Index


1	The market structure is changing as shares shift in the channels of distribution
2	Some companies in the industry have begun to replace their direct sales forces with independent distributors (or vice versa)
3	Fast growing competitors focus on the industry's large customers
4	Large customers are getting higher discounts
5	Medium sized customers are under pressure from both their larger and smaller peers
6	Distribution channels are undergoing a shakeout
7	Competitors are upgrading their channels of distribution
8	Industry customers are forming buying groups
9	Customers are consolidating their purchases
10	Customers are adding suppliers because incumbent suppliers failed them
11	Customers are taking on more suppliers because shortages have appeared
12	Customers are making significant changes in their supplier arrangements

13	Share is tougher to shift
14	New entrants are penetrating the distribution channels of the industry's leading competitors
15	Most share shifting in the industry seems to be coming from volume gained within existing customer relationships rather than from new customers
16	The industry leaders are losing share
17	Competition is beginning to focus resources on market segments as market growth slows
18	Competitors in Formerly Underdeveloped Markets Have Begun Meeting One Another
19	While still growing some competitors are losing share

20	New entrants are growing much faster than the market
21	Low end products are gaining share of the market
22	Price points are growing at differential rates as companies enter higher end niches to improve profits
23	Companies are trying to create upscale niches
24	Some competitors proliferate products around the heart of the market
25	One or more companies have introduced a better product at a lower price
26	The larger companies are squeezing out the smaller

27	Leaders Stress Quality to Offset Competitors' Lower Prices
28	Competitors are changing features of the product
29	Product innovation has accelerated
30	Competitors are emphasizing reliability in product quality
31	Some competitors have formed partnership services with their channels of distribution
32	Competitors are improving the product by emphasizing the customer's purchase process
33	The level of convenience offered to customers has increased
34	Competitors are aiming their marketing at narrower segments

35	The industry is seeing its first price wars
36	Foreign competitors are expanding with low prices
37	Customers are more price sensitive
38	Most competitors are offering low prices after a period where leaders held prices high
39	As large competitors match low prices, other competitors face difficulties
40	Large competitors are maintaining price levels as smaller competitors discount
41	Some competitors seek price increases more aggressively than others

42	Demand in the industry is falling
43	Revenue growth has been high, but has slowed
44	Competition is expanding with the appearance of discounters
45	Small discounting competitors have gained a market toehold
46	Demand continues to grow but margins are low and new entrants are taking share
47	New competition is entering a settled market
48	Margins are falling but competition continues to expand aggressively
49	Both new entrants as well as existing competitors have added capacity
50	Industry profits are low but downsized capacity remains
51	Demand has turned up bringing a tight market and more capacity
52	After high growth, demand has leveled and capacity has increased
53	Substitute products have grown in importance
54	Profits are under pressure despite demand growth
55	Technology improvements bring falling prices
56	The industry cannot pass on cost increases
57	Price wars are spreading in the industry
58	Demand rose quickly for some time in the past
59	Observers expect industry capacity reduction
60	The company believes the industry will be more diplomatic about adding capacity
61	Profits are high because the company is in a niche segment
62	Prices on niche products continue to rise while other prices fall
63	Prices are rising as the industry runs out of capacity
64	The industry has been able to preserve margins by increasing prices

65	The industry is adding new, more efficient capacity in the effort to reduce costs
66	The industry is reducing costs aggressively
67	The industry is consolidating through mergers and acquisitions
68	The number of industry competitors is on the decline
69	Part of the industry is automating to offset wage advantages of some competitors
70	Some competitors automate to become the lowest cost players
71	Outsourcing is a growing phenomenon in the industry
72	Some competitors are using growth to reduce their costs
73	Some industry leaders have lower returns than the smaller competitors