WOULD YOU BUY A HONDA MADE IN THE UNITED STATES? THE IMPACT OF PRODUCTION LOCATION ON MANUFACTURING QUALITY

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lacetera, Nicola; Sydnor, Justin
• 署名单位: University of Toronto; University of Wisconsin System; University of Wisconsin Madison
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/REST_a_00479
• 发表日期: 2015-10
• 页码: 855-876
• 关键词: FOREIGN DIRECT-INVESTMENT; heterogeneous firms; supplier relations; industry matter; north-america; management; multinationals; MARKET; TRADE; capabilities

摘要

Are location-specific factors important for understanding firms' heterogeneities? We examine prices and quality metrics for Japanese cars at wholesale auctions, comparing otherwise identical cars assembled in the United States versus Japan. We find similar values regardless of country of assembly. These results indicate that Japanese automakers in general have successfully transferred their practices to their U.S. transplants and that there is no inherent limitation to high-quality automobile production in the United States. Deeper analysis of patterns for Toyota cars, complemented by historical analysis, suggests that although it is possible to transfer standards, quality convergence can require conscious effort and not just cumulative production.