Increased offshore manufacturing coupled with growing demands for more customized products and rapid delivery require a more flexible order-fulfillment model. Supply-chain strategists and solution providers are responding to this challenge.

A conversation with Jeremy Shapiro, professor of operations research and management emeritus in the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.

Despite the obvious differences between software developers and the customers they serve, fundamentally they too are running businesses. Quite aside from the 'winning' qualities of their products, these companies need sound business practices to ensure profitability quarter after quarter.

Thousands of hours and millions of dollars are spent each year by retailers and CPG companies to resolve conflicts and discrepancies caused by mis-matched and out-of-date item data. Now, all that is about to change.

Here's what the best companies are doing, in making sure they retain visibility over products and information in the chain. • Third in the Best Practices series.