Lobna Hafez

Abstract

The food processing sector is one of the most important industrial sectors in Egypt. The sector, however, faces various challenges arising from the local supply side, leading to the inconsistent quality of inputs. This could be traced to poor cultivation practices, low quality and unavailability of inputs, lack of quality assurance and quality control and limited skills. Supplier relationship management (SRM) can provide a solution to these challenges. If buying firms worked on improving their relationship with suppliers, mutual benefits could be achieved. For this reason, this research focuses on developing a maturity model to assess the level of SRM maturity in buying firms in the food processing sector. A conceptual framework for SRM has been developed. An empirical study has been conducted in four stages. In stage one; semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to understand the current situation of SRM in the Egyptian food processing sector. In stage two, a Delphi study was conducted in order to validate the conceptual framework. In stage three, an AHP analysis was used to prioritize the SRM practices and sub-practices. Based on the results of the Delphi study and the AHP, the maturity model was developed. In stage four, action research was used to validate the maturity model and put it into application in a real-life context. This thesis adds to the literature investigating supplier relationship management in general and food supply chain in particular and fills the gap in the literature by developing a maturity model that assesses SRM in the food processing sector in Egypt. The supplier relationship model developed in this research is aimed at creating awareness of the importance of the relationship management practices that contribute to better SRM and how they could be achieved. The model can also be used as a self-administered tool to help firms in understanding their current situation and determine their weaknesses and act accordingly.

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2023

Embargo Period

2024-06-29

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