Commercial vessels that operate beyond the internal waters of the United States, otherwise known as "beyond the boundary line," are subject to the provisions of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, which requires that they be allowed to rest.

What are the latest trends in supply-chain outsourcing? We get a perspective from Michael Dominy, research director with Gartner.

Achieving breakthrough improvements in sustainable packaging is more difficult than simply substituting one material for another. In fact, for many, the mere mention of the term can bring to mind flimsy plastic water bottles and noisy chip bags, designs with laudable intent but a high potential for detracting from the customer experience, according to a Deloitte report called "Thinking Outside the Box: Throw Away Your Current Approach to Packaging."

Every company possesses supply-chain capabilities and supporting IT systems. But they often don't mesh. Roddy Martin, senior vice president of global supply chain with CCI, calculates the price of misalignment - and lays out a strategy for combating the chronic problem.

When it comes to corporate social responsibility, consumers want more than aspirational mission statement, according to research by Cone Communications. They want to know what companies are doing.

Legendary lean practitioner Art Byrne says he didn't have to accept excuses from employees when he requested dramatic improvements on the plant floor. That's because Byrne had become a "lean expert" and knew what type of changes were possible. There's a big difference between CEOs who engage in lean and those who simply encourage it.

Building solid supplier relationships and focusing on value creation can help supply managers discover strategic suppliers' unique capabilities.

After Steve and Lori Dockendorf's two oldest children left their dairy farm to go to college, the husband-and-wife owners of a 100-cow farm in Watkins, Minn., had to figure out how to replace the labor they'd lost. The traditional solution would have been to hire a couple of extra hands. Instead, the Dockendorfs went with robots: robots to help feed the cows, robots to help clean the barn, even robots that can milk the cows.