Supply Chain Partners Selection Criterion in United Arab Emirates: A Study of Packaged Food Products Supply Chain

Application of supply chain management tools and techniques may not lead us very far in implementing them and yielding the benefits of relationship without understanding the partner's selection criterion. While there is plenty of published literature that explains or espouses benefits of partnering relationship there is a relative lack of empirical studies examining the partner selection practices in the context of different countries. The purpose of this paper is to understand the supply chain partner selection criterion of supply chain members of United Arab Emirates for successful collaboration, alignment and integration of the businesses. In order to study the partner selection criterion various perspectives of supply chain management practices and criterion of partner selection are grouped under five perspectives of partnership as characteristics, economics, dynamic capabilities, technology, and institutions and a survey instrument was developed to evaluate the criterion of the partner selection. The study results suggest that customer and suppliers do not appear willing to embrace the long-term relationship concept readily. The business environment such as market dynamics, globalization process and economy of the specific country or region has a bigger impact on partner selection process. The research results provide a rich basis for further theory development in the areas of supply chain practices in transition economic environment and the global supply chain management practices beyond the United Arab Emirates market.