Analyst Insight: Economic challenges have kept sales and operations planning at the forefront of the supply chain executive's mind. Research has successfully identified the financial benefits that S&OP and integrated business planning (IBP) bring to the table: for example, the Aberdeen Group points to best-in-class companies and the two- to six-times benefits they gained in several key metrics, especially gross margin, in comparison with other companies that did not employ S&OP. Nari Viswanathan, vice president, solutions architecture, Steelwedge Software

Analyst Insight: Our research finds that very few companies have a good handle on supply chain risk. The dynamic nature of trading partner relationships, the depth and global footprint of multi-tier supply networks, and many other factors make building a resilient supply chain very difficult. However, those that manage supply chain risk well can gain market share when the inevitable disruptions occur, impacting their competitors. - Bill McBeath, chief research officer, ChainLink Research

Analyst Insight: There were more than 2,000 supply chain disruptions for publicly held companies in 2011. That, coupled with PRTM's 2010 global survey stating that over 90 percent of all companies plan to grow market share by manufacturing and selling in overseas markets, it goes without saying that our global supply chains will experience additional uncertainty, complexity and risk in 2012. And yet, the vast majority of manufacturers are fully unprepared for the complexity of manufacturing and servicing global customers with regionally customized products. - Gregory L. Schlegel, adjunct professor, Supply Chain Risk Management, Graduate Program, Lehigh University