Gas and electric utilities may have a number of unique operating characteristics, but they share with other industries the need to emphasize customer service, operate safely, create a reliable supply chain and reward shareholders. PG&E's pursuit of those goals led it to integrate formal sales and operations planning (S&OP) into the organization.

The growing dependence of Japanese companies on manufacturing in parts of Asia is increasing their exposure to water shortages, according to research from KPMG AZSA Sustainability and data and insight company Trucost. Though the study dealt only with Japanese companies, the findings that outsourcing to water-stressed countries, including China, can increase business risks from water scarcity have implications for companies globally.

There has been enough hype about mobile shopping in general and mobile coupons in particular that you could easily be forgiven if you thought coupons and loyalty cards on mobile phones were a done deal, already available and in use today. The elephant in the room is that the bright clean crisp barcode image you see displayed on your smartphone's screen cannot be read by the majority of barcode scanners used in retail today.

New York and London remain the world's most global cities, while major emerging-market cities strengthened their ability to challenge global leaders in the next 10 to 20 years, according to the 2012 A.T. Kearney Global Cities Index.

Half of global trade professionals are optimistic about the global economy in 2012 and nearly three quarters plan to spend at or above 2011 levels, according to The State of Global Trade in 2012, a joint report from global trade intelligence company Panjiva and The Global Sourcing Council, a non-profit organization that fosters dialog on critical issues in global sourcing and supply chain management.

Misalignments in the many linkages of the supply chain lead to variability in delivery performance or in demand, says Dale Houle, chief technology officer at AGI-Goldratt Institute. The theory of constraints can help nullify the effects of that variability.

Company supply chains are now better able to handle market uncertainty, according to the 2012 Global Supply Chain Agenda study from Capgemini. The study reveals that ongoing uncertainty around the global economy and euro zone crisis is having a significant impact on supply chain strategies at every level.

So much of the attention focused on supply chain sustainability has to do with energy conservation, regulatory compliance and the like, says Todd Stark, chief operating officer of Fair Trade USA. But companies and consumers shouldn't forget that the workers upstream need to have fair wages and safe and clean working environments.