By 2030, the supply chain market labor market is estimated to experience a 20 percent shortage of trained employees. The skill gap is at the intersection of new process evolution based on emerging analytics, the evolution of blockchain, and the use of streaming data for the building of outside-in processes. While most companies have established programs for new hires and high-performance employees, the training of supply chain employees on next-generation processes is a gap. -Lora Cecere, Founder, Supply Chain Insights

With the emergence of new digital technologies such as Mobility, Big Data, Cloud, Business Intelligence/AI, the IoT, etc., new and more abundant sources of data are available to improve forecasting and demand management. Companies that embrace digital and transform their demand management processes will gain significant competitive advantage. While the traditional statistical forecast may serve a baseline, demand analyses must extend across functions (silos) and include many different sources of causal data. -Rich Sherman, Senior Fellow, Supply Chain Centre of Excellence, Tata Consultancy Services

Historic disruption is happening across the food and beverage industries. Changes in consumer preferences and rapid consolidation have created a challenging business environment for many companies. Response to these pressures can't happen fast enough, especially for companies that have historically dominated the market. Shrinking margins and revenue declines mean there is less cash on hand to invest in innovation – and that's driving companies to find new ways to improve cash flow. -Tom Roberts, SVP Global Marketing, PrimeRevenue

The huge security flaw discovered in chips made by Intel Corp., AMD and ARM is threatening nearly all computers, servers, TVs, phones and other mobile devices.

Just how do you make a deal, anyway?