The Supply Chain Council has published version 11 of its Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model.

In the run up to Christmas, UK retailers are frustrating shoppers with distinctly average customer service. Top UK merchants are failing to answer questions asked online or sent via email, according to the 2012 Eptica Multichannel Customer Experience Study. The research found that just 48 percent of retailers could successfully answer basic questions sent via email, while websites could answer just over half (53 percent) of questions asked online.

ChainLink Research CEO Ann Grackin will discuss how innovative companies are using excellence in B2B integration as a competitive advantage, particularly in service-based industries, in a webinar scheduled for 12 p.m. EST, Dec. 11, 2012.

In an environment of increasingly global competition, companies are depending on their supply chains to differentiate themselves in key markets, says Michael Woore, former program director of IT services with Technicolor.

A resilient mind-set can transform scarcity into opportunity by combining limited resources with inventiveness and a never-say-die attitude. This approach "” whether it is aimed at creating a product, service or business model "” is called jugaad innovation. Jugaad is a colloquial Hindi word that roughly translates as "an innovative fix for your business; an improvised solution born from ingenuity and cleverness."

A survey that examines manufacturer and consumer perceptions about how products are made, sold, bought and consumed reveals a focus on quality, supply chains that are more transparent than ever but a decline in overall optimism, according to Underwriters Laboratories.