The cloud offers the potential not only to transform how supply chain organizations procure IT capabilities but also to fundamentally change how they manage business processes.

An increase in the number of suppliers, customers, carriers and countries is changing the importance of collaborative synchronization between all parties in the multi-tiered global supply chain.

Analyst Insight: Inventory working capital reduction is a wonderful concept; however, it is important to understand all of the potential financial impacts before beginning. - Ralph Cox, principal, Tompkins International

Analyst Insight: Signing a contract and getting the business ramped up is just the beginning of an outsourcing deal. The real work is shaping the relationship and making the parties operate not only as a high-performance team, but also to allow the companies to embrace the dynamic nature of business and keep the parties aligned as "business happens." It's essential to have a flexible and cooperative governance framework. - Kate Vitasek, faculty of the University of Tennessee's Center for Executive Education, and founder, Supply Chain Visions

Analyst Insight: Recently, Big Pharma went through a significant period of mergers and acquisitions to gain a global market presence and product offering expansion. Now it appears the tides may be shifting. A segment of Big Pharma is shedding non-core business units and focusing on core profitability. But the acquisition strategy is not dead. These diverging paths are both focused on increasing flexibility and profitability to adapt to market uncertainty. Supply chain planning and adaptability have moved forward as integration of business units has increased in all regions of the globe. - Brian Hudock, partner, Tompkins International