One essential strategic feature of markets is competition. Producers, whether manufacturers or service providers, would like to be ahead of their competitors for achieving their goals such as profit, growth, and market share. A company which reaches a higher performance relative to other rivals in the same industry or the industry average has a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is always relative, not absolute. To evaluate competitive advantage, we compare company performance to either the performance of other companies in the same industry or an industry average.  A company which can surpass its competitors or the industry average over an extended period has a sustainable competitive advantage.