Standard and Poor's Ratings Services said that its baseline forecast for U.S. regions varies but is generally positive, in a forecast published on RatingsDirect on the Global Credit Portal.

In 2009, Wikimedia, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia and a number of other online, collaborative projects, launched a special wiki - one dedicated to the organization's own strategy. Over the next two years, more than 1,000 volunteers generated some 900 proposals for the company's future direction and then categorized, rationalized, and formed task forces to elaborate on them. The result was a coherent strategic plan detailing a set of beliefs, priorities and related commitments that together engendered among participants a deep sense of dedication to Wikimedia's future.

Wal-Mart's annual meeting next month promises to be a contentious one because of questions over how the retail giant handled bribery allegations at a Mexico subsidiary. Shareholders are concerned about the board members' independence in light of the alleged cover-up of bribery that occurred in 2005 and 2006.

"Sometimes buzz begets buzz." That's Patrick Bower's explanation for why sales and operations planning (S&OP), hardly a new concept, has become so important to companies today. According to the senior director of corporate planning with Combe Inc., globalization has had a big influence on companies looking for ways to plan demand within increasingly complex supply chains.

The decision by the U.S. and the European Union to recognize each other's trusted shippers is expected to save those companies money through speedier customs authorization.

Companies wonder how often they should meet in order to achieve maximum information-sharing within the organization, as part of an effective sales and operations planning (S&OP) process. "As often as they need," advises Sanjiv Sharma, head of sales and operations planning with Rolls-Royce Energy Systems. "As little as they can get away with."

APQC, a member-based nonprofit specializing in benchmarking, knowledge management, measurement, and process improvement, wants to know whether you think third-party logistics services providers and 4PLs are meeting their customers' needs.

The number of "active, for-hire carriers" registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is 166,810, an increase of 8 percent, or 11,570 since February 2011, according to the State of the DOT report released by QualifiedCarriers.