Abstract
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.