Nowadays, companies are facing several competitive pressures, which push them to seek for new and better ways to conduct their internal processes. One of this ways is throughout processes innovations that allow the company to establish and maintain competitive advantages; one example of this new trend is the emergence of eProcurement, an electronic system aimed to automate purchasing processes in organizations, which, if it is properly implemented, will derive in processes cost reduction and efficiency improvement on those same procedures. This study is focused on identifying the propeller factors that make companies to engage in this kind of ventures; as well as studying which are the outcomes generated inside the organizations once the electronic system has been implemented. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to identify the elements that trigger automation of procurement processes in organizations; as well as describing the implications derived from automation during and after such implementation. The study was conducted through interviews with managers and final user from two Mexican companies which are currently using Oracle as their eProcurement tool. Conclusions The study found that depending on how well organizations prepare themselves and their staff for the upcoming change, different results may be obtained in terms of benefits and acceptability from final users. In order to avoid potential pitfalls, firms must bear in mind that, both operational and social awareness are key factors for a successful implementation. If a company takes into consideration their internal operational needs and staff opinions to base their decision of engaging on eProcurement, it will be more likely to obtain benefits related to cost reduction, improved efficiency and final user satisfaction.

Title: According to Swedish Citizens – Sweden has the Safest and Best food in the world – Really? Level: Thesis for Master’s Degree in Business Administration Authors: Benny Berggren and Mai Nasser Fouda Supervisor: Jonas Kågström, Ph.D. Date: May 20, 2013 Aim: The aim of this thesis is to fill the research gap on whether there are differences in how Swedish consumers remember publicized scandals in regards to the Country of Origin (COO), focusing on age, gender and time. Furthermore, this paper will also aim to look at how different scandals have affected the consumers trust based on whether foreign food scandals have a higher impact. Methodology: Since this thesis tested different relationships a deductive approach was taken with a conclusive research design. Quantitative data was collected via a VAS-scale questionnaire to 187 individuals via random sampling at train stations which had a response rate of 75,9%. By using SPSS, the primary data was analyzed via a Correlation and Factor analysis in accordance with scientific articles from within the fields of Purchasing Decision theory, the COO and Consumer Memory. A semi-open telephone interview with an expert from within the food industry was conducted as additional explanations to the findings were needed. Result & Conclusions: It was found that Swedish consumers remembered scandals differently depending on origin, and were according to themselves more affected by the foreign scandals. Gender did not have a preference depending on the COO of the product and consumer memory while age did. It was also found that trusting food was the essential theme throughout the empirical findings where the Swedish consumers valued cues such as food quality and food safety. This played a significant role on impacting the consumer’s long-term memory. Three different types of trust was found and divided by their characteristics; High-level-involvement products, the COO of the product or the company which the scandal was involved with, and finally, the size, positioning and equity of the brand involved. Business implications: Media can be seen as a key source of spreading negative publicity regarding scandals. It is therefore extra important for companies to act immediately, especially if they have any of the three characteristics of trust since it influences the consumer’s long-term memory in a negative way. These three characteristics combined could have strong more negative impact on the companies, where there is a risk of losing potential & current business partners, decreased brand equity & image and risk of facing legal aspects. This can be very costly both financially and time-wise which ultimately could lead to a negative turnover. Research Implications: future research is suggested to study why the results in this thesis differ from the other scientific findings when it comes to gender. Also suggested is that studies should be conducted similar to this, but based on specific types of food products since this thesis only studied food in general. Furthermore, studies comparing the effect of the consumer memory in regards to food scandals based on different companies are also suggested. Key words: Country of Origin, Scandals, Memory, Trust, Purchasing behavior.

Although many scholars assert that portfolio approach can facilitate purchasing to live up to its strategic importance and contribute to company performance; and practitioners have applied portfolio approach in various purchasing activities, there are still limited empirical researches to confirm that portfolio can actually create the benefits. The purpose of the study is to explore the usefulness of portfolio approach as well as why companies decide to apply portfolio approach in purchasing and supply management. Based on an international survey carried on a large number of European and North American manufacturing companies, the findings of the study provide strong evidence on the significant impact that the purchasing portfolio approach has on the business results, and also shed lights on the strategic importance of purchasing as a direct explanation to the application of the approach by companies. The empirical study confirms that the competency of the purchasing professionals plays a prominent role on the path of transforming the strategic importance of purchasing, with the help of portfolio approach, to the success of improved purchasing performance. A cross-discipline theoretical study reveals that different models share a common theoretical foundation and consist of similar basic elements in their construct. The results of this study fill the research gap in analyzing the causes of the application of portfolio approach; provide quantitative empirical proof on the usefulness of portfolio approach in the industrial companies and thus give support to the existing theories. The study contributes to a growing research stream on how to improve purchasing business performance, reflecting the increasing strategic role that purchasing is given. The results send useful messages to company managements and provide valuable insights on an important tool for improving purchasing business performance.

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In the environment of globalisation, international purchasing is the strategy most commonly adopted by enterprises to obtain or maintain competitive advantages. The region encompassing Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China is a global manufacturing centre, providing a variety of price-competitive products to entice multinational enterprises to purchase from this area. The international purchasing office (IPO) is the intermediary of international purchasing, which connects international clients with regional suppliers to establish win-win strategic partnerships, improving competitive advantages for both parties and maximizing the value of the supply chain. International merchandisers directly contact clients and suppliers, playing the roles of buyer and sales people simultaneously, which is the essence of providing excellent service and creating value in IPO. This study investigates small-sized IPOs. The objectives of this study are to conduct an exploratory survey of the necessary competencies of current international merchandisers and provide concrete classifications and basic behavioral descriptions thereof. This study interviewed current international merchandisers in case IPOs in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China through behavioral event interviews. The subjects provided critical cases and described their behavior, thoughts, and how the cases were handled. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. This study coded, analysed, and identified the competencies according to the transcripts, and referenced the five types competence characteristics given by Spencer and Spencer to classify the competencies. This study concludes that among the five competencies of international merchandisers, the competencies of motives, traits, and self-concept at the base of the iceberg model are the fundamentals of good work performance. The five competencies are motives, traits, self-concept, knowledge, and skill. The motives include achievement orientation and incentives; traits include customer service orientation, a positive and active disposition, and great adaptability; the self-concepts are self-affirmation and optimism; knowledge includes product development, pricing, compliance, market trends, and international transportation; and the skills are influence, relationship building, analysing and thinking, information seeking, negotiation skills, and language competence. The conclusions of this study propose suggestions for managers of small-sized IPOs, personnel in human resource management, and international merchandisers, in the hope of providing a reference concerning management measures or career development for these parties.

As the awareness of environment consciousness, European Union passed the The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive(WEEE) Directive on October, 2002. According to this directive, private households will be able to return their WEEE to collection facilities free of charge and producers(manufacturers, sellers, distributors) will be responsible for financing these facilities from August, 2005. After that, EU passed The Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) Directive into law. It affects manufacturers, sellers, distributors and recyclers of electrical and electronic equipment containing lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chrome, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). After 2006 the use of these materials will be banned in new products sold in Europe. The execution of these two directives will force electronic industry change the attitude that place importance on quality specifications to increase some environmental specifications. Some IC assemblying companys started to implement green supply chain and establish green purchasing specifications to follow the market trend. Vender selection is very important portion in the supply chain management. Base on the green purchasing request, the criterions also need to be revised. This research is trying to establish the green vender selection criterions and find out the weighted point of each criterions by Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP) method. The purpose of this research is to set up a green vender rating system that can be applied to the IC assembly industry.

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The Study of Medical Purchase Through Electronic Commerce Service Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to recognize the medical purchaser¡¦s degree of accepting medical electronic commerce service (e-commerce) in the medical purchasing process and the ideal websites regarding the service. By user¡¦s involvement in service designs, functions of the websites, and the format of purchase processing, the ideal website on medical commerce can be discussed as aforementioned three factors. The thesis includes literary analysis and surveys based on the medical electronic commerce service. The 224 participants include purchasers from medical centers, local hospitals, regional hospitals, or those that have consumed products within two years. After the surveys are recycled, the SPSS program for Windows 10.0 is used to organize and analyze data with descriptive statistics, chi-square testing, and ANOVA testing. The discoveries based on purchasers are listed below: 1. E-commerce websites need to have organization in products, rate of sending the data, and specific details. 2. While using the Internet, the safety of the World Wide Web might be too low, and business confidential documents will be disclosed, which causes harm to the hospital. 3. The reason for using e-commerce is because the web is convenient with timesaving issues where data is easily collected and the rate of reacting in sending and receiving is rapid. 4. In traditional format of business, there are rooms for improvements in creating a new company, price research, and product information. 5. The desire to participate in e-commerce is very strong; numerous people are willing to fill out the survey and provide personal experience as an appreciation. 6. In the future, websites are expected to have strong search engines and devices providing security of purchasing. At last, this paper includes conclusion and suggestion according to the result of the experiment as a reference to the building of e-commerce websites in the future and those interested in this field. Keywords: e-commerce, medical purchasing, user¡¦s involvement

The lifestyles and demands of automobiles for some auto consumers have changed significantly in recent years. There are more auto consumers who prefer purchasing larger vehicles with more interior space and capacity. To satisfy these auto consumers¡¦ needs and wants, more automakers start manufacturing full-sized vehicles such as Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) and Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPV). In fact, most SUVs in Taiwan will have two rows of seats and can carry five passengers. On the other hand, most MPVs in Taiwan will have three rows of seating arrangement with seven-passenger capacity. However, Toyota WISH is one of the most popular MPVs in Taiwan auto market but WISH should be considered as a ¡§Mini MPV¡¨. This research study will be focused on a Mini MPV called Toyota WISH. First, it is very important to understand the definition of Mini MPVs in the auto market. Secondly, there 7 major Mini MPVs in the Taiwan auto market, including Toyota WISH, Mazda5, Nissan Grand Livina, Mitsubishi Savrin, Ford i-Max, Kia Euro Carens, and Hyundai Santa Fe. Thirdly, Toyota has become the most leading automaker in terms of its market shares in total and Toyota WISH is also one of the most popular Mini MPVs in Taiwan auto market based on its sales volumes. Lastly, this research study will examine the primary purchasing reasons from some Toyota WISH owners. After conducting this research study, it is clearly to see that Toyota WISH has its own target customers who are mostly mature male adults between ages at early 40s to late 50s and they are usually married with children. Nevertheless, while collecting all the statistical numbers, the precise and accurate automobile sales figures are the most difficult parts to obtain in Taiwan auto market.

Abstract This thesis focuses on how applying the Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) to the enterprise affects the operation cost from the manufacturing perspective. The inventory level of an industry has a crucial impact because it influences the profits, the capital transferring, the inventory space, the quality of products, the administrations, etc. Moreover, the inventory level and the procurement management are so highly related to the overall manufacturing cost that the profitability and competiveness of an industry can be influenced as well. Thus, the relationship between the enterprises and their suppliers has evolved from the traditional price-driven transaction mode to the cooperative relationship. Through the VMI, the suppliers are able to not only be shared with the inventory information from their customers, but have the right to manage customers¡¦ inventories; hence, the customer side can avoid the overcapacity or the shortage as a result of the surplus or insufficient inventories respectively. As a result, the inventory level can be reduced and the high quality service can be provided. The study of our research is based on the factors related to the profitability and efficiency in the enterprise achievement appraisal. I find that the inventory level directly influences the profitability-related factors, and the inventory is also involved with many aspects in the supply chain management, such as the supplier management, the relationship with the suppliers, the procurement strategies, etc. Furthermore, it is feasible to lower the inventory level through the process of the VMI according to the results of our questionnaires. We also held several comprehensive interviews with the industries which apply VMI for years. The useful opinions and suggestions collected from these industries are generalized to a proposal which can be used and referred for the individual enterprise. We hope the results of this thesis have the positive effects for the industry. Key words¡G Inventory control ¡APurchasing management¡AProfiable¡ACompetiable, VMI