In the evolving supply chain, technology has allowed for more rapid and productive dissemination of critical information between organizational partners upstream and downstream. While this increased flexibility, scalability and efficiency of operations provides economies of scale and scope on the revenue and expense side for businesses, the tradeoff becomes a burgeoning access terminal for cybercriminals to poach critical intelligence flows.

Are cryptocurrencies like bitcoin gaining legitimacy in the retail and services sector? And what impact might they have on the supply chain?

You think you've had bad customer service buying products online - how about the guy in India who ordered his wife a Samsung smartphone, and the package arrived with only a brick and a bar of soap in it!

The big North American distributor of industrial products was looking for a means to eliminate paper and curb the flood of e-mail exchanges generated by its supplier-management efforts. It also wanted to keep closer tabs on a growing supplier base. Time for an automated solution.

The global electronics contract manufacturing market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.74 percent from 2012-2016, according to TechNavio analysts. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the need for original equipment manufacturers to optimize resources. With the fast-paced product development environment of high-tech electronics manufacturers, creating a closed-loop, traceable collaboration process with their contract manufacturing partners and suppliers is key to product efficiencies, quality, compliance and meeting time-to-market goals.

Innovation of the Year: Disruptive technology products must get to market faster than ever, and a product innovation center at Flextronics reconfigures the supply chain to do just that. Runner-up: Sears Holdings Corp. Finalists: Intel, Fast Logistics, Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council

You would think that proper risk management would be top of mind for high-tech supply chain executives. So why do they keep getting it wrong?

The nationwide driver shortage just won't go away. And shippers are paying the price.