Reproductive competition among females is an under-studied aspect of behavioural ecology. In species where males provide non-sharable resources that enhance individual and offspring fitness, such as feeding young, intrasexual conflict among females should be expected. My thesis examined reproductive competition among female song sparrows by estimating the reproductive costs of losing male care and behavioural strategies females employed to avoid the loss of male care. I used a long-term study of song sparrows, a facultatively polygynous passerine, on Mandarte Island, British Columbia Canada, to examine the potential reproductive and survival costs that polygyny might have on females. I found that polygynous females without male care experienced lower nest and lifetime reproductive success than polygynous females with male care. In contrast, female status within polygynous groups had no impact on overwinter survival. Three strategies that females might use to avoid polygyny or ensure access to male parental care while in polygyny include 1) intrasexual aggression to deter secondary females from settling, 2) infanticide of primary female’s nest by secondary females to improve nesting status or 3) nest timing to either increase the comparative worth of the nest through synchrony, or eliminate competition for male care through asynchrony. Using a mount presentation experiment I found that resident females reacted as predicted if intrasexual aggressive behaviour was used to deter secondary female settlement and ensure male parental care. Over 18 years when polygyny occurred in the population, I found evidence that the presence of secondary females was correlated with a rise in the nest failure rate of primary females, but I found no evidence that polygynous females used nest timing strategies to influence access to male care. Overall, my results suggest that female song sparrows use aggressive behaviours to reduce secondary female settlement, and within polygynous groups secondary females may use infanticide to advance their status. Despite the existence of female strategies to circumvent the loss of fitness due to polygynous mating, polygyny still occurred regularly in the population. This observation suggests that the strategies described above are often not effective, or that their costs outweigh the potential gains to individual fitness. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Information and data are essentially the basic ingredients for the formulation of informed judgments and the making of rational decisions. In recent years, the inadequacy of business information and data available to the various segments of the economy has led them to advocate that business enterprises should disclose all their relevant and material information fully and comprehensively. Seldom, however, have they, who are outside the corporate management, given adequate consideration to the role that secrecy of business information can play in enabling competition among rival business enterprises. In this thesis, it is suggested that secrecy of some information, not full disclosure, is necessary if business enterprises are to be competitive against rivals. This study has found that the business enterprises interviewed in the field study are strongly opposed to disclosing fully and comprehensively all their information. In the views of some of the executives who are in the selected enterprises, secrecy of certain information is required not only in the maintenance of the competitive positions of their enterprises, but also as a necessary part of their competitive weaponry against rivals. Secrecy is also desired in the interests of their enterprises. Apparently, therefore, the exigencies of the various segments of the economy for business information and data cannot be met by voluntary full disclosure of information by business enterprises; certainly it is not attainable without opposition from the business community. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

Internet has significant influence on competition. My diploma thesis analyze this influence by Michael E. Porter's model of five competitive forces and value chain Porter's theory is illustrated by many examples mostly from Czech market. This paper focus on reatil market and desrcibes his history on Hype Cycle created by analytic agency Garner, Inc. Large part of my work is concerned with marketing and adverticing on Internet. It describes advanateges of Internet advertising and compares it with traditional media (TV, press, outdoor, etc.) Rest of this paper focus on Czech retail market on Internet and shows bad and good strategies of biggest e-shops in Czech republic. Last part is about trends on the Czech market.

In this study a macro model is outlined in which noncompetitive as well as competitive product price behaviour can be incorporated and the macro implications compared. A variety of non-competitive pricing models are considered and on the basis of these (and in conjunction with a chapter linking the micro to the macro analysis), it is argued that non-competitive pricing is potentially important in a macro model. It can generate macro relative share, price, and output behaviour different from that generated by price - equals - marginal cost competitive behaviour. In the empirical investigations of Canadian manufacturing industries, evidence of non-competitive price behaviour is found. The pro-cyclical standard competitive behaviour of gross-margins (mark-ups on variable costs) is not generally observed. Combining the theoretical with the empirical results, it is concluded that non-competitive pricing is not only potentially important, but of actual importance because of the empirical significance of non-competitive price behaviour. The importance of this for macro policy is briefly considered in the final chapter. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

This exploratory study addresses the issue of adjustment to less-developed country (LDC) competition by affected firms and industries in developed countries (DCs). Empirically-based insights into the nature of the adjustment problem are inductively derived from examination of adjustment in four Japanese industries (producing, respectively; cutlery, footwear, umbrellas, and mosaic tile) which have faced severe competition from producers in the Asian newly industrializing countries (Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore). The study employs existing public and non-public reports, interviews with informants in Japanese government and industry and the results of field research in a production centre. External factors favouring rapid development of LDC competitive strength are identified, including earlier Japanese exports which internationalized O.E.C.D. markets for the products examined. The pattern of evolution of LDC competitive strength along dimensions other than those of relative product standardization and factor-intensity is discussed. Japanese foreign direct investment in competing LDCs served to increase the adjustment problem of Japanese producers. This is related to the rapidity of LDC competitive development and to the structure of the Japanese industries examined. Adjustment alternatives are discussed, in terms of the concept of value-added, under the categories of: cost-improving, price-improving, and margin-improving adjustment. The last of these incorporates improvements in value-added arising from a change of product or of functional activity. The adjustment problem is seen to be a function not only of LDC development but also of concurrent DC development external to the affected industries. Variation among industry participants in the impact of the adjustment problem and in the number and nature of adjustment alternatives was highly related to differences in the functional activities of firms. Where existing producers are unable to adjust within an industry, the industry, itself, is found to "retrogress" and production activities are transferred to a geographic and socio-economic periphery within the DC. This shifts the ultimate exposure to LDC competition onto those who have the least mobility and are least able to actively adjust to that competition. Some suggestions are made regarding the implications of the findings for government, business, and further research. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

M.Comm. / It is critical for companies in today's competitive business environment to understand the impact and influence competitors and the external environment have on the success of their strategies and competitive advantage. Business must therefore comprehend how the strategies of competitors and forces of the external environment may affect the competitive advantage of the business. Businesses require actionable intelligence to enable them to monitor, analyse and determine the impact from external environmental forces and actions from competitors. Businesses have to develop appropriate strategies to achieve competitive advantage over competitors in their industry. The question which this study addresses, is whether businesses are able to monitor the strategies and influences from the external environment effectively. This is needed to gain a competitive advantage, and is accomplished by producing actionable intelligence utilising the competitive intelligence cycle. The purpose of the study is to determine how a business can utilise competitive intelligence in order to determine the potential strategies of competitors. To achieve these objectives, a literature study was completed on the subject matter. This study has established that the competitive intelligence function consists of tour distinct phases. Phase one determines the intelligence requirements of the end users of the intelligence. Phase two involves the collection of information. Phase three involves the analysis of the information in order to produce intelligence. Phase four disseminates the intelligence to the end users (those who requested the intelligence). Each of the four phases of the competitive intelligence cycle have been examined and discussed. Special reference and attention has been paid to the analytical techniques and tools - phase three - that id used to produce actionable intelligence.

This thesis discusses trade regulations throughout history.

Dual distribution arrangements are arrangements that, for the purposes of competition law, can simultaneously be classified as vertical and horizontal. In terms of the Competition Act No, 89 of 1998 (“the Act”), the actions that can be taken, and the legal consequences of those actions, are vastly different depending on the type of relationship between the parties. Unlike in a conventional horizontal relationship, in a dual distribution arrangement the manufacturer creates competition with itself. This type of hybrid relationship has confused competition authorities, as it is difficult to decide whether the horizontal or vertical aspect should prevail in order to characterise the agreement. In some instances, competition authorities have elected to disregard the other elements of the relationship and prosecute parties for contraventions of the Act based purely on one dimension of the relationship. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Mercantile Law / LLM / Unrestricted

The metered taxi industry has over the years been regulated and controlled by various transport legislation and transport authorities, however because of the nature of the Uber business model, competition laws have been unable to regulate fair competition between Uber, taxi app’s such as Uber (like Taxify) and the traditional metered taxi industry. This dissertation focuses on Uber as a disruptive innovation in the public passenger transport industry. It explores the Uber business model of the online app and explains whether, if at all, Uber does qualify as a disruptive innovation and if so, to what extent does it pose a threat to its competitors in respect of competition issues such as price fixing, predatory pricing, vertical and horizontal agreements and abuse of dominance. In this dissertation I note the importance that regulators and the competition authorities play in venturing out of their comfort zones and re-examine their assumptions underpinning existing competition regulations in respect of new entrants in the market. The dissertation explores whether Uber has in fact operated outside of the competition regulations and whether its existence should be regulated. Moreover, this dissertation explores whether Uber as a disruptive innovation is potentially limiting on competing brands, such as the metered taxi industry and whether the existence of Uber and operation outside of normal competition legislation may cause the foreclosure and exclusion of competitors and therefore substantially limiting or lessening competition in the public passenger transport market. Lastly the dissertation explores how other jurisdictions have regulated any of Uber’s potential competition law infringements. The focus is based on the European Union and the United States of America jurisdictions. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Mercantile Law / LLM (Mercantile Law) / Unrestricted

Competition law has been defined as the rules or provisions which aim to ensure and sustain a market where vigorous, but fair competition will result in the most efficient allocation of economic resources and production of goods and services at the lowest price. The goal, which competition law wishes to attain, is to level the playing field where both small and large firms can compete with one another, fairly and competitively, which in turn leads to a greater benefit for the consumer. South African competition authorities consider cartels as the most egregious of all competition law contraventions because of their harmful impact upon consumers, economic development and the market. Cartel activities are formed in secret and this renders these activities more dangerous, because it is difficult for competition authorities to detect and prosecute them. In South Africa, cartels are regulated in terms of section 4(1)(b) of the Competition Act 89 of 1998, which practices are per se prohibited. Section 4(1)(b) specifically lists the following activities as cartel practices: price fixing, bid rigging and market allocation. Administrative penalties are a common retributive and preventative tool in numerous jurisdictions, including South Africa, which are imposed on firms which participate in cartel activities. Section 59 of the Competition Act postulates that an administrative penalty may be imposed by the Tribunal on a contravening firm, should it be found that such firm has engaged in such prohibited practices. The penalty may be determined and enforced in one of two ways, either unilaterally by the Competition Tribunal in terms of section 59 of the Competition Act, or in terms of a consent agreement concluded between the contravening firms and the Competition Commission, which agreement needs to be approved and enforced by the Tribunal in terms of Section 58 of the Competition Act. The primary objective of the imposition of administrative penalties on cartelists is to both prevent and deter cartel behaviour. It is not a perfect system and has faced its challenges over time. The issues which the competition authorities have had with the imposition of administrative penalties relates to, inter alia, the quantification thereof, the enforcement thereof and the economic and social impact that such penalties have on the contravening firms, its employees and the consumers in general. This dissertation will interrogate the manner in which the competition authorities have approached the imposition of administrative fines. The focus will be on fines imposed for cartel conduct as set out in section 4(1)(b) of the Competition Act. The objective is to determine whether South Africa’s approach to the imposition of administrative fines is in need of reform, and if so, to make suitable recommendations. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Mercantile Law / LLM / Unrestricted