adopted antitrust legislation. And they actively use 2 main methods of protecting competition:

ban on the creation of monopolies;
strict regulation of prices for products of natural monopolies, for example, fixed tariffs for public transport tickets.

State regulation of competition

For Russia, the issue of supporting competition is of particular importance. For many decades, our country has been actively using the advantages large production, its specialization and concentration. In fact, the entire industry was in the hands of monopoly enterprises.

And with the transition to a market economy, it was necessary to create a new legal basis, which could support the nascent small and medium business. The first such document was the RSFSR Law “On Competition and Restriction of Monopolistic Activities in Product Markets,” adopted on March 22, 1991. In connection with the active development of the banking services market, on June 4, 1999, another legal act– Federal Law “On the Protection of Competition in the Market” financial services».

In 2006, both regulations were replaced by the Federal Law “On the Protection of Competition”. Moreover, the implementation of antimonopoly policy is also prescribed in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Article 34 states unequivocally: “It is not permitted economic activity aimed at monopolization and unfair competition.”

Monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the Law is carried out:

Ministry of the Russian Federation for Antimonopoly Policy and Entrepreneurship Support;
Its territorial divisions.

In order for the activities of an enterprise to be recognized as threatening free competition, the share of its products in the market for goods and services must be 65%. But there are exceptions: the antimonopoly committee can impose sanctions even with a share of 35%, if the company prevents new firms from entering the industry and dictates its terms to competitors.

Participants in competitive relations

The legislation calls participants in legal relations subjects. In competition law, the main ones are:

sellers or business entities, that is, individual entrepreneurs and enterprises of all forms of ownership that carry out income-generating activities;
buyers of goods or services. For them, the Law does not prescribe responsibilities, but acts precisely in their interests. If there is a suspicion of violations of antimonopoly legislation, buyers have the right to file a complaint with the territorial division of the antimonopoly committee.

The joint actions of buyers and sellers form supply and demand in the markets for goods and services. In conditions of free competition, they are balanced naturally and set economically fair prices.

Other entities can also influence competitive relations:

These entities are not involved in competition, but are in the field of view of antimonopoly legislation, since they are capable of providing individual companies with significant advantages: issuing a license, financing, establishing tax benefits. All this negatively affects other participants in the competition.

It is interesting that the circle of subjects of competition law includes not only already operating enterprises and real buyers, but also potential sellers and potential consumers:

potential seller is one who is ready to begin producing and/or selling a product within 1 year that is already on the market at a price not exceeding the market average by more than 10%. At the same time, production costs will be recouped within 12 months;
a potential buyer is someone who is ready to purchase a product, but for some reason has not yet done so.

Since, in an effort to oust competitors, firms often join forces, the Law defines another subject of competition law – a group of persons. They can be united by relationships of any kind: labor or contractual, property or related.

Although their actions are coordinated and aimed at achieving the same goal, in court proceedings the extent of each person's participation in the crime is considered individually.

Forms of competition

To remain within the limits of the law, today it is not enough not to cross the 65% barrier of control over the industry. On October 5, 2015, Chapter 2.1 was introduced into the Federal Law “On the Protection of Competition”. Unfair competition. And now the Antimonopoly Committee has the right to consider not only the degree of influence of the company, but also the methods of its struggle. Therefore, it is very important to understand the line where fair competition, approved by society, ceases to be such.

Fair competition – honest and legal methods of competition that do not conflict with generally accepted business norms:

Unfair competition – any actions of business entities that contradict the law and business ethics, and may cause harm business reputation competitors, causing them financial damage.

Methods of unfair competition:

Types of Competitive Markets

Depending on the degree of competition between firms, there are 4 main types of markets for goods and services:

Perfect competition, at which the industry operates great amount companies, and there are no barriers for beginners. A product in a perfectly competitive market is standardized. For example, in each region there are hundreds of farms, which provide stores with eggs, milk, vegetables and fruits. Farmers cannot influence the price of their products in any way, but any landowner is able to enter the market without much effort.
Monopolistic competition– a market in which there are also a large number of sellers, and there are no barriers to entry into the industry. But the product on such a market has its own peculiarity. For example, one publishing house publishes exclusively detective stories, another - women's novels, and a third - popular science literature. Competition here is non-price, and advertising and brand awareness help increase it.
Oligopoly– a market represented by a small number of sellers, largely due to the fact that entry into the industry is difficult. For example, to produce household appliances, one desire is not enough. It will require serious financial investments, engineering developments, highly qualified personnel, permits from regulatory authorities, well-thought-out marketing strategy. Of course, few entrepreneurs are capable of realizing all this. Those who succeed become the few major players who can already influence pricing.
Absolute monopoly. The market is represented by one single seller, and entry into the industry is blocked. The monopolist determines the volume of output and has unlimited power over prices. Example: OJSC Gazprom, OJSC Russian Railways.

Thus, the weaker the competition in the market for goods or services, the more power the producer has. And vice versa, when there are many sellers, the buyer has the opportunity to choose the product that suits him best in terms of price and quality.

Video: Competition and its types

Types of competition in economics

Economists combine all 4 market models into 2 large groups, highlighting:

perfect competition;
imperfect competition.

Perfect or pure competition – ideal model, an abstraction that is very rarely found in real life. It is characterized by:

A very large number of sellers in the industry. They act independently of each other, each working in their own interests. Thus, there are a huge number of fishing enterprises in the world. And the largest of them account for approximately 0.0000107% of the world's catch. Even if one or more firms increase their catch several times, this will not affect the state of the industry in any way.
Standardized or homogeneous product. The product is similar or so similar that, by and large, it makes no difference to the buyer which seller makes the purchase. A striking example: currency exchangers.
The seller's inability to influence the price of the product. For example, if at a vegetable market 3 sellers at once set a price of 300 rubles for 500-gram baskets of strawberries, it makes no sense for the fourth to demand 400 rubles. He simply won’t sell the berries, and they will spoil. But it is also unprofitable to reduce prices if there is an opportunity to earn more. Thus, in a perfectly competitive market, the seller always takes the role of a price follower.
Free entry into and exit from the industry. New firms can enter a competitive market without having either serious financial capabilities or technological innovations. Legislative authorities do not interfere with them; on the contrary, all information about doing business is freely available. Example: stall trade, creation of construction and repair teams.

is a situation in which one or more conditions of perfect competition are not met:

Although products from different sellers belong to the same group, they have their own characteristics. For example, one sells Golden apples, and the other sells Semerenko;
There are barriers to entry into the industry: for example, to open the most modest Gym you will need at least 1 million rubles. And this is not an amount that any potential entrepreneur can easily find;
There are already leading enterprises in the industry. In this case, we are talking more about oligopolistic competition;
An entrepreneur has the opportunity to influence the price of his products from the very beginning. For example, the same strawberry sellers in a small market may well agree on a single price. Or, using greenhouses, the farmer will achieve ripening of the berries 2 weeks earlier, and will be able to sell his harvest at a much higher price.

Thus, imperfect competition is a market model that, to varying degrees, allows sellers to influence the price of their products. And monopolistic competition, oligopoly, monopoly are just varieties of imperfect competition.

Types of competition by degree of freedom

The phrase “free competition” has long been stable. It implies that the activities of individual entrepreneurs are not influenced by any government bodies, nor larger and more influential market players.

In contrast to free competition, there is also regulated competition. It occurs when one or more firms achieve significant market share and are able to influence prices and discourage newcomers from entering the industry. The regulatory function in this case is performed by the state.

Types of competition by industry

Economics deals with market competition - the struggle of producers for each buyer. Demand in this market is limited by the solvency of consumers, and the struggle is waged by all legal means: price and non-price.

Market competition is:

intra-industry:
intersectoral;
interethnic.

Intra-industry competition- This is rivalry between manufacturers or sellers operating in the same industry. They produce or sell analogue products that differ in price, model range, and quality. Moreover, intra-industry competition can be:

subject;
species.

Subject competition– one in which rival firms produce identical products. It may vary only slightly in quality. Example: Russian manufacturers bed linen of the middle price category - “SiliD”, “MONA LIZA”, “AMORE MIO”.

Species competition- a type of rivalry in which companies produce the same type of product: shoes, clothing, furniture, but at the same time it differs in some serious parameters. For example, the RIMAL shoe factory produces affordable children's shoes for absolutely healthy children, and the MEGA Orthopedic company specializes in sewing orthopedic models.

Interindustry or functional competition is the struggle between representatives of different industries. For example, residents of Moscow can get to Sochi as by rail, and by plane. The first is cheaper, the second saves time. But in general, both types of transport help the traveler achieve his goal.

Interethnic competition is a competition between two countries. Its goal may be not only to conquer the largest possible sales market, but also prestige on the world stage. Example: the confrontation between the USA and the USSR in the field of space exploration.

Competition methods

There are two ways to try to beat your competitors: by lowering the price or by offering more attractive conditions, but at the same prices.

The first strategy is price competition. For example, a newly opened dry cleaner offers a 20 percent discount on its services. The business owner understands perfectly well that in the future he will not be able to maintain such a low price, but in the short term the strategy will provide a large influx of customers, and if they like the service, they will probably come back again and again.

Good service is already non-price competition, which most buyers value more than a lower price and possible discounts. Our subconscious perceives a price reduction more aggressively, forcing us to meticulously look for a catch. Methods of non-price competition (memorable advertising, convenient delivery conditions, beautiful packaging, etc.) marketing gimmicks) seem more noble, although if you dig deeper, there is no difference.

For example, with the same prices for bottled water, the Aqua company will also offer free delivery. In terms of conversion, the price per liter of water for the buyer will be lower. And non-price competition will turn out to be the same as price competition.

Price competition is not always a short-term phenomenon. Thus, with timely updating of equipment, improvement of the system and logistics, the manufacturer can really achieve a significant reduction in costs.

While maintaining the size of the trade margin and the achieved sales volume, the company's profit does not decrease, although for the end consumer the product will become significantly cheaper. In such a situation, competitors can either follow a more successful company or leave the market.

Competition beyond economics

Competition as a competition for a good that is available in limited quantities is characteristic of politics and science, sports and military affairs, art and creativity. Perhaps there is not a single human activity in which it would be impossible for a struggle for money, power, fame or respect to arise.

Achieving a goal occurs through competitive actions, a concept formulated by the American economist Michael Porter. It involves the commission of actions directly or indirectly addressed to competitors. Their goal: to strengthen their position and at the same time weaken their opponent.

Competition in biology

If in human society competition is rivalry, in the world of flora and fauna the synonymous phenomenon is more likely to be war. A war for a place to live, food sources, a war for life itself.

Competition in biology is of 2 types:

Intraspecific competition. The most desperate and brutal struggle flares up between representatives of the same species. Birds fight to the death for the best nesting places, walruses and seals fight to win a female for mating, and out of hundreds of young fir trees in a clearing, only 2-3 trees grow to adulthood. The rest die from lack of sunlight.
Interspecific competition flares up between individuals of different species. Moreover, the Russian biologist G.F. Gause proved that if 2 species with the same needs live in the same territory, the stronger one will definitely displace the weakest. Thus, in Australia, the native stingless bee has already been almost completely destroyed. And all because the honey bee was brought to the mainland several decades ago.

Competition of norms in law

In legal practice, situations often occur when the same action is regulated by two different regulations. And the court will have to decide which of the two documents to apply. Competition between norms occurs:

temporary, when the rules were in force during different periods of time;
spatial: for example, in different states of America, different punishments are provided for the same crime;
hierarchical: all regulatory documents have different legal force. The main legal act in our country is the Constitution of the Russian Federation, then there are Federal Constitutional Laws, after them Federal Laws, and so on.

But the most common competition of norms in law is substantive. The easiest way to explain it is with an example. Let's say a crime is committed with two aggravating circumstances. They are described in different articles of the Criminal Code. When determining the punishment, the judge, as a rule, classifies the crime according to the norm that provides for a more severe punishment. And, conversely, in two mitigating circumstances, a rule prescribing a more lenient punishment is applied.

Answers on questions

Competitively capable as spelled

The correct spelling is “competitive” (without the “n”). This word consists of two roots: “competition” - the “n” and “capable” are missing here.

What is a competitor

A competitor is a person or group of people, or it can be a company or even a government, that competes with another person(s) for ownership or interests.

Conclusion

Competition is the driving force of evolution. It condemns the weak to extinction and allows the strongest to survive. It is thanks to it that increasingly resistant strains of bacteria and viruses appear on the planet that are resistant to known antibiotics and antiviral drugs. Hundreds of animal species and thousands of plant species have become extinct due to competition. But those that survived managed to adapt to droughts and frosts, polluted air and the omnipresence of humanity.

In the economy, competition acts for the benefit of the consumer, forcing sellers to reduce prices and expand their range, manufacturers to improve the quality of goods and design new, even more advanced models.

Entrepreneurs are afraid of competition and do not like it. Still would! It is impossible to relax even for one day, otherwise a more efficient comrade will grab a share of the profit. And yet, fair competition is the fairest fight, which accurately identifies the losers and those who chose the right strategy.

Roman Kozhin

Author of the blog "My Ruble", former head of the credit department at a bank. Currently an Internet entrepreneur and investor. I talk about how to effectively manage your money, increase it profitably, and earn more. Thanks to the Internet, I moved to the sea. You can follow my life on social networks using the links below.

Highlight next levels competition:

general competition, competition at the product class level. If the consumer needs to dress a salad, then for this he can choose, for example, mayonnaise, sour cream, butter;
competition at the product type level. Competition at this level will mean that, having chosen, for example, mayonnaise, the consumer will choose between Provençal, light mayonnaise and mayonnaise with additives;

competition at the brand level- this is already a choice between brands. The consumer can choose “Calve”, “Ryaba”, “Sloboda”, etc.

Brand competition is the most direct form of competition. The intensity of brand competition and the nature of competition are mainly determined by the market where the company operates.

Market types are the conditions in which a company sells its product. Of great importance here is the number of participants operating in the market and their size, as well as price elasticity, type of product, etc. Using these criteria, it is possible to differentiate between markets. We will consider only the main types of markets using the following criteria:

the number of companies offering goods in this market;
type of goods offered (homogeneous or heterogeneous goods).

Pure competition market characterized by the following features:

a large number of buyers and sellers;
homogeneous products (consumers perceive products from different manufacturers as the same);
there are no barriers to entering the market.

In such a market, the seller faces the problem of a fixed market price, which is the result of the free movement of supply and demand. Here the seller has no influence on this fixed price. If he offers goods at a higher price, they will not be sold, since we are dealing with homogeneous goods.

Oligopoly - a market in which there are so few sellers that their interdependence is very great, in such a market the actions of one supplier influence the actions of another. If sellers offer homogeneous goods, then such interdependence is extremely strong. In a heterogeneous oligopoly, when consumers perceive differences between the offers of different sellers, such dependence is not so strong and is similar to monopolistic competition. But nevertheless the price oligopolistic market more stable: if one selling company changes the price to its advantage, this will dramatically affect the sales of other market participants and their actions can be easily predicted. Therefore, price changes are limited, but from time to time “price wars” do occur when the strongest want to eliminate weaker competitors. In a homogeneous oligopoly, as in the case of pure competition, suppliers cannot offer different prices.

Monopolistic competition. Pure competition, as well as a homogeneous oligopoly, is not very attractive to the seller, since it has little effect on sales prices and profits.

To avoid price competition, suppliers use product differentiation. You can differentiate a product, for example, by changing the way it is advertised, packaging or quality. Differentiation allows the supplier to win certain group“loyal” buyers who prefer a given differentiated product. Then there is no need to lower the price to attract buyers, since they are willing to pay a higher price for the product that suits them best. Thus, by applying product differentiation, the seller finds himself in a monopolist position, but we must remember that if the price gap becomes too noticeable, the buyer can always switch to another product.

Monopoly. In such a market there is only one seller. There is no brand or product competition here. The fact that the buyer has no choice, the product is unique and there is nothing to replace it, brings profit to the monopolist. The latter feels much more relaxed than sellers in other markets.

Michael Porter offers four matrices that allow a company to identify ways to create competitive advantages, opportunities to achieve competitive advantages, to develop competitive strategies and predicting competitors' reactions to the company's actions.

The most important component of the plan is an assessment of markets for products (services) in conjunction with a characteristic of the state of the industry, on the basis of which conclusions about the market needs that are satisfied by the company’s products are substantiated. It is advisable to provide statistics on the sale of goods on the market, classification of users and distributors, assessment of annually consumed products; in the second part of this section, the world market can be considered, if the company’s products claim a certain niche in it, in this part it is necessary to reflect the volume of product sales, produced by the company, has been on the world market over the past five years, what factors influence this (legislation, politics, demographic situation), what measures need to be taken to increase the competitiveness of the organization’s products on the world market. Analysis of external influencing factors is also necessary for analyzing the internal market.

Many Russian entrepreneurs underestimate the dangers of competition, so it is advisable to carry out an analysis of this problem in a business plan, since even if a company is the only manufacturer and seller of a particular product in the industry, it still faces competitive forces; they may be new (potential) competitors entering the industry; competition from substitute goods, suppliers (sellers), clients (buyers) is possible. We must not forget that one of the most serious competitive forces currently in the domestic market is foreign companies, which attract the buyer, if not with quality, then with affordable prices and more eye-catching packaging and product design. These firms act harshly, guided by their own strategic goals. In competition with similar organizations, the head of the company must

wives to resort to approaches tested in international practice, the basis of which is not only the development of strategies, but also specific management decisions. However, before you start planning their elements, you need to think about how best to implement this strategy, whether reorganization is necessary organizational structure enterprise (business restructuring, production, attraction of new specialists, etc.), what should be financial structure necessary to implement the strategy, whether to leave with traditional market; if it is supplemented by a new one, then which of them is appropriate to focus on; Is it possible to increase profits without changing the current competitive position of the company. At the same time, one cannot help but evaluate the possible retaliatory actions of competitors, as well as their likelihood.

Based on the above, this section includes three paragraphs: the first discusses the areas of market and competition analysis, sources of obtaining the necessary information, the second, third and fourth contain a description practical techniques, which are advisable to use when conducting analysis.

Market research

The results of the market research provide answers to a number of questions:

How large is the market size for the company’s products or services;

Whether this market is growing, static or declining;

What is the company's market share;

What potential market share can be achieved;

What needs to be done to increase market share;

Are there any barriers to entering the market or expanding activities within it;

What resources and at what time are required to implement expansion plans;

What problems may arise in this case and how they can be prevented;

What alternative courses of action can lead to achieving the desired result;

Who are the company’s main competitors in the market and what do they offer;

What is the competitive position of the company in the market;

What basic customer needs are satisfied by the company’s products?

What prices are offered by the main competitors and how do they influence the company's pricing policy?

It is not surprising that, faced with such an abundance of tasks, many directors and company owners come to the simplest solution - to respond to demand, rather than making forecasts and plans for the future in order to then follow them, and in some cases there has been a decrease in interest in intra-company planning in in general and, in particular, to business planning.

However, common sense dictates that the more a firm knows about customers and markets, the better chance it has of maximizing opportunities and minimizing risks, which in turn increases the chances of survival and growth of any business.

Summarizing the main aspects covered by the issues listed above, it is necessary to highlight four main areas: the size and nature of the market itself, the share that the company can acquire in it, competitors and their offerings, and the prospects for the company's own products or services in this market. These areas require more detailed research, and first of all it is necessary to consider the main sources of information from which the company can obtain answers to its questions.

Typically, there is a wealth of data and research available about specific markets, both internationally and nationally, provided by trade journals and manufacturer and dealer associations, economic reports and analyses, national and regional statistics, and the like. From these data, it is usually possible to determine not only the overall size and growth rate of a potential market, but also to realistically assess the relative share of its main participants.

For analysis, it is advisable to use only reliable and reliable information from officially published sources. However, at the local level it is much more difficult to obtain the specific data required, and even at the regional level the information may be combined with data for other markets published in reports on economic development and are too general to be useful for new small businesses. Therefore, if published sources are not adequate or relevant, this should be noted in the business plan and the alternative sources used and the reasons why they may be considered acceptable to the target market should be detailed.

As part of conducting market research, it is very important to determine the share of the target market occupied by the company. If the level of supply in a particular market does not reach its full saturation, then the share of the target market can be quite accurately determined by the volume of production and the supply of products on the market. But if there is already strong competition in it, then the share of the target market segment may be significantly smaller, and at the same time there may be high barriers to entry into the market, which will require significant investment, as well as high costs for the subsequent maintenance and expansion of market share.

Undoubtedly, competitors will take a certain position in relation to the new market participant and may enter into fierce competition with him in order to prevent him from entering the market. In fact, determining the target market share usually requires specialized knowledge of the market sector to ensure that the choice of a particular market niche is reasonable and realistic. To penetrate the market and obtain the required share, certain knowledge of the sales model and distribution channels is also required.

The nature of competition is influenced by the level of the target market. Thus, at the international and national levels, all the main market participants in the industrial or service sectors are usually well known to each other and often interact with each other on common issues of interest (for example, monitoring the provision of loans, lobbying for new bills, etc.) .P.). In those cases where there is no formal connection between rival organizations at the company level, there almost always remains an informal connection at the interpersonal level. This could be a relationship between former colleagues who have changed jobs, those who studied together in the past, or between those who met at sales exhibitions or conferences. Indeed, it is difficult to overestimate the importance for business of informal communication and the knowledge about the market that can be collected and accumulated bit by bit using modern channels for organizing business interactions.

When it comes to goods and services in the local market, those who are completely new to it usually already have an idea about competitors and the products or services they offer.

More detailed technical information or a price list can be obtained through telephone inquiries or by presenting yourself as a potential consumer, which should not be considered an unethical act: this situation is repeated all the time, and sooner or later someone will turn to you for such information . Another source of information is local directories about companies, in particular the Yellow Pages, DublGIS information retrieval systems, etc. You should not neglect the information that can be obtained from local authorities, for example, from the small business support committee. However, it is important to note that while identifying competitors is important, it is equally important to find out what product they offer, at what price, and what its distinctive or unique features are.

Analysis of competitors' products and services involves answering a number of questions:

Which organizations are direct competitors in the target market segment, i.e. who offers the same or very similar products or services;

Which companies offer substitute products, i.e. who offers other goods or services that, without being direct competition, can nevertheless lure consumers away;

What price level do competitors set? what is the reason for the identified price differences;

What quality of goods and services do competitors offer and how does this affect their prices;

What geographic areas does the competitor's service cover?

Are competitors focused on the same market sector as the company in question, and what market share do they occupy? is there a niche for new business in this market sector?

Obtaining information is part of the market research process, and to create a sound and realistic business plan, you need to find answers to all the questions posed.

When analyzing competitors and the products they offer, it is necessary to turn to your own goods and services to determine how well they correspond to competitive products and the nature of demand in the market as a whole, i.e. The question of assessing the competitiveness of both products and enterprises is important. Has the company set the price correctly, is it too high or too low? If the company installs more low prices Does it achieve higher sales than its competitors? Are the quality standards acceptable? Should a product be positioned based on quality rather than price? What is more acceptable for this market: a simple, but cheap and reliable product, or more sophisticated and expensive products available for sale in a wide range? It is possible that both options are acceptable for some consumers.

The process of identifying market segments allows you to select those that are most worthy of investment in labor and material resources based on the potential profitability of these sectors. The factors on which market segmentation may be based are different. These are consumer needs, geographic location, income level, age, gender or social status of the client, purchasing habits, commitment to a particular brand, or simply a commonality of interests, and priorities can be determined differently, for example, depending on the number of consumers in each segment, its relative profitability, geographic location or accessibility of a segment, or the amount of time and investment required to establish the activity. When all factors are ranked according to priorities, you can begin to develop a marketing mix for each target segment, taking into account these priorities.

External influencing factors

Factors influencing an organization can have different origins. It is relatively easy to identify those that can influence the viability of an enterprise within the business itself (personnel, management skills, available finances, etc.) and from the market environment (market size, demand for goods and services, competition, etc. .P.). However, most business leaders, especially if they are unfamiliar with economics or have little interest in politics or current affairs and issues, find it much more difficult to focus on broader influences.

One of the most widely used methods for analyzing these factors is the so-called PESTLE analysis, during which all influencing factors are divided into six main categories: political, economic, social, technology, legal ) and ecological (ecology). Their specific significance, of course, is different for each organization? depending in particular on its specific geographical location and the market segment in which it operates. Let's illustrate this with a few examples.

Towards political factors external environment include such aspects as government policy on transport, unemployment, regional development, education and training, etc. Thus, there may be financial incentives to locate businesses in rural developing areas or perhaps in a sparsely populated area where a new highway is to be built. Predictable policy changes may also reveal a threat: for example, high taxation of gasoline and diesel fuel will force people to use public transport, which will obviously lead to ever-increasing overhead costs in any business that involves manufacturing or transporting bulky goods over long distances. It is also important to identify government policies that may affect your business in the near future.

Economic factors can be viewed from many aspects and may be difficult to predict in the long term as the international economic situation is influenced by a large number of national policies, changes in demand, recession, inflation, etc. For example, a consequence of a high interest rate and a relatively low level of inflation may be the stability of the national currency, which makes imports cheap and exported goods expensive and encourages companies working for export to reduce sales volumes.

The interest rate is often used as a mechanism to control inflation, but invariably also affects the exchange rate, so the combination of higher interest payments on loans received, together with falling export sales, can seriously damage the movement Money small company. Higher interest rates may also reduce the amount of disposable income for buyers, who will then direct their spending towards everyday needs rather than luxury goods, which is quite unfavorable for the firm intending to produce or import them. The question is which of these economic impacts may be significant to specific business plans, if not right now, then over the next few years.

Social factors and trends appear more slowly, and therefore are somewhat easier to predict than economic changes. Since the late 1970s. There is a growing understanding in society of the importance of problems related to the protection of environment, movements arise to reduce emissions and recycle waste, etc. Products that are not considered environmentally friendly are met with strong opposition, so manufacturers and suppliers must respond to this and make changes to their products or services.

A similar trend is manifested in changing attitudes towards healthy image life: the number of smokers has decreased, an increasing number of people regularly exercise, preference is given to organic food and healthy products. All this is accompanied by a change in expectations associated with goods and services, with consumers paying attention to brand reputation and quality.

That is why it is important to determine what impact the latest trends have on the company’s products or services, and whether it is possible to identify other changes that now or perhaps in the future will become significant for the company.

When analyzing the technological component, it is important to determine what impact state technology policy has on the organization’s field of activity, and at what speed new technologies and products emerge. To do this, it is useful to analyze information about new patents and developments published in specialized journals and to use other sources of information.

Of great importance for the enterprise is the analysis of legal factors that are expressed in the presence legislative framework regulating the operating conditions of the organization.

Some of the environmental issues have already been mentioned in social trends, often resulting from increased education and public awareness, but there are other equally relevant examples. Thus, it is important to consider the impact that air and environmental pollution control laws have on a company's operations.

Assessing a company's competitiveness

Assessment of the competitiveness of goods and services, as well as the company itself - important element analysis of competition in a specific market due to the fact that it allows a realistic approach to assessing both strengths and weaknesses organization and determine directions for increasing the competitiveness of the enterprise and its products. This analysis is especially relevant when a business plan is developed for “internal use,” i.e. represents a development program for the company as a whole. IN scientific literature The following methods for assessing the competitiveness of an enterprise are distinguished:

1) score;

2) assessment from the position of comparative advantage;

3) assessment based on the theory of effective competition;

4) assessment based on quality theory;

5) matrix methods;

6) methods of the American Management Association;

7) indicator method;

8) methodology for assessing competitiveness used in marketing research.

When scoring the competitiveness of enterprises, the performance indicators of competing enterprises are numerically compared. Then the average score of these indicators is found. By its level one can judge the position of the enterprise. The scoring of individual indicators is presented in table.

Scoring of individual indicators

As can be seen from the table, the highest level of competitiveness is for enterprise A, and the lowest for enterprise B.

However, for a more accurate objective analysis of the competitiveness of enterprises, it is necessary to take into account the different influence on it (the different significance) of each of the properties under consideration. In this case, the maximum score for each competitiveness indicator is taken equal to 5 points, and the sum of the weighting coefficients of the competitiveness indicators is equal to 1 point. The second condition is met quite simply by using the appropriate expert ranking technique. The results obtained are shown in table.

Assessment of competitiveness indicators taking into account weighting coefficients


Financial condition
Resource usage
Work with personnel
Long-term capex
Ability to innovate
Responsibility to society

Legend:

K in - weighting coefficients of competitiveness indicators, characterizing their significance in the overall assessment of the competitiveness of these commodity producers;

R a - assessment of the competitiveness indicators of enterprise A;

R b - assessments of the competitiveness indicators of enterprise B;

R in - assessment of the competitiveness indicators of enterprise V.

The competitiveness of enterprises is determined by the formula

K = ∑ K in Р i

Thus, the competitiveness of enterprise A:

K a = 0.68 + 0.45 + 0.56 + 0.16 + 0.3 + 0.14 + 0.68 + 0.12 = 3.09 points.

For enterprise B:

K b = 0.51 + 0.6 + 0.28 + 0.32 + 0.3 + 0.07 + 0.51 + 0.48 = 3.07 points.

For enterprise B:

K in = 0.34 + 0.45 + 0.42 + 0.32 + 0.2 + 0.35 + 0.17 + 0.6 = 2.85 points.

Advantages of enterprise A: management quality, sustainable financial condition, ability to innovate.

Advantage of enterprise B: quality of goods.

Advantages of enterprise B: long-term capital investments, increased responsibility to society.

Thus, enterprises A and B have better chances in the market. At the same time, the relative equality of competitiveness portends an intensification of competition between them.

Identification of an enterprise's comparative advantage is based on the assumption that firms specialize in the production and export of those goods that cost them relatively little. To determine the degree of competitiveness of a manufacturer, the performance of competing enterprises is compared according to an accepted criterion, for example, profit volume, sales level, market share, etc. However, it must be borne in mind that it is impossible to measure the comparative advantages of an enterprise in a complex of many indicators. Thus, if you focus only on production costs, then the quality of products and many other factors that determine the level of competitiveness and potential of the organization will not be taken into account.

In the theory of effective competition, methods for determining competitiveness are based on the assumption that an industry is considered more competitive if its member firms have strong market positions. The main method of analyzing the competitiveness of an industry is to compare the indicators of its member companies with the indicators of competing firms.

To develop a criterion for the level of competitiveness, two main approaches are used: structural and functional.

The assessment of competitiveness based on the structural approach is carried out based on an analysis of the level of monopolization of the industry in the market (concentration of production and capital, barriers to entry of new companies into the market).

In the functional approach, as a rule, the following main groups of company activity factors are compared:

1) indicators reflecting the efficiency of production and sales activities (the ratio of net profit to the net value of tangible assets, the ratio of net profit to net working capital);

2) indicators reflecting production sector activities (the ratio of net sales, respectively, to the net value of tangible assets, to net working capital, to the value of inventories, to the value of tangible assets, to net working capital);

3) indicators characterizing the financial activities of enterprises: the period for paying current bills, the ratio of current debt during the year to the value of tangible assets, etc.

Indicators of labor productivity, return on investment, and profit margins are also compared. Methods for determining competitiveness based on the theory of effective competition are widely used in Western Europe and the USA.

Based on the theory of product quality, methods have been developed for assessing the competitiveness of a manufacturer based on a comparison of quality indicators. In a subjective assessment, product quality parameters are compared based on one’s own requirements for the product or the requirements imposed by an individual consumer; with an objective assessment - with a similar product from a competing company. If an enterprise produces heterogeneous products, then judge its competitiveness in a generalized form only on the basis quality characteristics product is not possible and a comparison of the system of indicators characterizing the economic potential of the enterprise is required.

Matrix methods are based on the idea of considering competition processes in dynamics. The theoretical basis of these methods is the concept life cycle goods and technology, which distinguishes the following stages of this cycle from the moment the product appears until its disappearance on the market: introduction, growth, saturation and decline. Matrix methods - convenient practical tool and are widely used by American companies.

Developed in the mid-70s. XX century The marketing firm Boston Consulting Group uses a matrix technique for assessing the competitiveness of various goods both to analyze the characteristics of goods and to study the competitiveness of “strategic business units”: goods, individual companies, and sales activities of industries. The matrix is built on the basis of two indicators. The vertical axis indicates the growth rate of market capacity on a linear scale, and the horizontal axis indicates the relative share of the entrepreneur or company in the market. All strategic business units are located on this matrix depending on their parameters and market conditions. The most competitive are those that occupy a significant share of it. To develop a market behavior strategy, using the matrix method, they evaluate the level of competitiveness of the potential of both their enterprise and competing enterprises.

The competitiveness of an enterprise can also be determined using the methods of the American Management Association (table).

Checklist for analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of an enterprise in competition

Each column in the table is assigned a value:

1 - better than anyone. Clear leader;

2 - above average. Indicators economic activity quite good and stable;

3 - average level. Stable position in the market;

4 - you should take care of improving your position in the market;

5 - the situation is truly alarming. The company found itself in a crisis situation.

This methodology offers a wide range of groups of indicators that make it possible to determine using a scoring system weakness enterprises in comparison with competing enterprises.

The level of competitiveness of an enterprise’s economic potential can be determined using the indicator method, which allows one to identify ways to increase competitiveness and develop new strategy and management tactics. This method is based on a system of indicators, with the help of which a quantitative assessment of the competitiveness of the potential of an enterprise, company, corporation is determined. Each indicator - a set of characteristics that formally describe the state of the parameters of the object under study - includes a number of indicators that reflect the state of individual elements of this object.

The selected indicators are compared with similar standard or actual indicators from competitors. Each level of competitiveness of an enterprise corresponds to a certain set of indicators in the form of specific indicators. They form a matrix of the competitiveness of the enterprise's potential, which reflects the relative values of the selected indicators and their percentage-point expression.

To fill out the matrix at an enterprise, the creation of a data bank and the ability to receive and process external information are required. Without knowledge, study and comparison of information about the work of similar enterprises, none of the prestigious companies can count on long-term business success.

In the competitiveness matrix, the highest level of the indicator today is taken as 100% and, accordingly, 100 points. The scoring of the level of competitiveness is determined both for individual indicators and for the entire complex as a whole.

The methodology for assessing competitiveness used in marketing research is intended to:

To assess the competitiveness of an enterprise and its products during marketing research;

To evaluate and select optimal options for product production plans (current and future) resulting from marketing programs;

To evaluate and select optimal programs for the reconstruction of production and enterprises, developed on the basis of marketing research;

To evaluate performance results structural divisions enterprises, as well as assessing the results of workers’ labor to ensure the competitiveness of the enterprise;

To assess the technical and economic level and select the optimal technological processes, equipment and construction materials used for the manufacture of products, in order to ensure the same thing - the competitiveness of the enterprise.

The methodology can be used as an independent method, when it is impossible to economically evaluate the compared decision options based on the totality of costs and results or other cost indicators, and also as a complementary one, when the compared options are economically approximately equivalent, but certain non-economic characteristics (social, economic) are important. , technical), based on the totality of which the assessment and selection of optimal solutions is carried out.

To compare and evaluate various solution options and select the optimal one, a table is compiled, where each row corresponds to a specific solution option, and each column corresponds to an evaluation indicator, the totality of which is compared and the optimal option is determined. The number of compared options, as well as the number of evaluation indicators in each of them, can be any.

If the estimated indicators have the same units of measurement and are values of the same order, then you can evaluate and select the optimal solution based on their totality by simply summing up the indicators and comparing the results obtained. In this case, for each option (i.e. for each line), the sum of the estimated indicators taken with their own signs (“+” or “-”) is calculated. The line with the maximum (minimum) value of the amount will correspond to the optimal solution; the remaining amounts will correspond to less efficient options.

Since estimated indicators, as a rule, have unequal units of measurement and are quantities of different orders (they differ from each other by 10-100 times, and therefore the summation will be incorrect), it is impossible to evaluate and select the optimal option based on their totality without additional transformation or difficult. As such a transformation, it is advisable to reduce heterogeneous indicators to a dimensionless (relative) form as follows.

1. In each column of the table, the best of the compared evaluation indicators is found (the maximum value is selected for indicators, the growth of which increases the efficiency of decisions; the minimum - for indicators, the decrease of which increases the efficiency of decisions); the best values are underlined, and indicators requiring minimization are indicated with an asterisk.

2. The best estimated indicators found in each column are equal to one, and all other indicator values are expressed in fractions of one in relation to the best indicator of the corresponding column: if the maximum value of any indicator is selected as the best, then all other indicator values of this column divided by it, and if the minimum value of any indicator is chosen as the best, then it is divided by all other indicators of this column.

3. A new table is compiled from the obtained dimensionless (relative) values of the estimated indicators with an additional, not yet filled in column C.

4. For each of the rows of the table, consisting of dimensionless (relative) quantities, i.e. for each compared solution option, the sum of the indicators is determined, which is then divided by their number, so that the resulting result (arithmetic mean) is also expressed in fractions of unity and shows the difference between the real optimal solution option and a certain ideal one (which incorporates all the best estimated indicators) , which the unit must correspond to. The results obtained are entered in the additional column (C) of the table.

5. The line with the maximum value of the calculated arithmetic mean dimensionless (relative) indicator will correspond to the optimal solution; the remaining arithmetic average values will correspond to less effective options.

In the described method for assessing competitiveness, we proceed from the assumption of the same importance and equivalence of all evaluation indicators, on the basis of which decision options are compared. It can be used in cases where all estimated indicators are either truly equally important (equal), or when it is impossible for some reason to rank them by importance.

To take into account the unequal importance, unequal value of estimated indicators, due to various factors of a social, economic, scientific and technical nature, these indicators can be ranked and each of them can be given a numerical characteristic or coefficient, expressed in fractions of a unit and showing how many times (or by what percentage) some indicators are more important (priority) than others. In this case, it is necessary to comply with the following condition: the sum of the specified significance coefficients (importance) for all evaluation indicators must be equal to one.

The ranking of estimated indicators and assignment of significance coefficients to them should be carried out by an expert or a group of experts, who can be economists, managers, scientific and technical specialists. To increase the reliability of their estimates, you should use well-known methods for processing results using mathematical statistics or probability theory.

After ranking and assigning significance coefficients, the dimensionless (relative) values of the estimated indicators of each column are multiplied by their corresponding significance coefficients and recorded in a new table. Optimal option the solution will correspond to the line with maximum amount dimensionless values of evaluation indicators multiplied by their corresponding significance coefficients; the remaining amounts will correspond to less efficient options.