Seventy percent of chief procurement officers (CPOs) say their suppliers do not provide sufficient innovation and value to their companies, according to a new survey by Consero Group, which creates invitation-only events for senior executives. The results were reported as part of the 2013 Global Procurement & Strategic Sourcing Data Survey.

In the United States, B2B e-commerce revenue has now more than doubled that of B2C - with $559bn annually in sales - and B2B players that fail to embrace online and mobile as leading channels risk losing market share in the short and medium term, and sustainable competitive advantage in the long-term.

When it comes to public sector procurement, the federal government is the big kahuna, over $500bn-a-year large. Yet, when it comes to managing this massive amount of taxpayer dollars, there's really no one in charge to direct how best the feds can spend and manage this money.

Consumers have moved on from BlackBerry. T-Mobile will no longer sell the company's smartphones in its stores. And now a manufacturing partner wants out.

Initiatives by such retail giants as Tesco and Walmart and recent research by bodies including the University of Minnesota Institute highlight the impact suppliers within a supply chain have on a company's energy footprint, but research by renewable energy company Urban Wind suggests that policies targeting vendors' energy use are piling pressure on UK suppliers.

Architects want a better relationship with each part of the building and construction supply chain, especially as lean practices move heavily into the commercial construction industry.