Paper Title
Supplier Selection Criteria For Effective Social Responsible Purchasing in South Africa

Abstract
Businesses should engage in social responsible purchasing by selecting suppliers based on non-economic purchasing criteria. Therefore the objectives of this study were to determine the supplier selection criteria for effective social responsible purchasing and the effect of the demographic profile of purchasing staff on the identified supplier selection criteria. A quantitative research methodology was followed. Data was collected in a survey with a final sample of 273 respondents using a structured self-administered questionnaire. South African businesses regard environmental-, human rights-, diversity- and safety considerations as important supplier selection criteria for effective social responsible purchasing. Gender influences how purchasing staff view safety and ethics as supplier selection criteria for effective social responsible purchasing. Index Terms� Demographics, Implementation, Social responsible purchasing, Supply chain management.