A bitter dispute between the Panama Canal and a Spanish-led consortium of construction companies over the spiraling cost of expanding one of the world's busiest waterways was years in the making.

A world where consumers want the freedom to shop and buy through a variety of channels while receiving the same brand experience and rapid, no-cost delivery, challenges retailers and logistics providers to come up with new and cost-effective solutions.

Firms can manage their sourcing better by developing relationships not only with their suppliers but with their suppliers' suppliers, according to two papers co-written by a University of Illinois supply chain management expert.

Executives from supply chain partners Manhattan Associates and Papa John's Pizza discuss how they use modeling and optimization tools to safely test changes in Papa John's transportation policies, leading to continuous service improvements at the lowest possible cost.

The Stifel Logistics Confidence Index entered 2014 on a positive note. Despite a month-to-month 0.9 point decline in the overall Index reading to 56.6, the Logistics Confidence Index has remained above the 50-level for 12 months, meaning the market continues to exhibit a healthy confidence in air and sea freight forwarding. To get a better view of global air and ocean trade, Stifel has partnered with Transport Intelligence to create the Stifel Logistics Confidence Index (LCI), a monthly survey of international shippers and forwarders that measures freight activity across several European-based trade lanes.