A Comparison of Supply Chain Decision-Making Factors between Foreign and Local Retailers in Taiwan

With the present economic trends of globalization, the retailing businesses, along with many other businesses, have extended their operations beyond the national boundaries. Meanwhile, the competition scenario within retailing industry has now evolved from competition between individual companies to that between supply chains. Thus, retailing companies need to consider the relevant factors determining their performance from a holistic view. This paper studies and compares the decision factors related to supply chain network design between international and local retailers in Taiwan. By comparing the different views from local retailers and the international retailers, the authors try to obtain a general understanding of the differences regarding the importance of the factors to the two groups of retailers. This research outcome could be used as a guide by the retailing industry in their supply chain network design in this particular region, and also as a fundament for further research in a wider range