The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, but given the state of the economy and other recent events, it's hard to feel positive about much of anything right now - least of all the outlook for transportation policy reform. So why is Joshua Schank, president and chief executive officer of the Eno Center for Transportation, "more optimistic than I have been in a long time" about the prospects for funding critical infrastructure improvements?

'Tis the season for prognostications. Staring into the big data crystal ball one thing seems clear: We can expect to see the continuing growth of the internet; wireless networks; social media; and the number of mobile devices, sensors and other digital technology that is flooding us with new data every minute of every day.

It's no surprise that supply chains are growing in complexity as manufacturers continue to globalize in order to reduce costs and expand their market. With this shift, manufacturers need to take a new approach to managing their supply chains by finding ways to improve communication with suppliers, obtain early visibility into sourcing information and better mitigate supplier risk.

In 2005 Walmart made history when then-CEO Lee Scott announced a bold sustainability strategy that would impact every aspect of its business. Along the way business researchers from the University of South Carolina and the University of Arkansas were given unprecedented access to study the process. A three-year project has culminated into a series of case studies, available online, that will be used to teach business students and executives about sustainability and business development.

Big business could be saving millions of dollars per year - a full margin point or more - on their indirect spend: areas like IT, logistics, marketing, and energy that may not be a part of a business's core product, but have a big impact on the bottom line.