Sino-American Opinions and Perceptions of Counterfeiting in the Construction Supply Chain

Abstract

Incidents of counterfeit products harming humans have been widely reported in the western press. Counterfeit handbags and jeans are easily obtainable at several well-known locations around the world, including many in the United States. The construction industry is not immune from the worldwide problems of counterfeiting. Research reported on by this paper identified the center of the problem as the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In addition, the research concluded that there are significant differences in the attitudes toward counterfeiting exhibited by people living and working in North America and those living and working in the PRC. The research, based on almost 200 interviews, revealed that most Chinese manufacturers believe that “close enough is good enough” and many Chinese have a hard time understanding why that is not acceptable to the U.S. market. Of course, many U.S. and Canadian companies have had great success procuring quality material and products from China, but most have achieved this success through extensive education and training of the Chinese manufacturer and supplier, and excruciating diligence in the oversight of their entire supply chain.