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Analyzes the nature of purchase decision making and buyer‐seller relationship development in the French food processing industry. It is the result of a detailed empirical study undertaken among 30 firms and international suppliers, and part of a larger research project. Intensive face‐to‐face interviews were carried out with purchasing executives drawn from 30 firms operating in the industry. Confirms the need for suppliers to understand in greater detail factors that buyers regard as decisive in their choice of a supplier as well as those that are pivotal in the development of long‐term relationships. A detailed understanding of these factors would aid suppliers in better formulating appropriate market entry and growth strategies in this increasingly competitive environment.

In a study involving a mail survey of Australian and New Zealand purchasing agents, a number of hypotheses relating to the potential influence of country‐of‐origin information were investigated. Country‐of‐assembly and country‐of‐design were both included in this study, which also examined the differences between higher risk purchases such as machine tools and more routine purchases such as component parts. A multi‐dimensional approach to product quality was adopted, based on earlier exploratory studies. Country‐of‐origin was found to influence product quality perceptions and similar patterns were observed in both national samples. Differences in absolute levels, however, were found, suggesting that caution is needed on the part of suppliers dealing in both markets in relation to the value of this type of information.