ABSTRACT
Concentrating on core business has become the trend in many industries. This means that those activities that are not core to the business are outsourced to specialized suppliers. For companies doing this, decisions on how to acquire the basic products and services required to meet their customers’ needs have come to be of strategic importance. They define the company’s position in its competitive environment. The long-term relationships with suppliers that are the result of such sourcing practices are therefore included in the company’s strategic planning processes.
