3 The Perfectly Competitive Firm
A model is a deliberate appealing to specialist tastes. The
simplification of some part of the
real world. It is always
underpinned by some simplifying
assumptions so that we may focus
our attention on a clearly defined
set of circumstances. The value of
models is that they develop
insights into relations of cause and
effect. In order to do this, models
emphasize some facets of the real
world while playing down or
omitting others.
Decisions about what to leave
in and what to leave out of a model
can be highly contentious, because
the insights we get out of a model
are sensitive to the assumptions we
put into it: change these
assumptions, and the model will
generate different results. This may
be an unsettling thought if we
would like economics to deliver
‘hard and fast’ truths. However, it
is also an exciting thought because
there is the potential to use models
to engage in debates about the way
the economy works.
There are four simplifying
assumptions that underpin the
perfectly competitive model. These
are that all firms and consumers
are price takers, that buyers and
sellers are fully informed, that
products are homogeneous, and
that there is free entry into and exit
from the market. […]
The relation of the firm’s
size to the market is crucial: a
‘small’ firm in this context may
have a very large turnover but still
counts as ‘small’ if it is unable to
influence the market price. For
example, a city may support many
large general music stores but only
one seller of classical music
latter is large relative to the local
market for such specialized tastes
(and hence has monopoly power in
the local market) while the general
music stores compete with each
other despite their greater size. By
the same token, a large steel firm
may be small compared with the
world market for the product. […]
In a perfectly competitive
market, no firm has any monopoly
power. One way to model this idea
is to suppose that each firm’s
impact on their market is too small
to influence the market price.
While a monopolist has to reduce
price to sell more, a perfectly
competitive firm knows it can sell
as much as it likes at the market
price. It is so small relative to the
market that price reductions are
unnecessary even to sell additional
quantities that seem large by the
firm’s standards. And if the firm
were to try and raise its price above
the market level, it would simply
lose sales to rivals who continued
to sell at the lower price. Such a
firm is described as a price taker.
Under these conditions, firms can
only choose how much output to
sell, rather than being able to
choose from among the range of
combinations of quantity and price.
As a consumer we are probably
aware of what it means to be a
price taker in this way; most of us
demand quantities which
individually are so small relative to
the entire market that we are used
to taking the market price as given
and do not expect to be able to
negotiate a lower price. Similarly,
many firms are also so small in
their market that they must sell
what they produce at the ‘going
rate’. […]
If buyers are poorly
informed about the range of prices
available and are unable to ‘shop
around’, they have no way of
judging whether the particular
price being offered by one
particular seller is reasonable. […]
A seller who is aware of the
customer’s lack of knowledge can
exploit the situation by raising the
price of, say, guide books above the
market level; under these
conditions, we would say that the
seller has a degree of monopoly
power. […]
In recent years the amount
of information available to buyers
and sellers has increased because of
easier and cheaper access to the
Internet. Anyone with access to a
computer can log on to any of the
many websites provided by
suppliers which describe their
product range and menu of prices,
while suppliers can make
themselves known through ‘e-mail
marketing’.
There is evidence that the
impact of the internet on
competitive conditions is strongest
either where the good or service
has very precise characteristics, as
in the transactions in stocks and
shares, or where it is extremely
simple, such as plastic cups or
paper napkins, and that it is
especially in business-to-business
markets that these effects are being
felt. Other areas of potential
competitive gain are where
information between buyers and
sellers was previously poorly
matched, such as consumer
durables, and in the on-line job
market where job posting has
grown spectacularly. While it is too
soon to be certain about what is
happening, it is possible that the
information flows generated by
new technologies may be leading
to more competitive trading
conditions, making ‘real world’
markets more closely resemble the
perfectly competitive model.
Shopping around by
customers is a more effective
discipline on the pricing behaviour
of firms the more similar, or
‘homogeneous’, are the products of
the various firms in the perceptions
of buyers. Moreover, if prospective
buyers can see nothing to
differentiate one firm’s product
from another’s, the individual
suppliers of the product have little
room to manoeuvre with respect to
price because buyers will simply
opt for the cheapest product
available. […]
(adapted from Economics and
Economic Change: Microeconomics)
3.1. THEORETICAL CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

 business cycle = The term business cycle (or economic cycle) refers to
economy-wide fluctuations in production, trade and economic
activity in general over several months or years in an economy
organized on free-entreprise principles. These fluctuations occur
around a long-term growth trend, and typically involve shifts
over time between periods of relatively rapid economic growth
(an expansion or boom), and periods of relative stagnation or
decline (a contraction or recession). Business cycles are usually
measured by considering the growth rate of real gross domestic
product. Despite being termed cycles, these fluctuations in
economic activity do not follow a mechanical or predictable
periodic pattern. (ciclul de afaceri)
 consumer price index = a measure of inflation in the United States that
considers what people spend on staple goods and services. It is
calculated by taking the average of changes in price to a basket
of goods and services compiled by the U.S. Department of
Labor. The goods and services in the basket are weighted
according to their perceived importance. The CPI is considered a
primary tool in determining how people are experiencing
inflation. (indicele prețurilor de consum)
 devaluation = The active decision of a government to reduce the value
of its own currency vis a vis other currencies. Devaluation
occurs exclusively in fixed currencies, when the currency in
question is pegged to another currency. Governments devalue
their own currencies to make their exports less expensive in
foreign markets. If a company exports its products for the same
price in the local (devalued) currency, it is cheaper for
consumers to buy those products in their own currency.
(devalorizare)
 indifference curve = a curve that shows consumption bundles that give
the consumer the same level of satisfaction. An indifference
curve connects all of the bundles that a consumer likes equally.
An indifference curve should not slope up. Indifference curves
cannot cross one another. (curbă de indiferență)
 perfect competition = an idealized market environment in which every
market participant is too small to affect the market price by acting on its own.
 turnover = 1. the amount of sales of goods or services by a company; 2.
the number of times something is used or sold in a period,
usually one year, expressed as a percentage of a total.
 market price = the price at which a product can be sold; the price at
which a share stands in a stock market.
 price taker = a firm or a consumer whose output or demand is so small
relative to the market that it has no effect on the market price.
 monopoly power = degree of price setting power held by a supplier on
the basis of its market share.
3.2. PRACTICE
3.2.1. READING COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the following questions:

1. What makes models valuable?

2. Why can decisions about what to leave in and what to leave out of a model
be highly contentious?
3. Which are the four assumptions that underpin the model of perfect
competition?
4. How does the size of a firm affect its relation to the market?
5. Why is it that in a perfectly competitive market no firm has any monopoly
power?
6. What is the difference between a monopolist and a perfectly competitive
firm?
7. Why is it important for buyers to be well informed?
8. How does the impact of the internet manifest itself on competitive
conditions?
9. What are the areas of potential competitive gain?
10. What happens if buyers cannot differentiate between one product of a
firm and the same product of another?

2. TRUE/FALSE: Decide whether the following statements are true or false:

1. Besides being a deliberate simplification of some part of the real world,

models are also valuable in that they develop insights into relations of cause
and effect.
TRUE  FALSE 
2. The insights that models promise is achieved by highlighting certain facets
of the real world while omitting others.
TRUE  FALSE 
3. It is easy to make a decision over what to keep and what to omit in a model,
because the insights follow the assumptions we put into it.
TRUE  FALSE 
4. The perfectly competitive firm is based on four assumptions that simplify
it.
TRUE  FALSE 
5. Monopoly power can never be displayed by any firm in a perfectly
competitive market, which means that each firm’s impact on their market is
significant enough to influence market price.
TRUE  FALSE 
6. Price reductions are unnecessary even to sell additional quantities that
seem large by the firm’s standards.
TRUE  FALSE 
7. A firm described as a price taker cannot choose how much output to sell
but can choose from the range of combinations of quantity and price.
TRUE  FALSE 
8. Most consumers are used to taking the market price as given without
expecting to be able to negotiate a lower price, precisely because the
quantities which they individually demand are so small relative to the entire
market.
TRUE  FALSE 
9. A seller, who is aware of customers’ lack of knowledge, can exploit the
situation by raising the price, having thus a degree of monopoly power.
TRUE  FALSE 
10. Areas of potential competitive gain are where information between buyers
and sellers was previously poorly matched.
TRUE  FALSE 

3. MULTIPLE CHOICE: Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate word
or phrase from the text:

1. A model is always … by some simplifying assumptions so that we may

focus our attention on a clearly defined set of circumstances.
a) endorsed b) underpinned c) supported d) consumption
2. The value of models is that they develop … into relations of cause and
effect.
a) understanding b) comprehension c) acumen d) insights
3. Changing the model may be a(n) … thought if we would like economics to
deliver ‘hard and fast’ truths.
a) unsettling b) disturbing c) daunting d) worrying
4. All firms and consumers are price takers; buyers and sellers are fully
informed; products are …, and there is free entry into and exit from the
market.
a) heterogeneous b) consistent c) homogeneous d) comparable
5. A ‘small’ firm may have a very large … but still counts as ‘small’ if it is
unable to influence the market price.
a) turnover b) profit c) earning d) consumption
6. In a perfectly competitive market, each firm’s … on their market is too
small to influence the market price.
a) impingement b) strike c) effect d) impact
7. A perfectly competitive firm is so small relative to the market that price …
are unnecessary even to sell additional quantities that seem large by its
standards.
a) curtailment b) reductions c) abatement d) devaluation
8. A perfectly competitive firm is described as a price … .
a) settler b) endorser c) taker d) customer
9. Many firms are so small in their market that they must sell what they
produce at the ‘… rate’.
a) current b) operating c) progressive d) going
10. Areas of potential competitive … are where information between buyers
and sellers was previously poorly matched.
a) gain b) advantage c) benefit d) increment

3.2.2. VOCABULARY STUDY

1. COLLOCATIONS. a) Read the definitions below and then complete the
phrases that follow by combining an appropriate word/phrase below with
competitive.
advantage, assets, balance, bidding, demand, devaluation, examination, market, need,
pricing, products, situation, strategy, supply

1. the practice of putting low prices on goods so as to

compete with other products. competitive ………
2. a devaluation of a currency to make a country’s goods
more competitive on the international markets. competitive ………
3. a place in which a large numbers of producers
compete with each other to satisfy the wants and needs
of a large number of consumers. competitive ………
4. the standing of an organization in its markets, relative
to its competitors, when all players are described in
terms of their size, resources, capabilities, product range
and quality, marketing strategies, opportunities, goals,
intentions, behaviour and similar variables. competitive ………
5. the necessity for competitive products competitive ………
6. a situation where output means are limited and the
manufacturers of two or more goods compete for their
use. competitive ………
7. a method of auctioning new securities, where various
underwriters offer the stock at competing prices. competitive ………
8. a situation where two or more products compete for
meeting the demands of the market. competitive ………
9. exam for occupying a vacancy. competitive ………
10. a concept according to which the strong and weak
points of a company can be determined only by means
of comparison to the competition. competitive ………
11. products made to compete with existing products. competitive ………
12. the way in which a company competes in a
particular business. It is concerned with how a company
can gain a competitive advantage through a distinctive
way of competing. competitive ………
13. an equilibrium condition where the interaction of
profit-maximizing producers and utility-maximizing
consumers in competitive markets with freely
determined prices will give rise to an equilibrium price.
At this equilibrium price, the quantity supplied is equal
to the quantity demanded. competitive ………
14. represent the firm’s resources and capabilities. They
are the determinants of its competitiveness and ability to
succeed in the marketplace. They are what a firm’s
strategy depends on to develop sustainable competitive
advantage over its rivals. competitive ………
b) Translate into English by using the appropriate word so that you make
an appropriate collocation with the word competitive as above.

1) Dacă producătorii îşi maximizează profiturile, preţurile fiind date, iar

consumatorii îşi maximizează funcţiile de utilitate supuse restricţiei avuţiei
există un echilibru concurenţial.
2) Aspiraţia principală a acestui examen prin concurs este acela de a atrage
candidaţi potriviţi şi merituoşi din fiecare societate din India.
3) Statele Unite şi-au concentrat atenţia la nivel naţional asupra reducerii
diferenţelor dintre elevii cu rezultate foarte bune şi cei cu rezultate foarte
scăzute, ceea ce este un plan util, însă îngrădeşte cererea concurenţială pentru
aptitudini superioare.
4) Pe o piaţă concurenţială, niciun producător, sau grup de producători, la fel
cum niciun consumator, sau grup de consumatori nu poate dicta modul în
care funcţionează piaţa.
5) Firma înţelege importanţa executării interne şi a măsurării în cazul
producătorilor – de la aranjarea produsului pentru comercializare şi etalarea
sa pentru promovare, până la stabilirea preţurilor prin concurenţă şi nivelele
inventarului.
6) Scopul unei strategii de luptă împotriva concurenţei este acela de a genera un
avantaj competitiv, de a creşte fidelitatea clienţilor şi de a bate concurenţa.
7) Pentru producătorii implicaţi pe o piaţă de nişă, găsirea şi alimentarea unui
avantaj competitiv poate însemna o creştere a profitului şi o afacere care să fie
sustenabilă şi de succes pe termen lung.
8) Crearea de produse competitive poate ajuta firmele în efortul lor de a genera
pachete noi, ceea ce nu se poate efectua cu ajutorul metodelor existente.
9) Bunurile şi serviciile din oferta concurenţială sunt produse alternative pe care
firma le poate efectua cu resursele sale de pământ, forţa de muncă şi capital.
10) În 2003, Congresul SUA a înfiinţat un program de licitaţie competitivă menit
să ofere o valoare mai mare asigurând în acelaşi timp accesul beneficiarilor la
materiale şi mulţumirea acestora.
11) Mutarea Chinei trebuie privită ca o depreciere a monedei: reducerea
preţurilor pe plan intern pentru a prinde un avantaj competitiv.
12) Mărcile au o semnificaţie importantă într-o situaţie concurenţială – mărcile
cheie ale firmei Glaston – Tamglass, Uniglass, Bavelloni şi Albat+Wirsam –
sunt cunoscute în această industrie peste tot în lume, iar pentru clienţi, acestea
reprezintă calitate şi fiabilitate.
13) Statele Unite folosesc limitări ale nevoii de bunuri competitive pentru a
refuza Sistemul Generalizat de Preferinţe (GSP) în tratarea importurilor din
ţările în curs de dezvoltare.
14) Unul dintre cele mai competitive active ale firmei este capacitatea acesteia
de a oferi livrări cuprinzătoare.

2. SYNONYMY. Find words in the text that would fit the following lines of
synonyms.

1) stress, assert, dwell on, enlarge, enunciate, highlight, maintain, reiterate, ….

2) feature, angle, level, aspect, appearance, character, part, …
3) controversial, antagonistic, combative, quarrelsome, argumentative, …
4) cartel, consortium, holding, oligopoly, proprietorship, syndicate, …
5) adjudicate, arrange, conciliate, cut a deal, settle, transact, …
6) lineup, bunch, bundle, extent, cluster, realm, array, set, …
7) consumer goods, durables, hard goods, …
8) capable, cogent, adequate, potent, operative, practical, serving, …
9) alike, comparable, compatible, consistent, equal, same, uniform,…
10) beguile, cheat, plot, proceed, exploit, manipulate, devise, engineer, …

3. MATRIX. Fill in the missing word forms, where they exist:

verb noun noun adjective adverb

(person) (abstract)
competitive
seller
simplify
monopoly
exploit
spectacularly
standard
individually
customer
transaction
potential
flow
perfectly

4. TYPES OF COMPETION. Fill in with a suitable adjective that makes up

the right collocation with the word competition:
bitter, fierce, heavy, intense, perfect, renewed, sporadic, stiff

(1) The dairy giant, Fonterra released today its annual result, according to
which there was a 20% drop in earnings across its Australia/New Zealand
business which mainly reflects … competition across the Tasman for sales of
branded consumer products such as yoghurt and cheese.
(2) Samsung gives Apple … competition in the mobile department.
(3) The new Google Wallet face … competition from Visa Mobile Payment,
Isis, and Square, all of whom are making big plays to become the definitive
digital wallet.
(4) Under … competition, firms can make super-normal profits or losses.
(5) It is irrational to presume that in a situation involving minimal or …
competition anything more than a remote lessening thereof could ever come
to pass.
(6) The failure also affected the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, but
both it and the Chatham recovered, and the stage was then set for 30 years of
… competition between the Chatham and the SER that led to a heavy
duplication of lines from which we still benefit.
(7) China Southern, China’s biggest airline, said it expects tough conditions to
persist for the second half of 2012, with the global economic recovery facing
“various uncertainties” and continued … competition.
(8) During the project, more than 200 … competition releases were sent out to
suppliers.

5. Fill in the blanks with one of the following words. Each word may be
used once only:
actors, approximation, collective, conditions, detrimental, inapplicable,
influence, likened, regulated, unrealistic

Perhaps the most (1) … aspect of the model of perfect competition in

the labour market is the view that labour-market (2) … – firms and workers –
all act independently and are unable to (3) … prices or wages. This may be a
fair (4) … in a few minor sectors of the economy, but for the most part in
many countries’ wages and conditions are the subject of (5) … negotiations
between trade unions and employers. If wages and (6) … are not the subject
of collective bargaining, they are often (7) … by explicit legal or implicit
customary codes. In addition, many millions of people in Europe are
employed by governments whose behaviour cannot simply be (8) … to a
profit-maximizing firm. In all these cases, the simple notion of labour supply
and labour demand under perfect competition is (9) … .
The perfect competition theory essentially regards the impact of unions
on the market as (10) …; hence the evident policy conclusion is to reduce their
influence.
(slightly adapted and abridged from Macroeconomics– Trade Unions and the
Labour Market)

3.2.3. TRANSLATION PRACTICE

1. Translate the following into Romanian:

a) Trading conditions can change over time. Consider the market for eggs. At
one time, this market could be characterized as perfectly competitive. After
all, eggs are easy to standardize (by size and colour) leading buyers to regard
one egg of a given grade as the same as another. Moreover, there were many
retailers selling this homogeneous product at the prevailing market price. But
then, some consumers developed a preference for free-range eggs. Eggs are
no longer regarded as homogeneous and so, we may say that the market has
split into two market segments. For a short while, these market segments had
different market structures. The original market remains competitive but,
because there were only a few suppliers of free-range eggs, each one had an
element of market power and was able to command a large premium for its
products. As more retailers entered this new market, market power was
dissipated. Free-range eggs still cost a little more than those produced using
the cheaper intensive-farming methods. However, since all of the many
retailers of free-range eggs have no choice but to charge the prevailing market
price, the market in free-range eggs resembles the model of perfect
competition.
 (adapted and abridged from Macroeconomics – Products are Homogeneous)

b) Barriers to entry are crucial to the establishment and retention of monopoly

or market power. Conversely, for there to be no market power it must be the
case that potential entrants are free to enter the market. This is most likely to
be the case when minimum efficient scale is small; set up costs are then likely
to be relatively low, and economies of scale will not pose an entry barrier.
This condition does not require that new entry actually does take place;
what matters is that the threat of new entry is real, that is, that the market is
contestable. There is then no opportunity for existing firms to restrict supply
so as to raise prices and profits above the competitive level. Firms already in
the market will know that prices and profits would simply be bid downwards
by the entry of new firms until each firm is once again earning normal profits;
at this point there is no longer any incentive for new entry.
It must also be the case that firms can exit the market at zero cost in the
event that production is no longer profitable. The firm which is making a loss
then has an incentive to leave the market rather than continuing to produce.
As the number of firms falls, and total industry output is reduced, price is bid
up until the point is reached at which all remaining firms are making normal
profits and there is no longer any incentive to exit. In the model of perfect
competition, the firm faces the greatest pressure to use efficient production
processes and to produce the kind and quality of products that consumers
want to buy.
(adapted and abridged from Macroeconomics – There is Freedom of Market Entry
and Exit)

c) Under pure monopoly, the industry consists of a single firm supplying the
whole market for a product. The firm can exercise monopoly or market power
because there are no substitutes for the goods or services it supplies. In
contrast, a competitive industry is one in which all firms and consumers are
small relative to the size of the market, so that none of them wields any
market power.
The relation of the firm’s size to the market is crucial: a ‘small’ firm in
this context may have a very large turnover but still counts as ‘small’ if it is
unable to influence the market price. For example, a city may support many
large general music stores but only one small seller of classical music
appealing to specialist tastes. The latter is large relative to the local market for
such specialized tastes while the general music stores compete with each
other despite their greater size. By the same token, a large steel firm may be
small compared with the world market for the product.
(adapted and abridged from Macroeconomics – The Competitive Firm’s Demand
Curve)

d) In a perfectly competitive market, no firm has any monopoly power. One

way to model this idea is to suppose that each firm’s impact on their market is
too small to influence the market price. While a monopolist has to reduce
price to sell more, a perfectly competitive firm knows it can sell as much as it
likes at the market price. It is so small relative to the market that price
reductions are unnecessary even to sell additional quantities that seem large
by the firm’s standards. And if the firm were to try and raise its price above
the market level, it would simply lose sales to rivals who continued to sell at
the lower price. Such a firm is described as a price taker. Under these
conditions, firms can only choose how much output to sell, rather than being
able to choose from among the range of combinations of quantity and price.
As a consumer you are probably aware of what it means to be a price taker in
this way; most of us demand quantities which individually are so small
relative to the entire market that we are used to taking the market price as
given and do not expect to be able to negotiate a lower price. Similarly, many
firms are also so small in their market that they must sell what they produce
at the ‘going rate’.
(adapted and abridged from Macroeconomics – The Competitive Firm’s Demand
Curve)

2. Translate the following into English:

a) În „dezvoltarea unei companii” există trei generaţii. Prima este cea a

oamenilor de afaceri specializaţi pe producţie, a doua este cea a
marketingului, iar a treia este a managementului financiar. Când e vorba
despre generaţia oamenilor de afaceri specializaţi în producţie, ne referim la
întreprinderile care ştiu foarte bine să producă marfă şi apreciază că asta e tot
ce le trebuie. Gata, au produsul, acum trebuie să găsească pe cineva care să
aibă nevoie de el pentru a-l cumpăra. Nu fac nici o reclamă şi nu îşi prezintă
în mod atractiv produsele. Nici modalităţile lor de vânzare nu sunt excelente.
România a trecut prin această perioadă în urmă cu 10-15 ani şi a
depăşit-o cu succes. Dar multe firme au rămas în acest stadiu. Cu asemenea
mentalitate nu se pot obţine profituri mari, dacă este vorba despre piaţa de
retail. Franţa a cunoscut această perioadă în urmă cu 50 de ani.
A doua generaţie este cea a managerilor competitivi. Competiţia apare,
devine orientată spre marketing si spre vânzarea producţiei. Astfel încât,
avem pe piaţă reclame şi diverse modalităţi de atragere a clientului. În unele
companii, conducerea promovează departamentul de marketing şi
publicitate, iar în cadrul departamentului respectiv sunt promovaţi în special
tinerii, deoarece sunt dinamici şi inventivi. Dar tocmai aici este problema. Pe
o piaţă imatură se întâmplă aşa. Când văd că o firmă românească are ca
director de marketing un tânăr până în 35 de ani, este clar că acolo vor fi
probleme pe viitor. În Franţa, de exemplu, un asemenea post este ocupat de
oameni cu multă experienţă în marketing, care au vârsta de peste 45 de ani.
Aceştia sunt adevăraţii manageri.
(adaptat din „A venit timpul managerilor competitivi”, în suplimentul
revistei Banii Noştri, iulie 2006)

b) În România nu există global o cultură de antrepriză. Calitatea angajatorului

determină mentalitatea angajaţilor. În ţara noastră nu există o cultură
managerială şi nici una de personal. Patronul lucrează pentru salariaţi. El
trebuie să le ofere acestora un mediu de lucru motivant şi un salariu atractiv
care să-i stimuleze. Angajatorul nu trebuie să se comporte ca un dictator.
Angajatul trebuie lăsat să greşească pentru că din asta învaţă. El nu trebuie
sancţionat sau dat afară la cea mai mică abatere. Pentru el e important să ştie
că e apărat, iar creativitatea lui apreciată.
(adaptat din „A venit timpul managerilor competitivi”, în suplimentul
revistei Banii Noştri, iulie 2006)

c) Potrivit directorului general Auchan, România, Regis Mougel, intrarea

Auchan pe piaţa românească se înscrie în strategia globală de dezvoltare a
grupului care prevede pentru următorii ani, o expansiune susţinută şi găsirea
de noi pieţe. Însă, ceea ce a a determinat alegerea României este potenţialul
încă important al pieţei, creşterea economică a puterii de cumpărare, precum
şi posibilitatea unei extinderi naţionale.
„Auchan are ca principal obiectiv obţinerea satisfacţiei fiecărui client şi,
implicit, fidelizarea acestora. Concurenţa se intensifică, iar clienţii vor deveni
inevitabil mai exigenţi. Un criteriu important în alegerea magazinelor va fi
proximitatea şi puterea lanţurilor comericale de a-şi fideliza clienţii”, afirmă
oficialul Auchan.
„Competiţia este mai strânsă în Bucureşti, dar mai este loc şi pentru
alte hipermarketuri şi mai ales pentru un concurent diferit prin poziţionare,
aşa cum va fi Auchan. Credem că prin particularităţile sale, respectiv
adaptarea la obiceiurile de consum ale românilor, preţuri mici şi orientare
către client, Auchan are toate şanselesă se impună. Iar oraşele din provincie
încep şi ele să se impună”, mai spune Regis Mougel.
(adaptat din „Auchan atacă piaţa hipermarketurilor”, în suplimentul revistei
Banii Noştri, iulie 2006)

d) După un an 2009 despre care nici unul dintre competitorii din industria
telecom nu poate spune că a fost prielnic, încep să apară şi primele semne
bune. Cel puţin pentru unii. Romtelecom, fostul monopol de stat, a reuşit în
cele din urmă să depăşească imaginea de dinozaur şi să devină mai flexibil, în
abordarea pieţei telecom. Anul trecut, compania a regândit abordarea
clienţilor de business; mai exact, a analizat comportamentul de consum al
clienţilor şi a propus oferte mai aplicate, incluzând în pachet şi managementul
reţelei de calculatoare – Romtelecom gestionează în acest moment o reţea de
peste 25.000 de calculatoare. Următorul pas îl va face în acest an cu clienţii din
segmentul rezidenţial.
Pe agenda din acest an a Romtelecom se află destul de sus în ordinea
priorităţilor lansarea serviciului de Video on Demand (VoD – televiziune la
cerere), prin care clienţii vor avea posibilitatea să comande anumite filme sau
emisiuni TV, în schimbul unei taxe. Conţinutul video livrat la cerere se
adaugă celui deja oferit prin intermediul serviciului de televiziune prin
internet (IPTV) Dolce Interactiv, lansat la finele anului trecut – e vorba de
circa 200 de titluri de filme, documentare, concerte, cifră care va depăşi anul
acesta 1.000. Singurele condiţii sunt ca utilizatorii să se afle într-unul dintre
oraşele unde este oferit serviciul şi să deţină o linie de telefonie fixă şi o
conexiune la internet în bandă largă de la Romtelecom.
Internetul în bandă largă este o altă direcţie pe care mizează operatorul
în 2010, mai ales că anul trecut, veniturile din aceste servicii au crescut cu
24%. Aşa se explică şi decizia de a simplifica oferta de servicii oferind
începând cu 17 martie trei pachete noi de acces la internet în bandă largă –
Surf, Play şi Power. Pe de altă parte, şi strategia de retail a fost ajustată pentru
2010. Săptămâna trecută Romtelecom a extins platforma de comenzi prin
internet, devenită astfel un magazin online în toată regula.
(adaptat din „Gata, avem semnal”, în Business Magazin, nr. 273 (11/2010))

e) Că în România există licitaţii trucate nu este o noutate pentru nimeni.

Numai că ele sunt trucate cu largul concurs al autorităţilor contractante. Fără
cooperarea acestora, participanţii la licitaţii s-ar înţelege degeaba, existând
întotdeauna riscul apariţiei unui outsider care să le strice „combinaţia”, în
cazul în care accesul pe această piaţă ar fi liber.
Cu toate acestea, Consiliul Concurenţei a decis, cu de la sine putere, să
creeze un departament care să stea cu ochii nu pe organizatorul licitaţiei, ci pe
participanţi. „Am format un departament pentru licitaţii trucate. Nu am
angajat oameni în plus, ci am făcut o reorganizare a Consiliului. Nu vrem să
creăm o structură birocratică sau să ne suprapunem pe structuri existente.
Guvernul deja este atent la licitaţii, la întocmirea caietelor de sarcini, la
modalitatea de organizare a licitaţiilor, dar nu există o structură a care să se
uite la înţelegerile dintre participanţii la licitaţii”, a declarat preşedintele
Consiliului Concurenţei. Acesta recunoaşte că mai există trei instituţii ale
statului care se ocupă de regulile licitaţiilor, însă afirmă că nu există o
preocupare pentru înţelegerile dintre firme.
(adaptat din „Gata, avem semnal”, în Business Magazin, nr. 273 (11/2010))