Regional competitiveness

Feedstock, transportation, and labor cost are all key drivers of regional competitiveness. The cost of different types of feedstock is the least predictable variable, so it is crucial to develop well-informed scenarios before making capacity expansion decisions. The evolution of the competitive landscape, technological discontinuities, and industry conduct (pricing discipline) also need careful monitoring. 

Hirsch, R. Regional Competitiveness Analysis of the Soybean Industry and Transportation Infrastructure in Brazil. Masters Thesis. The Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois. 2004. 

Another and more essential defect of our schools of chemistry is that, as they have been generally created on the initiative of universities, or sometimes of cities, they go too much for a kind of regional competition which is as adverse to the national interest as is Parisian centralism in other circumstances. Their activities are not coordinated. (87). 

As a product moves into the maturity and saturation stages, it is necessary to review past pricing decisions and determine the desirability of a price change. Replacement sales now constitute the major demand, and manufacturers may also incur regional competition from local brands. Market conditions do not appear to warrant a price increase, hence the pricing decision usually is to reduce price or stand pat. 

As animals grow from childhood to maturity, they may migrate from their family units to find their own territories where others of the same species do not live. If there are others in the new region, competition for that space can become fierce. Eventually, the natural density of animals reaches a sustainable value. 

Teams enter the competition first at the regional level through the ASCE Smdent Conferences. Up to three teams from the winners of each of the regional competitions are qualified to enter the national competition. The rule of the competition is changed every year to enhance the competitiveness. Some of the main features of the competition are described below. 

The market for talc in the United States based on the 1995 U.S. Geological Survey Annual Review (3) is summarized in Table 2. Ceramics was the biggest market, having almost 35% of the total, followed by paint, paper, and plastics. Outside of the United States, especially in Asia, paper is the principal apphcation. In that region talc is available locally at lower cost than competitive minerals such as kaolin. 

To comply with carbon reduction goals, some countries impose taxes on carbon dioxide emissions. Since biofuels have lower full-cycle carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuels, biofuels are more cost-competitive with fossil fuels in regions where these taxes are imposed. 

Historically, the electric power industry was characterized as being a natural monopoly. Natural monopolies typically occur in industries with veiyi large fixed capital costs and relatively low operating costs. The cost characteristics of these industries tend to make them the most efficient producers in a given regional market. However, since these natural monopolies face no competition, they have the ability, if left unchecked, to charge prices that could be considerably above costs. Industries with large infrastructure requirements, such as telecommunications, water... 

Regional scarcities of coal initially drove these uses. As petroleum became more abundant and as its price fell, oil became more attractive. In firing boilers, fuel oil possessed only a slight advantage over good-quality coal in Btus per unit volume. But liquid fuels were much easier to handle and store than coal. Competitive pressures kept the prices per Btu of residual oil and coal quite close. 

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