/kəmˈpet̬.ə.

t̬ɚ/
/ˌkɑːm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/ /ˈraɪ.vəl.ri/

Business competition is the race or rivalry among

business
/nɪtʃ/
competitors that are competing in the
same niche. The purpose of competing with one
another is to increase the revenue of the
business by increasing the sales and market
share. If you’re in the business market, then you
should be familiar with the strength and
weaknesses of your own business, and also with
competitors as well.

The thing about business competition is that it always exists in the

business market; you won’t find any field of business where there isn’t
any competition. However, some fields are less competitive and the
others are more; but business competition in the market is always there.
FREE TALK

1. Do you agree that competition is good for business? Why/why

not?
2. Name some competing brands in your country.
3. Do you think competition at work between people is a positive
thing? Why/why not?
VOCABULARY:
COMPETITION VERBS, NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
Complete the table below..

improvement

innovative

competitive

dominion

production

I thought the best way to improve my French was to live in France.

Choose 3 words and make your own sample sentences.

We live in a toughly competitive world. She was an imaginative and innovative manager.
VOCABULARY:
Read the text about competition and fill in the gaps with the missing
words to create collocations.

ADVANTAGE BRAND CUSTOMERS EDGE

MARKET PRODUCT PROFITS SHARE

Competition between businesses is natural. Each has to win market

___________1 , retain_____________ 2 and increase their ________3 ,
while keeping one eye on what their competitors are doing. Some people
view competition as a bad thing, but it is often essential for businesses to
grow and improve their customer service. Becoming the leading
______________ 4 in a particular field gives a business a clear
_____________5 . But when companies are in this position they can't
afford to be complacent, as the competition will be right behind them.
Knowing their target _______________6 is crucial for continued success,
and creating an innovative _____________7 can give a company that all
important competitive ______________8 .
McDonald's vs. Burger King - The `burger wars': The two dominant players in the hamburger
restaurant industry, McDonald's and Burger King, have been rivals for over six decades. There are
only so many things you can do with a burger, so copying your competitors ideas is nothing new.
For example, McDonald's created the Big Mac in 1968 to challenge Burger King's Whopper. The
Whopper was launched because Burger King knew it couldn't compete with McDonald's 15 cent
hamburger, and decided to sell bigger burgers for 37 cents.
The `burger wars' began in the 1970s, when Burger King criticized the size of McDonald's
hamburgers in an advertising campaign. Other chains such as Wendy's in the US, also became
involved in the advertising war, and both Burger King's and Wendy's profits were affected as a
result. In contrast, McDonald's profits and market share grew. One campaign in 1982 made a lot of
headlines. Burger King declared that customers preferred the Whopper to burgers from
McDonald's and Wendy's. Both restaurants sued for false and misleading advertising. In 1997,
another Burger King campaign caused controversy when they said that their fries had "a taste that
beats McDonald's." Of course, McDonald's hit back with their own campaign. When Burger King
suffered because of several management changes, McDonald's gained a lot of ground on their
competitor.
The `burger wars' made a comeback because of tough economic times. Consumers were looking
for value and the major fast food chains had to compete harder for every dollar. In 2014
McDonald's business declined sharply and Burger King's improved. This was helped by their new
burger, the Big King, which looked almost identical to McDonald's Big Mac. In 2015, Burger King
challenged McDonald's, via a newspaper ad, to create a burger with them for the International Day
of Peace. It was going to be called 'The McWhopper'. The plan was to have a restaurant in Atlanta
where employees from both companies would work. But McDonald's rejected the idea, saying that
their `friendly business competition' should not be used in this way. The reaction from the public to
McDonald's comments was far from positive.
READING COMPREHENSION
Answer the following questions based on the article.

have been rivals for over six decades

1. How long have McDonald's and Burger King been rivals for?
ecauseBurgerKingknewitcouldn'tcompetewithMcDonald's15cent hamburger,anddecidedtosellbiggerburgersfor37cents.

2. Why did Burger King sell a bigger burger than McDonald's?

3. Why did the `burger wars' start?

4. Why did the `burger wars' make a comeback?

5. What was the joint McDonald's/Burger King burger going to

be called?
INTRODUCTION:
Complete the following sentences using the words in the box.

A CONSUMER SUPPLY A RIVAL OVERTAKE

A MULTINATIONAL REGAIN A MONOPOLY MATCH

a) If customers are not ________

REGAIN
with a certain product, they will go elsewhere.
b) Having a ___________
RIVAL in business is not always a bad thing. It forces you to
improve things.
c) ___________
A CONSUMER have a lot of choice these days. That's why businesses have to
give them added value.
d) We need to ____________
SUPPLY the customers that we lost to a company that was
offering big discounts.
e) If you are a ___________
MULTINATIONAL company, you have access to many more
customers.
f) We will soon have a ____________
MONOPOLY in the market. No one is able to
challenge us.
g) They were able to __________
OVERTAKE their competition this year. Both businesses
reported similar sales.
h) This year we have ____________
MATCH our competitors. We are now the market
leader.
USEFUL LANGUAGE: a) become so
successful at
IDIOMS for COMPETITION: Match the underlined selling a particular
expressions to their definitions. product that no
other company
can sell it
b) better than
average, more
advanced
c) destroy
(something)
completely
d) do more and
make a lot of effort
e) increase expected
standards
f) keep your
attention on
something
g) think in an
imaginative and
innovative way
LET’S PRACTICE

1. Give examples of popular rival companies in Vietnam.

2. In your opinion, what is the best way to corner a particular
market?
3. How can a company attract more customers?
4. Are you willing to go the extra mile during competition?