The use of external labor is widespread, comprising as much as 30 percent to 50 percent of the total global workforce. Companies of all sizes, and in all industries and geographies, have a large flexible workforce on the ground around the world, including contingent workers, independent contractors, workers engaged through Statements of Work (SOWs), offshore resources and those involved in a variety of other project-based services.

With omnichannel, consumers and their mobile phones are doing pricing, web shopping and so forth. But what about manufacturers? They have omnichannels of their own, and suppliers to those retailers are an intrinsic part of retailers' strategies, yet the media is paying this scant attention.

What can automobile manufacturers to do stop the endless flood of recalls, some of which result in injury or death to drivers and passengers?

Making the case for supply chain is both an art and a science, says Michael Dominy, vice president and chief of research with Gartner. He explains how supply-chain executives can communicate the message both up and down the organizational structure, and handle the sometimes-touchy issue of change management.

Apparently, there's a growing worry among many businesses located outside the U.S. in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa regarding the "ethics" of their supply chain partners.