Change management as it is traditionally applied is outdated. We know, for example, that 70 percent of change programs fail to achieve their goals, largely due to employee resistance and lack of management support. We also know that when people are truly invested in change it is 30 percent more likely to stick.

The grand golden doors of 500 Pearl Street, in Manhattan, have welcomed such glamorous names as Hermès, Tiffany & Co., and Kering, a French conglomerate whose treasures include Gucci and Bottega Veneta. The building is not a posh hotel or department store. It is the federal court for the Southern District of New York, a favored battleground for the decidedly unglamorous war against counterfeit goods.

Brick-and-mortar retailers - including supermarkets, discounters, drugstores and mass merchandisers - rely heavily on promotions, which typically account for 10 to 45 percent of their total revenues. Although promotions are a powerful instrument for increasing sales and margin, they are also difficult to use effectively.

CIOs attribute the recent resurgence of hardware manufacturing to the popularity of wearables and the Internet of Things, according to a survey released by Riverwood Solutions, a supply chain services and operations consulting firm.

Ted Diamantis, an importer of Greek wines who is based in Chicago, has been helping his suppliers stock up on bottles, labels and printing ink. The barrels, though, have him worried.

Many companies have become adept at using supply-chain management to increase their competitiveness, yet the function remains under-utilized in one vital area: working capital management.