Great Game

Consumer Perceptions of Product Quality: Made In China

MARC J. SCHNIEDERJANS, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN QING CAO, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY JOHN R. OLSON, DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

© 2004, ASQ

Today, Chinese consumer goods dominate many U.S. markets. Often lower purchase prices make Chinese goods an attractive option for consumers; however, little is known about the quality of these products. This study presents consumer perceptions of the quality of Chinese manufactured goods when compared to goods manufactured in other countries. A series of consumer quality metrics are proposed and used to measure and compare consumer perceived quality. Results reveal a substantial and consistent need over almost all product lines for Chinese manufacturers to focus additional efforts to improve their product quality. Some priorities for Chinese manufacturer improvement by product type are identified, and a precise measure of quality dispersion between where Chinese quality is and where it should be to meet competition for non-Chinese manufacturers is revealed. Key words: Chinese product quality, consumer quality, consumer quality perceptions, quality metrics

INTRODUCTION

More than a decade ago the U. S. Congress performed Japanese-bashing activities in Washington, D.C. Yet today, despite the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award ceremonies, few politicians mention anything about product quality unless they have something good to say. Perhaps they are unaware of just how bad product quality can become if leaders, business people, and consumers do not seek it as a goal. Hellofs and Jacobson’s (1999) research has shown that product quality directly impacts market share. Also, as Dzever and Quester (1999) have observed, a country’s origin and its perceived quality can impact future purchasing decisions. Clearly any nation that does not provide leadership to its industries on the importance of product quality should and usually will end up doing less business in the...