A new global survey of IT decision-makers by Dell Quest Software reports that 70 percent of companies believe bring-your-won-device (BYOD) will improve or already has improved their work processes and 59 percent believe they would find themselves at a competitive disadvantage without BYOD.

Four years ago, Caribou coffee's supply chain was managed with spreadsheets. Their only method of gauging demand was the order-fill numbers of product leaving the warehouse - basic replenishment. The team knew they were missing a big opportunity - accurate visibility to drive a more efficient operation, right-size inventory, improved customer service, as well as the expansion of product sales. The supply chain team also knew they were faced with a lot of risk. Could they respond to demand variability?

Investigating dealers of counterfeit drugs is similar to investigating drug cartels, Pfizer has found. It's easy for detectives to jump out and catch the guys selling pills on the corner. It's much harder to catch the kingpins. There's one big difference, though. With cocaine, say, the whole supply chain"”from farming to retailing"”tends to be run by one cartel. With fake pharmaceuticals, the marketplace is open and alliances are constantly shifting. To get to the source, detectives typically start with small-time retailers and work their way up the supply chain.

Pier Luigi Sigismondi, chief supply chain officer of Unilever, enumerates the ways in which the company's supply chain adds value to the business. He also talks about issues of sustainability and supply-chain segmentation.

Eric O'Daffer, research director with Gartner, joins us for an update on the major issues affecting the healthcare supply chain, including the potential impact of healthcare reform.