The relative importance of supplier selection criteria: the case of electronic components procurement in Japan.

INTRODUCTION

In academic articles, and even more so in the popular business press, Japanese industrial purchasing behavior has been painted with a single brush. The Japanese purchaser-supplier relationship is typically described as cooperative, interdependent, integrated, and, often, exclusive. Outside sellers, especially non-Japanese companies, are rarely able to penetrate this relationship. However, this characterization of Japanese industrial purchasing was always overstated. It may have accurately depicted purchaser-supplier relations in a small number of industries, most notably the automobile industry. But the portrayal failed to distinguish between different ...