And while the visa operation is internationally competitive, it could and should get better still.

BBC: UK Border Agency 'not good enough' and being scrapped

"Our proposal for closer co-operation is a competitive response to the changing and challenging market environment and marks a step forward in our efforts to progress consolidation in Europe, " BA chief Rod Eddington and Iberia's chairman Xavier de Irala said in a joint statement.

BBC: BA and Iberia forge closer links

David Law, who heads up the media operation for the Champions Tour, said that the competitive edge which McEnroe brought to events had been crucial in establishing the circuit.

CNN: Past Masters still court glory on Champions Tour

Such efforts notwithstanding, Josef Schmidhuber, an agronomist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, argues that Brazil's competitive advantage lies in churning out huge quantities of low-cost bulk commodities.

ECONOMIST: Brazil

Option 2 might make the most sense in a free-market economy, but likely would exacerbate competitive imbalance even among the BCS schools while draining resources away from the operation of entire athletics programs.

FORBES: Cheating In College Athletics And The Prisoner's Dilemma

"We're just fine" with zero debt on the operation, says the firm's president, who requests anonymity for competitive reasons.

FORBES: About Joseph Stiglitz