As social expectations grow, organizations are increasingly focused on defining 'purpose'. This was a major theme at the 2019 World Economic Forum and momentum has continued, most notably with the recognition by 181 top CEOs that 'business needs a purpose beyond profit'.

This may seem a rather provocative headline - but it is apparently a question frequently asked by business people in Asia, based on their experiences with counterparts from the Western world.

Effectively managing suppliers is not easy. In many cases, the tools and systems that support supplier management are at best rudimentary. Indeed, a report released this week by the Supply Chain Research Council reveals that Excel spreadsheets 'remain the most commonly used analytical tool'. Not an especially powerful way to gather, analyze or act upon data.

Aspirational visions such as eliminating hunger, poverty or child mortality are often dismissed as unrealistic. Yet while they are certainly challenging, progress towards these goals has been remarkable. Over the last four decades, the proportion of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has dropped from 42% to 10%. Since 1950, the percentage dying during childhood has dropped from 27% to 4%. Major challenges remain – but history suggests we will succeed in addressing them.

While there are multiple publications addressing the operational aspects of contracting and negotiation, It is interesting to observe that there is no existing book providing a holistic view of commercial and contracting strategy. Is that because it’s not needed, or it’s too complicated, or perhaps it reflects the fact that commercial and contracting activities are too fragmented, that there is typically no natural ‘owner’ equipped to compose or use such a work?