Competitive priorities of manufacturing firms in the Caribbean

This paper seeks to examine the competitive priorities emphasized by manufacturing firms in the Caribbean. We study five manufacturing competitive priorities quality, flexibility, cost, delivery and innovation. Survey data from 60 manufacturing firms in 4 Caribbean countries show that cost and quality are most strongly emphasized while innovation is the least emphasized. The findings from our study also provide support for the cumulative capabilities theory and show that Caribbean manufacturers are simultaneously emphasizing all five priorities and do not appear to be trading off one priority for another. In light of these findings, the implications for manufacturing managers and policymakers in the Caribbean and other developing economies are discussed.