This study examined globalization challenges on the manufacturing industry in Nigeria. The study employed a sample of two firms in Port Harcourt. Using the questionnaire and oral interviews as research instruments, data were obtained and analyzed with simple percentages and Chi-square statistical tools. The major findings of the study were that: (a) the problem of poor technology is the greatest challenge of Nigerian firms; (b) Nigerian managers are not nonchalant in responding to issues of globalization and have responded adequately to global competition and Nigerian firms have also been able to increase sales volumes. The study concluded that Nigerian firms still need to improve in their response pattern to globalization in order to rescue the economy from perpetual infancy; and recommended that Nigeria should take another look at her membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) by selectively engaging more in those trades that will not jeopardize her national interest.

The concepts were developed principally and relatively little attention has been paid to the needs of the organization and there exists scope for framing the ideas implicit in World Class for them to seeking to improve its competitive position. It is clear that relative to the elements that were seen as constituting QFD, the term has evolved considerably. Clearly, the organization management seeking world class status would appear to be faced with a far more complex task than was the case previously. This article uses data collected in the period 2008 from studies in six official and industrial organizations in North West of Iran that the main purpose of it is to examine the OSA and the QFD performance. The examples have clear implications for practitioners who wish to improve organizational performance as far as possible via OSA management and QFD procedure and process. In particular, paying particular attention to QFD as an occupational group with numerous responsibilities and often competing priorities is necessary. The relationship between QFD and their managers is important and we have shown elsewhere how this was the biggest variable explaining QFD levels of affective QFD and customer satisfaction. It also follows that since OSA management have a major role in bringing QFD and customer satisfaction, the design of these policies should include consideration of how QFD can apply them by QFD procedure and process to be as possible. The other implication of the research is OSA management, which through QFD procedure and process, impacts on organizational performance. That is the combination of OSA management, QFD procedure and process, organizational climate and conceptions of OSA need to take account of this wider agenda in both practice and theory.

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between innovativeness and the performance of SMEs in the Malaysian manufacturing sectors. The conceptual framework is developed based on the innovativeness and the performance. This study is based on a sample survey consisting of 121 SMEs in the manufacturing sector. Using structured questionnaires, the data were collected by mail as well as interviews with owner-managers of the SMEs. The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between innovativeness on the performance of SMEs.

This study seeks to examine the impact of trust and coordination on new product development performance. Respondents comprise NPD team members who are cognizant of and are directly involved in NPD activities in manufacturing companies in Malaysia. Two sets of questionnaire were sent to HR managers, one set for team leaders to answer and another for team members. A total of 521 responses were received and found usable. To reflect the project group level of analysis, individual responses (N=521) were aggregated to group level responses. Using the procedure of aggregation, 120 teams were used in the subsequent analysis. The findings support the notion that coordinating contributions from different functional areas efficiently is of critical importance to the success of new product development performance. However trust (both affective and cognitive) does not significantly contribute to new product development performance (for task-outcomes) but provides evidence that the affective aspect of trust (not the cognitive) does significantly contribute to new product development performance (for psychosocial outcomes). Thus, different aspect of trust affects new product development performance differently. Implications of the findings are further explored.

This paper is aimed to review the different levels of scale of conflicts between firms, communities, new social movements and the role of government.