QUESTION 2 [20 Marks]

The Hackett Group helps businesses design an effective sourcing and procurement strategy. We show organizations, how to craft their organizations journey to world-class performance by providing insights on the business best practices, processes, and process metrics that world-class organizations adopt for purchase-to-pay process design, organizational design, globalization, as well as solution selection and implementation. Our experienced senior transformation advisors quickly diagnose current performance and quantify the cost opportunity of driving the organization to perform at world-class levels, working collaboratively with key stakeholders to create a process transformation roadmap. (The Hackett Group, 2018).

Based on the statement provided above, give a critical account of the strategic role of purchasing in the South African retail industry. Furthermore, provide a detailed account of the main factors that you consider as influential or responsible for the major changes that have taken place in procurement and supply chain strategies.