Despite the high expectations of wholesale buyers, nearly 40 percent of the top wholesale companies have extremely basic or nonexistent websites, missing an opportunity to enhance the buyer experience through e-commerce, according to a report from hybris, a commerce platform.

On March 11, 2011, a tsunami off the coast of Japan caused human tragedy on a massive scale, killing thousands and rendering more than half a million homeless. The tsunami also wreaked havoc on business supply chains worldwide. Toyota and Honda experienced a 30-percent and 60-percent decline in profit, respectively, which both attributed to production lags caused by limited supplies of parts after the tsunami. The tsunami caused an estimated $40bn in economic losses due to interruptions in global supply chains.

Inventory is evil. Inventory is essential. The two statements aren't necessarily contradictory. Not if companies can figure out a way to determine the absolute minimum amount of stock needed to keep customers happy, while maintaining a tight lid on costs.

Unilever United States and Canada announced that all 26 of its manufacturing and non-manufacturing headquarter facilities are now zero waste to landfill (ZLF). Other countries in which Unilever has achieved this milestone reportedly include the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Japan.

Perry Santia, senior vice president of Genpact, provides the "big picture" of how high-tech supply chains are coping with the challenges of serving customers today.

There is only so much that a single organization is going to be able to achieve to improve the impact it has on the environment or society, without collaborating with the wider aspects of its supply chain.