If we recollect the stone ages, we will see that though man was the last living being to appear on Earth, he made himself very powerful within a few years against natural forces. He competed with his fellows for food, clothing and shelter. This had made him progress in every arena of life and transformed him from a savage to the modern and civilised man.
The word ‘competition’ was first coined in the 19th century in Germany, It was defined as, “A consistent struggle that takes place relentlessly between living things like human beings, plants, animals for the acquisition of the same ends. The 21st century has witnessed the rise in competition at all levels — from miniscule organisms to superior creatures.
Competition indeed leads to progress. Had there been no competition, great works would not have been accomplished. The world would have been slack and lazy, progress would have been impeded and there would not have been successful people in the world. Should a lazy student observe his friends scoring well, he would do his best to be competitive and beat them.
Competition leads to completion of work before deadline. There are several deforestation-affected states in India. The central government’s directive that every state must have an urban forest has caused them to direct their resources on the job. The threat that a defaulting state will be fined by the central government has motivated them to compete with one another on this issue.
Competition leads to higher productivity and profits. In the face of cut-throat competition in the modern business world, companies have realised that they have to develop effective production, packaging, pricing, marketing, selling, distribution and promotional strategies to attract the attention of customers and sell their products. They have also realised that the necessity to adhere to business ethics while beating their competitors.
So they have been trying to develop such strategies that will not only swell their profits but also create brand loyalty in the minds of the customers. Hence, they are purchasing or importing machines with higher production capacity and investing their capital abroad.
Many start-ups, by virtue of their production capacity, emphasis on customer satisfaction, high quality goods etc. have become unicorns. As many as eight start-ups were created in India in 2018 and with these attributes and huge funding, beat multinationals and established domestic companies at their own game.
Nations are increasingly competing with one another. After 1945, rapid industrialisation took place in many countries. Today, India, China, Russia, Japan, Singapore and UAE are capable of taking on the West. Alarmed at this competition, the western governments are asking their companies, militaries and universities, space agencies, etc to develop world-class resources and a technology quickly to deter any competition.
However, excessive competition affects the health of competitors. Team spirit gets destroyed as every person remains suspicious of the other and works in his own interests. Unhealthy competition among nations leads to rivalries and wars.
Competition has positive as well as negative effects. Just as healthy competition must be encouraged as it’s vital for our all-round development, unhealthy competition must be discouraged. Then alone will competition have its essence.
(Contributed by Sauro Dasgupta, Kolkata)