Export marketing decision-making by wood household furniture manufacturers in Malaysia and the United States

This dissertation presents export decision-making information meant to complement the array of information available to wood furniture manufacturers, relevant government agencies, and marketers. It utilizes data obtained from a literature search as well as from a national survey of 947 wood household-furniture manufacturers in the U.S. and 310 manufacturers in Malaysia. Personal interviews were also carried out to support as well as to add depth to the quantitative data.

This report includes a detailed look at the global export market opportunities for wood household furniture. For U.S. manufacturers, potential markets are its NAFTA partners - Saudi Arabia, the European Union, and the Pacific Rim countries. However, U.S. companies need to focus more on exporting and not be totally dependent on the domestic markets.

As for Malaysian manufacturers, the U.S. will remain as the largest market for their products. However, this may change with the competition that Malaysia faces with other Asian nations such as China, Indonesia, and Thailand. Furthermore, Malaysia, a tropical wood producing country, may lose its market share if U.S. consumers start to demand environmentally friendly wood furniture products.