A growing chorus of economists, engineers and business leaders are warning that the evisceration of the manufacturing work force over the last 30 years might not have scarred just Detroit and the Rust Belt. It might have dimmed the country's capacity to innovate and stunted the prospects for long-term growth.

Steady, albeit slow business growth. A U.S. economy that continues to expand, but at a moderate rate. Weak fundamentals in most markets in the first half. Those are some of the comments of chief executive officers of Class I railroads as they assess the outlook for 2013.

The consumer of the future will be more mobile, social and self-sufficient, willing to share details on themselves and their preferences in exchange for highly personalized relationships with their favorite stores, according to a new IBM consumer survey. The study also found that consumers' willingness to advocate for a particular retailer is becoming multifaceted, with consumers looking for a flawless experience, whether it's when they're researching, purchasing, or receiving delivery.

A potential labor strike by longshoremen along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts at the end of the year could have devastating economic consequences as inventory depletion, rerouting, hoarding, and price speculation ripple through supply chains of global companies, according to a report from the Marsh research firm.

IATA's latest Airline Industry Forecast predicts average international freight growth of three percent per year over the next five years. That would mean volumes will total 34.5 million tonnes by 2016, 4.8 million tonnes more than the 2011 total.

A whopping 94 percent of B2B purchasers surveyed in the 2012 hybris State of B2B E-Commerce study said suppliers need to create an online buying experience as simple as using a B2C website.