Final answer:
Purchasing is increasingly part of non-traditional areas like transportation services due to the impacts of technology and globalization, which have reduced transportation costs and enhanced global trade, necessitating more strategic purchasing and logistics management.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason purchasing is becoming increasingly involved in the purchase of transportation services and other non-traditional purchasing areas is largely due to the shifts in technology and globalization. These shifts have made markets more competitive and interconnected, allowing for an increased level of trade on a global scale. With the improvement of communication technologies such as the internet, buyers and suppliers can connect from anywhere, necessitating the involvement of purchasing in securing cost-effective and efficient transportation for goods. Additionally, innovations in shipping and air cargo have driven down transportation costs, making it more viable for businesses to manage long-distance connections and prompting purchasing departments to optimize logistics and supply chain management. Moreover, the ability to transport informational products and services digitally at even lower costs reinforces the need for purchasing departments to actively engage in unconventional areas to ensure the business remains competitive.