GMAT考试写作指导：Issue写作范文五一

　　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.