Recent issues in the European food supply have resulted in supply chains making the news for all the wrong reasons. Consumers have been shocked at revelations that products labeled as beef also contained significant quantities of horsemeat, up to 100 percent in some cases. More than a month after the Food Safety Authority in Ireland published its findings of traces of horse DNA in burgers, we are still seeing daily announcements of new product withdrawals by retailers across Europe.

Analyst Insight: As traditional retailers feel the sting of Amazon's long tail whip, e-commerce and retail are merging into omni-channel strategies. In the Connected Age everyone is always connected to everything, always on, and location based. Just as the power shifted from manufacturer to retailer, the power in the retail channel has now shifted to the consumer who can buy anything from anyone, anytime, from anywhere. You better know your customer and your market to succeed. - Rich Sherman, Supply Chain Discipline Expert at Trissential

Analyst Insight: Retail is in a dramatic transformative phase. Consumers' multichannel access and shopping and web commerce vs. in-store shopping have retailers experimenting with many new approaches and technologies. Multi-merged channel expectations put fulfillment front and center as a major concern - no more relegating supply chain to the backwaters of retail management! - Ann Grackin, CEO, ChainLink Research

Analyst Insight: Supply chain has often been an afterthought for pharmaceutical manufacturers. The patent cliff, increasing reliance on generics, and price pressure from payers all create considerable margin pressures on pharma companies as well. This forces them to pay closer attention to operational efficiencies, including the supply chain. However, less noticed is the impact that evidence-based medicine and outcome-driven payment strategies have, compelling pharmaceutical manufacturers to more closely manage their entire end-to-end chain, especially on the downstream side. - Bill McBeath, Chief Research Officer, ChainLink Research

Analyst Insight: The pharmaceutical and bio-tech industry, as well as the medical device and medical product industries, are at a crossroads. This crossroads consists of industry identity and business channel markets determination - each of which will drive every company's future in the domestic and international marketplace as a single sector leader or multimarket healthcare provider for the coming decade. - Brian Hudock, Partner, Tompkins International