Business practices and performance in US manufacturing companies: an empirical investigation

During the last decade, US manufacturing firms have gone through major changes in organisational restructuring, workplace culture and manufacturing practices. There are doubts about the inherent strengths of US manufacturing; various agencies, decision-makers and researchers are not sure whether the manufacturing sector is in a position to meet tough global competition. This paper, based on a national survey of manufacturing companies, presents an overview of the present state of US manufacturing practices and firms' performances. Statistical techniques are employed to analyse and ascertain if there are significant relationships between process management practices, product quality, organisational culture, financial performance, technology and innovation.