Greg Schlegel, adjunct professor at Lehigh University, provides a sneak peak at his new book on the topic of end-to-end supply-chain risk management.

When assessing areas of risk facing their departments, nearly half (45 percent) of chief procurement officers named supplier risk as a top concern, according to a survey by Consero Group, which creates invitation-only events for senior executives. The results were reported as part of the 2015 Global Procurement & Strategic Sourcing Data Survey.

Applying leverage in negotiations results in a zero-sum outcome where one side wins and the other side loses. This typically means that the winner ends up with somewhat more than 50 percent of their hoped-for result and the loser gets somewhat less than 50 percent since, just as in sports competitions where the potential results are win-lose, lose-win and tie, the use of leverage doesn't allow for combined outcomes above 100 percent. Zero-sum outcomes not only create a relational imbalance, they create hard feelings. People who lose in one negotiation often do their best to turn the tables the next time such that they win - and you lose.

Retailers in the United States are taking a huge risk by underestimating the buying power of the over-50 generation, according to a report by the Fung Business Intelligence Centre.

The internet already plays an indispensable role in the everyday life of billions. Yet the surface is only being scratched. The potential to bring new and more advantages to individuals around the world, and to benefit billions more people as they gain access, has few limits. Many of these benefits could have their biggest impact in emerging markets; unfortunately, these are the countries in which internet penetration and use often lag.

President Obama announced nearly $500m in public-private investment to strengthen American manufacturing by investing in cutting-edge technologies through a new, textiles-focused manufacturing institute competition led by the Department of Defense, and by sharpening the capabilities of small manufacturers through Manufacturing Extension Partnership competitions in 12 states. The White House, as detailed in a new report, is also launching a Supply Chain Innovation Initiative focused on building public-private partnerships to strengthen the small U.S. manufacturers that anchor the nation's supply chains.