U.S. producers account for over half of the value of U.S. imports, which means there is great potential to increase their competitiveness by improving their access to imports.

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Companies find that ethical business practices increase their competitiveness in their respective industries, helping to further substantiate the notion that a culture of ethics is crucial to sustainable excellence.

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Democrats increase their competitiveness not by simply playing to the base, but reaching out to the center -- showing that they are committed to solving problems as well as being guided by core principles.

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The hub will aggregate the available services, which can help SMEs expand their businesses locally, find new business opportunities outside their immediate geographies and help increase their overall competitiveness.

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Countries that already have relatively open economies, such as Singapore and Thailand, view the grouping as a means to increase the competitiveness of their exports, and so to attract more foreign investment.

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He added that if businesses, especially manufacturers, had to increase wages it could hurt their competitiveness at a time when they have already been losing ground to regional competitors.

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