The Furniture Wars: How America Lost a 50 Billion Dollar Industry
Condition: New
Checking for product changes
Buy Now, Pay Later
As low as
$5
/ mo
Learn more
- – 4-month term
- – No impact on credit
- – Instant approval decision
- – Secure and straightforward checkout
Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.
Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, PayTomorrow, Affirm, Afterpay, Apple Pay, and PayPal. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Free shipping on this product
30-day returns
Learn more
30-day refund/replacement
To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
Availability:
In Stock.
Arrives
Sunday, Jun 22
Description
The book offers an insider's critical look at the impact of globalization on the American furniture business, an industry that went from making 'world class' products to shutting down plants in 5 years. With tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars at stake, the industry was taught a painful lesson. The failure to learn from the experience will result in more losses for the furniture business and other industries as well, making this book particularly relevant to our times. Read more
Publisher : BookSurge Publishing (March 26, 2009)
Language : English
Paperback : 450 pages
ISBN-10 : 1439225109
ISBN-13 : 03
Item Weight : 1.37 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1.06 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #473,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4,192 in Business Management (Books)
#4,192 in Business Management (Books):
Customer Reviews: 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 49 ratings
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Sunday, Jun 22
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
- Klarna Financing
- Affirm Pay in 4
- Affirm Financing
- Afterpay Financing
- PayTomorrow Financing
- Financing through Apple Pay
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Top Amazon Reviews
I think Mike Dugan has done a great job at given a view of the furniture business and how different it is than other industries. I think that many in government would benefit from Dugan's description on how China has taken over one of our oldest industries. We have countless unemployeed because of thisIt doesn't read like the typical business book. Comparing the furniture business to the "briar patch"gives great insight into the industry's challenges.This would be a great book for all college business majors & Harvard MBAs. They would have inside knowledge of the lies taught in school.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2009 by Bill M
Overall very informative and should be required reading for anyone thinking of entering the industry. I found the first half of the book to be an excellent read. The second half was harder to read because the theme was becoming repetitive (not that this was historically inaccurate, just getting boring to read at that point). I was surprised at how little of the book was allocated to Asian imports (the final chapter), as this was the primary factor in the death of (most) American furniture manufacturing. I suspect that this is because the author had been retired from the industry at that point and was more of an observer than insider after 2005.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2018 by Tom
As a former long time supplier to the furniture industry, Author/Professor Mike Dugan gives the reader an historical account of his view of the Furniture Industry of which he was an integral part from the late 60s through 2009. Mike recounts his story from a 1st person perspective only with the added touches that comes from an initial outsider who through his career marketed and oversaw furniture operations, both under his direct supervision, and as a competitor brought in initially from outside the good old boy network that spawned the furniture industry's southern roots after World War II.. Mike's acumen and insight tells the story of intrigue within and outside the industry as entrepreneurs. financial holding companies and large conglomerates like General Mills over estimated their abilities to manage and grow the furniture industries individual plants and market niches into larger profit centers... Primarily, I got the message that there was not much trust within the industry as the changes started in 1970's the original owners either retired or sold off to large conglomerates that did not understand their market niches and became lost in a sea of sameness that allowed China and those off-shore take the opportunity to fill a void from leadership lacking in the US from an industry that was always fragmented. Mile gives excellent personal and side bar anecdotes to the emotional undercurrents throughout this time, comparing many times to Sun Tzu's The Art of War, coming I think from his historical background in the Liberal Arts field and writes with a flair that reflects history and lessons in business that remained unlearned during the tumultuous time that lead to the Asian Invasion....
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2011 by superfundbob
A very interesting read, but a few photographs (particularly of the key individuals) would have been nice for visualization and identification purposes. The book tries to cover a bit too much territory at times and that is the only reason I can't justify a higher grade. Buy it, read it, but don't expect too much entertainment.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2014 by BKLEM
The book helped me understand the old-line furniture industry better and really even post-industrial America better. I've been in the industry for 30+ years, but always sourced product mostly through furniture channels outside the "briar patch" of N Carolina and Mississippi. The world he describes I was just in touch enough with to know what he was talking about, yet not really understanding completely until I read all the twists and turns found in his book. The fact that I could be in the business, but not be up on all the insiders and outsiders, is a testimony that the industry is bigger than he portrays in his book. The recent bankruptcy of Furniture Brands made more sense to me because I read the antecedents up to about 2007 in his book. The thing that annoyed me a little about the book was that my e-book had lots of typos or mis-spellings, way more than I've experienced in any other book I've bought. Still, all in all, a good read.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2014 by TODMTNS
It was suggested in the book Factory Man that I read first. I would suggest for those interested in the history of the furniture industry to read the The Furniture Wars first, and then move on to the Factory Man.Both books will give you great insight on how our American Furniture Manufacturers have one by one moved to China, Vietnam, and other Asian counties where the labor is cheap, and factory regulations are virtually non-existent or very weak at best.This along with our great country losing another unique American manufacturing segment and 10,000's of 1000's of jobs!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2014 by anthony1429
If you want an inside look at America's furniture industry, this is one of the available works on the subject. This book goes beyond a mere academic treatment of furniture makers' infighting and the effects of globalization on the industry--you'll also be afforded a look "under the tent flaps" of some of the personalities involved. I found book-wide them of "combat....war....skirmishes..." etc a bit tedious after a while...I think the author over-plays the metaphor. A good read for business students and those in the industry.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2015 by R. Light
A really good run through of the screw ups by US furniture manufacturers who might have won the battle but certainly lost the war! The fact that the furniture industry has lowered themselves to use Asian products speaks volumes for our society -- bad products, bad vision, bad understanding, vision and aesthetics of our society. Our society needs to get it together and support US made quality products.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2015 by rfs45