This document discusses understanding competition in a local market by analyzing existing competitors' strengths and weaknesses, customers' perceptions of competitors, reasons for competitors' successes or failures, and the country's trade agreements and potential non-tariff barriers that could impact market entry and operations. Key areas of focus include identifying local and potential competitors, their size, structure and sustainability; customers' views of competitors' products; and implications of the country's WTO membership and bilateral trade agreements.

1. Understand competition

2. Which competitors are already operating in the market?

3. If local competitors are important players, how sustainable is their existence and what is it based on?

4. Is there a danger of smaller local competitors playing a stronger role in the future?

5. How strong are competitors that are already there?

6. How many people do they employ and what is their organizational structure?

7. Are other competitors entering or planning to enter the market?

8. What do customers/consumers think about competitors and their products/services?

9. What have been competitors’ experiences and results, both negative and positive, in the local market?

10. If competitors failed, why?

11. If competitors succeeded, why?

12. Is the country a member of WTO?

13. If it is how closely does it follow WTO rules?

14. Does it belong to any trading blocs or regional free trade areas?

15. Which bilateral free trade agreements does it have?

16. What is the outlook for any future free trade agreements?

17. Do these signed free trade agreements work in practice?

18. If they do not, what are the problems?

19. Are non tariff barriers significant and what is the outlook in that regard?

20. Are there customs bottlenecks and how much would they add to operational costs?

21. Is there a problem or illegal/parallel imports or even counterfeits?

22. Thank you