"Line of business", "business branch" or "field of activity"?

Question

What would be the most appropriate phrase to use in the following sentence?

Competition in the company's has increased considerably.

The phrases that I'm considering are "line of business", "business branch", "field of activity" and "business area", but feel free to suggest others.

V.N.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]What would be the most appropriate phrase to use in the following sentence? Competition in the company's ... I'm considering are "line of business", "business branch", "field of activity" and "business area", but feel free to suggest others.[/nq]
"Market sector".
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Ross Howard

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]What would be the most appropriate phrase to use in ... activity" and "business area", but feel free to suggest others.[/nq]
[nq:1]"Market sector".[/nq]
Thank you. How about "branch of industry", which also seems to be used extensively? Is "market sector" narrower in meaning than "branch of industry"?
V.N.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]sentence? branch",[/nq]
[nq:2]"Market sector".[/nq]
[nq:1]Thank you. How about "branch of industry", which also seems to be used extensively? Is "market sector" narrower in meaning than "branch of industry"?[/nq]
Not really; it's just different. The "market" reference just seemed to me to be appropriate here, because your sentence is about competition. What's competition? It's companies struggling for a bigger piece of the pie a greater "market share".
The "increase in competition" reference could mean that new competitors have arrived or that the original competitors are competing harder than before (cutting prices, offering a wider range of products or services, and so on). Either way, the venue for this activity is the part of the market in which they operate: i.e. their market sector.
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Ross Howard

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]sentence? branch", Thank you. How about "branch of industry", which ... Is "market sector" narrower in meaning than "branch of industry"?[/nq]
[nq:1]Not really; it's just different. The "market" reference just seemed to me to be appropriate here, because your sentence is ... way, the venue for this activity is the part of the market in which they operate: i.e. their market sector.[/nq]
The problem with example sentences is that they may be too restrictive; "competition" was just something that came to my mind when trying to come up with a usable sentence. It may actually be misleading. I was really after something to use in a sentence like
"The purpose of such a document is to define the terms used in the given " (e.g., the mobile phone industry, the software business or a subsection of it, the cosmetics industry). I assume both "market sector" and "branch of industry" would be passable.
V.N.

Usenet · Answer

Here is a concrete example from the document I'm editing. The document is a template.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Here is a concrete example from the document I'm editing. The document is a template. What's your definition of industry (1) any for-profit business activity, involving products or services of any kind, or (2) making/assembling physical objects for subsequent distribution and sale? To many people "industry" still conjures up images of blast furnaces and workings clocking into night shifts, so if the terminology referred to includes, say, advertising jargon or legalese, then "industry" is probably not a good choice of word.
[nq:1]In defining concepts it should be taken into account that the reader may not have any prior knowledge about the ... present a description of the project or topic of the document, and to explain the chapter division of the document.[/nq]
That "to" before "explain" is ungrammatical, BTW.
No offence intended, but the whole text is very wooden. For example, that last sentence could be pared down to something as simple as this without losing any essential content:
The chapter should also describe the project or, if it is a document, its subject matter and chapter breakdown.

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Ross Howard

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]What would be the most appropriate phrase to use in ... activity" and "business area", but feel free to suggest others.[/nq]
[nq:1]"Market sector".[/nq]
sphere of activity

John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]sphere of activity[/nq]
"commercial milieu"
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Ross Howard

Usenet · Answer

"Business area" seems ubiquitous.
Ross, note that
"The chapter should also describe the project or, if it is a document, its subject matter and chapter breakdown"

cannot be used, as the document in which the text appears always... *is* a document. But in other respects your suggestion nicely simplifies the sentence.
V.N.

"Line of business", "business branch" or "field of activity"?

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