There have been plenty of predictions about the "bring your own device" trend, but that's not stopping Gartner from making a few more. Gartner's latest research shows 38 percent of companies expect to stop providing devices to workers by 2016 and half of companies will mandate BYOD by 2017.

A six-month consultation period is under way in which the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will seek widespread input on the administrative burdens that may result from compliance with IMO instruments.

Companies are increasingly connecting the dots between risk management and sustainability by making sustainability issues more prominent on corporate agendas, according to :2013 six growing trends in corporate sustainability", an Ernst & Young LLP / GreenBiz Group study.

Managing inventory requires skillfully balancing a variety of complicated and competing objectives. Supply management professionals responsible for inventory have to control inventory holding costs, such as warehousing and financial opportunity costs, while pursuing cost savings that may be obtained with larger purchases. They also simultaneously support ambitious customer service levels for a constantly expanding product portfolio. Of course, supply managers who focus on inventory know these pressures well.

The way suppliers are typically segmented may work well for prioritizing procurement resources on supplier selection, managing supplier performance, and supporting and developing strategic suppliers. But it doesn't always work well for prioritizing resources on risk management and compliance. Many B and C suppliers may be easily switched, but still represent large material risks to the company (such as litigation or regulatory fines).

Bangladesh is a dangerous place to work in a factory as the Rana Plaza building collapse shows. Local health and safety regulations are so weak that last spring, even before the Rana Plaza disaster, executives at Disney decided they would no longer source toys and apparel from Bangladesh. The company felt the risk to its reputation wasn't worth the low cost of production.

The deaths of more than 600 garment workers in Bangladesh's Rana Plaza factory collapse April 24 is a tragedy that highlights widespread problems in the global apparel industry. But will it be the spark that finally leads to much-needed global reforms?