31.   Lazio of Rome did not sign new stars, but kept the team competitive by refusing rich bids for strikers Giuseppe Signori and Alen Boksic and midfielder Aron Winter.

32.   The Bush administration believes the mandatory agreement would make U.S. industry less competitive by forcing power companies and manufacturers to use expensive fuels or adopt costly technologies.

33.   The company also has sought to become more competitive by moving production overseas to avoid high labor costs in Germany.

34.   The Bush administration says the pact would make U.S. industry less competitive by forcing power companies and manufacturers to use expensive fuels or adopt costly technologies.

35.   The Labor Ministry was created last year to help Thailand stay competitive by developing a more educated, skilled workforce.

36.   The initial public offering is part of Chinese efforts to raise money for economic reforms and make companies competitive by making them answerable to private shareholders.

37.   The reforms are intended to make the defense industry competitive by ridding it of inefficient communist-era companies.

38.   The weak currency makes exporters based there more competitive by allowing them to sell their goods more cheaply overseas.

39.   Video conferencing can make businesses more competitive by improving their responsiveness, speeding decision making and greatly enhancing the quality of trading.

40.   Industry leaders and analysts have stressed the need for Singapore, with its spiralling operating costs, to stay competitive by reducing corporate taxes.