Tim Jordan, associate director for supply chain management with MAP Pharmaceuticals, talks about the key elements involved in setting up a strategic sourcing program for global companies.
Business uses for YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are fast catching up to the leisure uses that have been their primary raison d'etre so far, and usage of LinkedIn, which was created as a business tool, keeps soaring.
The European Parliament overwhelmingly defeated an international anti-piracy trade agreement after concern that it would limit internet freedom sparked street protests in cities across Europe.
The vote - 39 in favor, 478 against, with 165 abstentions - appeared to deal the death blow to the European Union's participation in a treaty it helped negotiate, though other countries may still participate without the EU.
Acquisitions are a vital component of growth for many businesses. Yet a high proportion of deals fail to deliver value. Why? A common reason is that, because of time pressures and complexity, many companies struggle to integrate fully after the deal. Synergy targets that were so enticing in the run-up to the deal melt away under the realities of meshing two often very different organizations in a short time.
The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies has joined with FreightWatch International to offer customers additional protection against cargo theft. Under the arrangement, FreightWatch will grant customers of Chubb transportation insurance a 10-percent discount on real-time shipment-tracking services.
Accenture has announced a management consulting contract with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for a project to improve food supply capabilities in natural disasters and emergencies.
Driven in part by the global financial crisis, foreign intelligence services, corporations and computer hackers have stepped up efforts to steal technology and trade secrets from American companies, the FBI's top spy hunter told Congress.
The expansion of global supply chains has meant an exponential growth of the risk of disruptions to those networks. Catastrophic events, such as the Japanese earthquake and Hurricane Katrina, have highlighted the need for analysis of disruption risk and development of mitigation plans to cope with them. In addition, trends such as globalization, heavy reliance on transportation and communication infrastructures, and lean manufacturing have led to an increase in the vulnerability of supply networks. Furthermore, nodes on supply chains are very often interrelated, causing these vulnerabilities to propagate rapidly.
Retail theft, including shoplifting, employee theft, administrative error and vendor fraud is down, according to an annual survey recently conducted by the University of Florida. The National Retail Security Survey 2011 report found that theft as a percentage of revenue was 1.41 percent, down from 1.49 percent in the previous findings. This calculates to an approximate $2.6bn decline in losses.
The International Air Cargo Association has applauded the recent agreements forged by authorities around the world to mutually recognize other countries' airfreight screening regimes. But more nations should follow the lead of these trailblazing countries, TIACA says.