Interruptions and impediments to supply chain operations continue to rank among the greatest concerns for U.S. technology companies, according to an annual report issued by BDO USA, an accounting and consulting organization. Eighty-eight percent of tech companies cite concerns over reliable suppliers, vendors, distribution of products and services, as well as the global distribution chain.

The good news is that software acquisition does not happen often, but the bad news is that this infrequency uncovers another hidden facet of such projects. Employees and management of a company that do not purchase and implement a significant number of software applications on a regular basis are, in fact, amateurs that are mandated to deal with software vendors whose only order of business is to develop, promote, and sell their software, every day.

Why not use technology that locks out all but authorized users of forklifts and other vehicles in the DC and which measures the productivity of those vehicle and their operators, asks Ken Ehrman, president of I.D. Systems.

There are three things certain in life. We all know the two cited by Benjamin Franklin, but there's a third certainty that we all face regularly and have to cope with constantly - that we'll make mistakes. Everyone makes them; if it hasn't happened to your business, you haven't been in business long.

Electronics manufacturers are threatening to drop out of Energy Star, saying recent changes have made participation in the federal government's voluntary energy efficiency labeling program too costly.

A new type of industrial company is emerging primarily in China. We call them mid-market innovators, after the burgeoning middle market of Chinese urban and rural businesses and government offices, which were their original core customers.

Labor incentive programs can work hand in hand with your supply chain strategy by improving such things as productivity and quality. But, says Tom Stretar, senior project manager, enVista, employees must see the benefits to them if these programs are to succeed.

Standard and Poor's Ratings Services said that its baseline forecast for U.S. regions varies but is generally positive, in a forecast published on RatingsDirect on the Global Credit Portal.

In 2009, Wikimedia, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia and a number of other online, collaborative projects, launched a special wiki - one dedicated to the organization's own strategy. Over the next two years, more than 1,000 volunteers generated some 900 proposals for the company's future direction and then categorized, rationalized, and formed task forces to elaborate on them. The result was a coherent strategic plan detailing a set of beliefs, priorities and related commitments that together engendered among participants a deep sense of dedication to Wikimedia's future.

Wal-Mart's annual meeting next month promises to be a contentious one because of questions over how the retail giant handled bribery allegations at a Mexico subsidiary. Shareholders are concerned about the board members' independence in light of the alleged cover-up of bribery that occurred in 2005 and 2006.