Noha Tohamy, research vice president with Gartner, identifies the proactive strategies that leading companies are using to manage supply-chain risk today.

One of the hottest topics of discussion at the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference 2012 was supply-chain segmentation. Chris Gordon, practice head and global network lead with Wipro Technologies, explains the concept, and its compelling benefits.

How people speak is as important as the words they say when it comes to sentiment analysis. "The human voice is made of many repeating patterns," said Amir Liberman, CEO of Nemesysco. "Everything that attracts your attention will generate a slight disturbance in these patterns. We look carefully at this voice chart, and we identify disturbances."

The World Resources Institute (WRI) has incorporated sustainability into the traditional SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis employed by many businesses.

Why have companies been so slow to apply lean principles and techniques to service processes such as finance, human resources, accounting, health care, and customer service? One reason is that the waste and inefficiency that can interfere with services are rarely obvious.

Texas Christian University (TCU) is offering a Professional Certificate in Supply and Value Chain Management, beginning in January 2013.

Suresh Iyer, vice president and global practice head with Genpact, shows how companies can remain competitive in the face of increasing volatility and uncertainty in their supply chains.