Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Innovation in China's furniture industry

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/zw12z8335

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  • Innovation is considered the ultimate drive for business success. Fast growing furniture imports from China have become a controversial topic within U.S. wood and furniture industries. Low-cost production, which is stereotypically considered as the major competitive advantage of the Chinese-made products, has received considerable attention by a large body of research, while the Chinese furniture industry's innovative side is less studied. This study profiles the industry's recent development and measures its innovativeness via a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Management-level interviews were conducted with 18 Chinese companies recommended as innovative by industry experts. A conceptual innovation model developed using qualitative analysis of interviews was tested by a quantitative survey. Key findings suggest that Chinese furniture companies are pursuing innovation with three equal focuses on product, process and business systems. In the future, the industry will likely become more innovative in all three aspects, with major focuses on product and process. Company innovativeness was significantly correlated with company competitiveness. Improving sales performance and minimizing costs provide motivations for Chinese companies to adopt innovation. No relationship was found between profitability and innovativeness. This suggests that the industry's traditional focus on low-cost-low-profit production still has significant influence on industry innovation activities. Company innovativeness and competitiveness also varied with company size and export orientation. Forming strategic alliances with large Chinese manufacturers with moderate export orientation is suggested for U.S. furniture companies wishing to enter into the Chinese market.
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