The boom in specialty pharmaceuticals is reshaping the pharmacy industry's market structure as 10 companies account for 70 percent of specialty pharmacy revenues, according to Adam J. Fein, CEO of the Drug Channels Institute and author of the study on pharmacy economics and the pharmaceutical supply chain.

The emergence of Big Data poses significant challenges to retail supply chains. But it also offers the opportunity to gain new insights into customer demand. Annibal Sodero, assistant professor at the Walton College of Business University of Arkansas, explains.

U.S. manufacturing executives have an opportunity to make their factories even more competitive through parts and components de-costing programs. De-costing is simply a term that refers to removing cost from operations period-over-period. Parts and components usage is a great place to focus because improvements can provide such clear returns.

Fresno, Calif.-based Electronic Recyclers International has partnered with the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business's Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership to develop next generation solutions for e-waste recycling.

The recent robust manufacturing performance should continue in the near-term despite marginal declines in some indicators, according to the quarterly MAPI Foundation Business Outlook, a survey conducted by the MAPI Foundation, the research affiliate of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation.

The online grocery delivery business seems to get more crowded - and more competitive - by the minute. Tech giants Google and Amazon.com are offering it in some major cities, and so are upstarts such as Instacart, Postmates and FreshDirect. These newcomers are battling with more established businesses such as Peapod, which has been delivering groceries for more than 20 years, and services from companies such as Wal-Mart that allow customers to place orders online and pick them up at a nearby store.