Supplier Selection in Industrial Supply-chains: The case of Taiwanese Agribusiness

The research reported in this study investigates the initial development of a framework of supplier selection in the context of Taiwanese agribusiness. The importance of this research lies in the fact that although supplier selection has been researched across a range of industries, there is little evidence of its application to the agribusiness sector. From the existing literature, a preliminary framework of supplier selection was developed and investigated through a series of in-depth interviews with key informants. The results of this research supported 22 criteria as being important in the preliminary framework for selecting suppliers. Some amendments to the framework had been suggested, particularly the need for stable viable suppliers that could demonstrate a willingness to cooperate and be innovative, and committed to developing ongoing relationships with buyers, thus improving supply certainty and product quality in a highly competitive environment characterised by lower-cost competition from more efficient suppliers of commodity inputs.