CFOs make all kinds of investments, but how about investing in more down time for employees? That may sound like a recipe for creating a bunch of slackers, but in fact the idea of optimal slack in a system is as fundamental to talent optimization as it is to engineering. Planned and mindful slacking off may help optimize talent performance.

Your customer service representative answers a call from an irate customer. "This darn thing I bought just doesn't work!" he exclaims. "I've tried and tried to get help from your service folks, but they're always late and they can't fix it either. I've had it with you guys. I want my money back!" Big Data can help you retain that customer.

A think tank report warns IT managers and CIOs about complacency with new IT practices like BYOD, or "bring your own device", mobile IT and social media.

A year after a flooding disaster in Thailand took out a large portion of hard-disk drive production, the industry has fully recovered with shipments to the computer market expected to hit a record level this year.

Armstrong + Associates Inc. has released the 20th edition of Who's Who in Logistics, the consultancy's guide to third-party logistics providers.

You'd expect to see headlines like this - 'Launch of New Apple iPhone Causes Riots - when consumers beat down doors and trample each other, yet these riots were in China, among workers at Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple and other U.S. companies.

The retail industry may be transitioning to a "post-modern" consumer-centric era triggered by the speed of technological advancements, globalization and hyper-competition, both online and offline, according to a new report from PwC US and Kantar Retail, titled Retailing 2020.

Daniel F. Lynch, director of international trade and transportation at Dalhousie University, reveals the importance of two-way trade between the U.S. and Canada - while offering a frank appraisal of the challenges that stand in the way of an ideal relationship.

Over the last two years, manufacturers and sellers of consumer products across the industrial spectrum have faced growing wave of class-action lawsuits brought by consumers. Perhaps your company can become less appealing as a target.

The business of helping people live longer, healthier lives is not taken lightly in any regard. Suppliers to Boston Scientific must guarantee extremely high quality and delivery, because the smallest imperfection or delay could be life-threatening. For this reason, the entire supply chain depends on efficiency and quality. The global indirect sourcing and procurement (GISP) organization at Boston Scientific is responsible for all strategic and tactical procurement of indirect materials and services, using a center-led operating model to organize sourcing around the world.