A firm is in a state of strategic competitiveness if it has a plan that it rationally and responsibly believes is capable of success. In the age of automation, what justifies a trading firm's belief in its strategic competitiveness has changed. Rational and responsible belief in the capability of the firm's trading strategies can be justified by a prudent process that defines conditions for both initial and sustained belief. The process of developing trading systems is itself systematic and a source of competitive advantage. In this thesis, I present three chapters that address strategic competitiveness in automated trading—ethics, methodology and quality control. These chapters examine responsibility, and develop processes for both initial and sustained belief in the competitiveness of trading systems and the trading firm.