Ann-Marie Daugherty, senior vice president and general manager of supply chain with Inmar Intelligence, explains the complexities of the returns process for items purchased online — one that requires multiple partners in an efficient “ecosystem.”

A new study by SAP and Oxford Economics on managing procurement spend finds that the discipline is well behind the curve in shedding manual processes and embracing automation.

The consumer products giant Unilever plc is promising a “living wage” for all of its supply-chain workers by the year 2030. Can it make good on that pledge?