Introduction

The almost universal move to China for volume manufacture of consumer goods over the past two decades has led to a revolution in attitude toward the development of products destined for offshore production. A steady flow of reports from the likes of Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Fortune Magazine, has documented a new emphasis among North American corporations on "customer culture" - the embodiment within consumer products of gratifying use experience and pride of ownership. In the business models cited, competitive advantage is gained through innovation in design and marketing of brand images that engage western experience and culture.

This paper tries to highlight the way that some companies are positioning around design in their strate-gies, and looks at the rationale behind the move. Some examination of current Business Press attention to industry alignment with design is offered, and finally some anecdotal "how to" advice is attempted for those becoming involved with China manufacturing.

Commodity versus Brand

The Global realignment of manufacturing power and the surge of new products originating in the Far East has forced many North American companies to re-examine their competitive strategies. In light of their inability to perform against cost and production quality challenges, and facing new players in many previously exclusive markets, companies have looked for ways to infuse their top products with characteristics that speak to the subtle values uniquely understood by their "home turf" customer base. The expectation is that consumer product designs from the Far East will lag the West because of an impenetrable cultural divide.

Chinese and North American interpretations of Cultural Language