Canadian Manufactured Exports: Constraints and Opportunities

Robert W. Sexty is a commerce professor at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland and author of Canadian Business: Issues and Stakeholders.

These two economists have been involved in an extensive study of the competitiveness of Canadian secondary manufacturing industries. Their book, based on a study of 30 firms, analyzes past developments with the purpose of predicting future potential for exports of Canadian manufactured goods to the United States.

The five chapters and two appendices provide empirical background on trade and industrial policy. The authors’ study, only a part of which is published in this book, contributes to an understanding of price and cost relationships and entrepreneurial attitudes. Also examined is the influence of such non-production cost factors as research and development, devaluation, ownership differences, tariffs, and marketing channels. A concluding chapter suggests survival strategies for firms during a time of changing trade environments. Given the bilateral trade discussions with the United States, this book increases understanding of how a portion of the Canadian manufacturing sector might be impacted by, and might respond to, a trade agreement.

According to the authors, the book is written in a “non-technical manner” for the “intelligent layperson.”