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The costs of commodities such as oil and food, which are fundamentally the basic elements of business and everyday life, are shooting up uncontrollably. This will, ultimately, cause - and is already causing - short-term shocks to all.

While the prices of all goods and services are rising to cope with these changes, people's salaries, unfortunately, are not moving fast enough in the same direction. Yes, we are talking about inflation.

My biggest concern, today, is how we start seeing the diminishing purchasing power of the middle class, the suffering of the lower-income group and the widening gaps between the rich and the poor.

A few years ago, the same worry was just a "concern" but now, it looks like it is here to stay and grow. Also, as expected, this phenomenon is not  uniquely Thai, but is happening around the world simultaneously.

In the light of this information, we as heads of companies that produce for or service the middle-income group face difficulties on two fronts. The first is the rising cost of the services provided and the second is that at the same time, raising the prices may off set demand. In my field, it is sad to say the prices we propose are moving away from the affordable category for some groups. With the changing demand swing, we as policy makers need to change and adapt to the new environment. Therefore, the only direction ahead is to modify ourselves to the needs of consumers who can afford to use our services.

This is an example of how different companies or service providers adapt to change.  So, whether the environment changes positively or negatively, change it will. Therefore, leaders of corporates will need to be flexible and ready to cope with different situations, which most of the time are beyond their control.