Following OPEC's decision at the end of November to maintain production at its current level, the Brent spot price of oil closed at $70.02 per barrel, down 39 percent from its closing price of $115.19 on June 19, 2014. Similarly, the WTI spot price fell by 39 percent over the same period, closing at $66.15 at the end of November. What's next? Will the price of oil continue to fall, and if so, how far? Will the price of oil level out? Or will it rebound?

For states in the northern half of the country, particularly the Midwest and Northeast, tough winters are expected. Prolonged freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls rarely catch anyone off guard in those regions.

It's been a year since Target's data breach and retailers are still vulnerable even as the busiest shopping season kicks into high gear, warn security experts, largely due to a lack of focus on asset management.

Sixty-eight percent of small-business owners surveyed recently expressed optimism for the upcoming holiday season as retail sales are poised to increase nationwide.

Relocation of manufacturing and product sourcing to emerging economies is no longer the gold standard for global businesses, according to a study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's, Global Supply Chain Institute.