Late next year, consumers will be able to buy smartphones that either come with native "hypervisor" software or use an app allowing them to run two interfaces on the phone: one for personal use, one for work.

The shift by manufacturers from offshore locations in Asia back to the U.S., Mexico and other parts of the western hemisphere is more than anecdotal, says David Kilzer, senior vice president of supply chain solutions with Idhasoft. He outlines the factors that are causing companies to rethink their supply networks.

The discussion of American manufacturing is often a muddled one, steeped in nostalgia for a bygone era and accompanied by a certain misty-eyed conviction that it is a sector in ceaseless decline. A new study from the McKinsey Global Institute adds some welcome clarity. In 184 pages, the global consulting giant presents a picture of manufacturing as among the most dynamic sectors of the U.S. and global economies, driving higher productivity and standards of living. But it also shows that what we usually think of as a traditional manufacturing job isn't coming back.

Two technology development streams are converging toward a point that makes fuel cells attractive as a power source for marine propulsion. They are the growing adoption of hybrid-electric powertrain systems and the projected growth in the number of vessels burning LNG as fuel.

Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) is top of mind for most CIOs and IT leaders these days, but only a fraction of the IT organizations that have opened the BYOD door have gone beyond allowing access to company email and instant messaging, according to a recent study by Blue Coat, Web security and WAN optimization company. Blue Coat also found that IT staff and other company employees have dramatically different perspectives on security when it comes to mobile devices.

A new Urban Manufacturing Alliance (UMA) has been launched to accelerate the growth of urban manufacturing across the U.S. and to capitalize on the sector's ability to create stable, high-quality jobs.

Chief financial officers in the transportation industry have grown more optimistic about their industry and the overall economy, according to GE Capital's latest Middle Market CFO survey.

Corporations spinning off businesses, private equity investment in retail, continued cross-border activity and expansion into e-commerce drove retail and consumer merger and acquisition activity in the third quarter of 2012, according to PwC's US retail and consumer M+A insights report.

Stanley Fawcett, visiting professor of global supply chain management at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, discusses five key qualities that make a supply chain leader indispensable to an organization and offers tips on how companies can identify and nurture these employees.