51. We ordinarily think, as the speaker does here, that the presence of competition is
always healthy for business because it sparks efficiency and innovation. While
competition is generally good for business in these respects, the speaker here ignores the
many problems that can accrue from attempting to keep up with or beat a competitor,
and that may be decidedly detrimental to a business.
Admittedly, competition among businesses can occasion all sorts of improved -
practices. The need for competitive product pricing can motivate effective micro-
management of production and marketing costs. Competition for market share can spark
invention and innovation in product design that lead to the cutting edge of technology.
External competition is known to inspire team spirit within an organization, thereby
yielding greater productivity. And competition can challenge a company to streamline
operations, thereby improving efficiency.
But taken too far, attempting to keep up with or beat competitors brings about
detrimental results for a company. In some cases, companies compromise product
quality by switching to inferior, less expensive materials in order to keep prices
competitive. Other times, plant managers ignore important employee-safety measures
just to save money. And companies are even known to trade off consumer safety in the
interest of competition. Perhaps the paradigmatic case involved the Ford Pinto, where
Ford management rejected an inexpensive retrofit that would have saved hundreds of
lives in rear-end collisions, solely in order to shave a few dollars off the cars sticker
price, thereby enhancing the cars competitiveness.
Competition can even bring about large-scale social change that some consider
undesirable. For instance, the emergence of large, efficient factory farms has resulted in
the virtual disappearance of family farming in the U.S. And it isnt clear that the factory
farms always improve farming practices, in the case of the tomato, the old homegrown
kind are far superior in taste and texture to the tough, underripe version that has been
genetically engineered for machine picking in huge quantity.
In conclusion, competition frequently motivates changes that are beneficial in
many ways. But competition is a double-edged sword that can also result in-inferior or
unsafe products and dangerous working conditions for employees. Moreover, large
competitors can swallow up smaller concerns without yielding noticeably better
products or practices.
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:必修2 Unit2《 The Olympic Games》
2017届山西省大同县高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(7)及答案
2017届高三英语一轮跟踪训练:必修2 Unit3 Computers
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修8 Unit2《 Cloning》
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修7 Unit1《 Living well》
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:必修3 Unit1《 Festivals around the world》
2017届黑龙江省五常市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(4)
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修7 Unit2《 Robots》
2017届黑龙江省大庆市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(1)及答案
2017届黑龙江省大庆市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(4)及答案
2017届黑龙江省五常市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(2)
2017届高三英语一轮跟踪训练:必修2 Unit2 The Olympic Games
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修8 Unit5《 Meeting your ancestors》
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修7 Unit5《 Travelling abroad》
2017届河北省平山县高三英语一轮训练(4)及答案
2017届黑龙江省五常市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(5)
2017届黑龙江省大庆市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(5)及答案
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:必修2 Unit4《 Wildlife protection》
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修7 Unit4《 Sharing》
2017届黑龙江省五常市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(1)
2017届河北省平山县高三英语一轮训练(5)及答案
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修6 Unit2《 Poems》
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修6 Unit5《 The power of nature》
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:必修1 Unit2《 English around the world》
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修7 Unit3《 Under the sea》
2017届河北省平山县高三英语一轮训练(1)及答案
2017届黑龙江省大庆市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(7)及答案
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:选修6 Unit1《 Art》
2017届黑龙江省大庆市高三英语一轮阅读理解训练(3)及答案
2017届高三英语一轮单元检测:必修1 Unit5《 Nelson Mandela — a modern hero》