Where is the Competition Based?
Competition can come from many different sources. In many cases, it will depend on what the product or service is as to whether the competition could be local, regional, national or international.
The advances in technology mean that many more businesses are affected by competition from much further away than used to be the case.
To help understand where the competition comes from, think about where you might be able to buy a product or service from. For example, there are many millions of hairdressers around the world but for a salon in a small town, the extent of the competition is likely to be only local and regional. If you want to buy a book, however, you could buy it from a local bookstore, a bookshop like Ottakars, Waterstones or WH Smith in a regional shopping centre, from a national bookseller via the Internet or from an international bookseller, again via the Internet.
Task:
1. Look at the following examples of different businesses and tick the boxes according to whether you think the competition they will face will be from local, regional, national or international sources. It is possible of course that it could be from all these sources.
| Product/Service | Local | Regional | National | International |
| Personal Computer | ||||
| Chart CD | ||||
| Flat Screen TV | ||||
| Apple Grower | ||||
| Plumber | ||||
| Train journey | ||||
| Brewer | ||||
| Chimney Sweep | ||||
| Water | ||||
| Cinema |
2. Choose ONE of the products or services from the list above. Using the Yellow Pages, the Internet or any other appropriate source, find an example of ONE company associated with that product or service. Then try to find out who the competition to that business is and where the competition to that business comes from. Use a map, either of a regional, national or international area and mark on the map where the competition is located.
Briefly comment on the extent of the competition your chosen example faces.