11.  Backus is merging four of its five breweries to reduce costs and gain a stronger position in the market as international competition heats up.

12.  Bradley himself contends that he pushed Gore into taking stronger positions on expanding health care, gun control, child poverty and campaign finance reform.

13.  Braddock said the new company still lacked expertise in international investing, but after the merger would be in a much stronger position to sell its funds through banks.

14.  Buchanan said if Gore were to become president, it would put him in a stronger position to run for re-election as an incumbent.

15.  But Bush lawyers were clearly in a much stronger position by the end of Monday than when the day began.

16.  But experts said Sinn Fein was now in a stronger political position and better able to insist that it has a moral and political mandate.

17.  But he said there are still concerns that Anthem, which has operated the plan since winning the initial bid in March, has a stronger position now.

18.  But Freiberg said the company was now in a stronger position to do better the next few years.

19.  But it has its eyes on a stronger position with the banks.

20.  But in an industry ripe for consolidation, analysts said, Bestfoods was in a stronger position to negotiate because of its profitable international operations.