Many observers are questioning whether Africa's economic advances are running out of steam. Five years ago, growth was accelerating in almost all of the region's 30 largest economies, but the recent picture has been more mixed: while growth has sped up in about half of Africa's economies, it has slowed in the rest.

The recent bankruptcy of South Korean ocean carrier Hanjin Shipping is causing "widespread disruptions" to supply chains across the country, according to the National Retail Federation, which wants the U.S. government to step in.

Panera Bread and Chipotle Mexican Grill passed with flying colors, but KFC and Olive Garden were among the laggards in commitments to eliminate medically important antibiotics from their meat and poultry supply chains, according to a new report.

Unless you are doing all your system configuration and implementation work internally, you'll be depending on consultants to get your cloud projects done. When consultants start doing dumb things, your project will be at risk. Even if they get your project done right, if they can't make a profit they'll eventually have to bail on you. The market for cloud consulting services is not healthy, even though it is growing like mad. This means you must do your homework and take your time.

Despite many adversities for the maritime sector over the last year, seaborne perishable reefer trade increased in 2015 -- and is forecast to grow further still in 2016. By 2020, seaborne reefer cargo will reach a staggering 120 million tonnes, increasing by an average of 2.5 percent per annum, according to the latest edition of the Reefer Shipping Market Review and Forecast 2016/17, published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.