Dumping in the Flat Panel Display Industry: The Case of Planar Systems

Abstract

I wanted to examine a specific aspect of the U.S.-Japanese trade relationship that has been cited by some as a source of tension. I chose to examine the unfair trading practice of dumping. Dumping involves selling goods at a price that is below the cost of production. To narrow my topic even further, I decided to examine dumping that was occurring within the flat panel display industry. Flat panel displays are the computer screens that are used in laptop computers, avionics equipment, telecommunications, and military equipment. For a specific case study, I chose to investigate a firm from Beaverton, Oregon that eventually took their dumping claim before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission.