Article at a glance:

Price wars

Price wars have racked industry after industry in recent years: from personal computers to airlines, from grocery retailing to computer software, from cigarettes to frozen diet dinners, from automobile tires to disposable diapers. All too often, there are no winners—and few healthy survivors. The destruction such battles cause can be so severe and linger so long that the only reliable way to come out ahead is to avoid them altogether.