The original text was written over 40 years ago by Peter Baily and David Farmer
and was in its day one of a very small number of specialised texts relating to the
field of purchasing and supply. Since that time, purchasing and supply chain
management has become recognised as a crucial strategic activity by those
concerned with organisational management and as a recognised academic
discipline, with a growing number of university professors dedicated to the
subject area. It is reassuring to note that the literature on the subject continues to expand, as does the amount of academic and practitioner interest in it,
reflected in the now substantial number of university degrees available at both
under- and postgraduate level. The visionary and pioneering work that Peter
and David took part in, probably to some extent as a gesture of faith, is now
fully justified.