When assessing areas of risk facing their departments, nearly half (45 percent) of chief procurement officers named supplier risk as a top concern, according to a survey by Consero Group, which creates invitation-only events for senior executives. The results were reported as part of the 2015 Global Procurement & Strategic Sourcing Data Survey.

Top-performing procurement organizations are expanding their purview to drive company-wide innovation and top-line growth as opposed to confining themselves to their traditional roles as gatekeepers of corporate spending, according to a study from IBM.

Getting bad publicity, losing customers and being subject to criminal consequences are just a few of the risks an organization can face when its procurement professionals are unaware of constantly changing social responsibility concerns.