The aim of the thesis was to find out the role of supplier selection in the importing process. How different Muay Thai (Thaiboxing) equipment suppliers differ from each other and how their way of working affect the importing process was also to be studied.
The theoretical part of the thesis examines importing process, importing agent services and criterias for choosing an international supplier. The information on these topics will be used in the empirical part of the thesis.
A qualitative questionnaire was made and Finnish Muay Thai equipment wholesalers were contacted. The wholesalers were buying the products from the following suppliers: Twins, King Professional, Blue Corner Sport, Fairtex and Windy. The wholesalers were contacted by phone, and an oral interview was conducted.
The research concentrated on the suppliers way of working, their offering and the overall quality of their services. The wholesalers were interviewed to get a good debriefing of the suppliers.
It turned out in the research that the supplier selection makes a big difference regarding the success of importing and selling. Different suppliers work in different ways and their processes differ when compared to other suppliers. This means that supplier selection has a big effect in the importing process. .
