This chapter describes how in today's competitive world, the survival of businesses is highly dependent on satisfying the customers and responding to their demands. The furniture industry is one of the markets that consists high level of competition and customers in different groups. The...

The firm and chief executive officer correlates of aggressive export behaviour were examined in a random sample of 45 Brazilian wood‐furniture manufacturers. Because of the importance of earning foreign exchange to make payments on international loans, the Brazilian government has made major...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify in what way micro and small firms from low-technology industries which are dependent on foreign companies can ensure that they derive benefits from these relationships and what is more, in what way government policy should support this....

This article investigates the importance of the supplier management process in the quality of the final product. A methodology is developed to analyze the variables involved in the supplier management process and it is illustrated with a case study of the chair manufacturing industry. Research...

Purpose – The increasing importance that customers give to the aesthetic, symbolic and emotional value of products leads companies to approach the product design as a means to create a competitive advantage. Considering that competing through design involves the development of new product...

Quality is consistently listed as one of manufacturing’s top competitive priorities and has become a prerequisite for success in the global marketplace. Quality helps a firm gain a competitive advantage by delivering goods to the marketplace that meet customer needs, operate in their intended...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how human and social capital assist in the development of clustered and non‐clustered firms in the wooden furniture industry in Sri Lanka. The study resulted in three major findings: the most experienced and educated entrepreneurs played...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to form an understanding of how new product development (NPD) relates to supply chain management (SCM), why the two fields should be coordinated, and how this may be done. Design/methodology/approach – This research uses a literature review and case...

Asserts that SMEs are increasingly viewed as the major source of jobs within the UK, but that there is considerable evidence that many fail to grow. Focuses on the development of a particular SME, Pine Cabin, and seeks to highlight the set of factors (mainly internal) which have enabled it to...