Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility

Sourcing & Procurement: The Role of Weather and Climate Change in Commodity Hedging Strategies

March 10, 2010

Bill McBeath, chief research officer, ChainLink Research

Analyst Insight: We have entered an era of radically changed weather patterns which will have a much more pivotal and dominant impact on commodity prices. Smart commodity managers will increasingly draw on weather expertise and weather related-instruments when formulating their hedging strategies.

Reverse Logistics: The Right Service Provider Mirrors Your Sustainability Efforts

March 10, 2010

Shibesh Banerji, Service Supply Chain Team Leader, Tompkins Associates

Analyst Insight: Selection of service providers in the area of reverse logistics is getting more complex for the companies that are following the "triple bottom line" philosophy. Additional criteria in the selection process are required to ensure that the relationship between the customer and the service provider increases sustainability efforts and enhances the value of the network both upstream and downstream.

Heavy-Duty Truck Net Orders in Line with Low Expectations

March 8, 2010

ACT Research Co.

Transportation & Distribution: From Local and Tactical to Global and Strategic

March 5, 2010

Greg Aimi, research director, AMR Research

Analyst Insight: As the economic recovery proceeds, companies should be changing their sights from mere tactical cost-cutting measures to more strategic improvement initiatives. Productivity increases and cost containment are now considered a given at the leading companies. The bigger benefits are coming from companies that are integrating logistics and distribution more broadly into innovative supply chain improvement strategies.

Retail: The Supply Chain Shopping List for Next-Generation Retailing

March 4, 2010

Michael Griswold, Vice President of Research, AMR Research

Analyst Insight: With online retail sales projected to reach 17 percent of total company sales in 2010 and double-digit growth expected each year through 2012, retailers must take measures to offer next-generation retail. That would create a model that focuses on consumers and their experiences up to and through the purchase, or moment of truth. While most retailers have invested in some form of online capabilities, few (7 percent) have built the appropriate supply chain infrastructure to support a true, seamless, cross-channel experience for the customer.

Buying from Supermarket More Fuel-Efficient than from Local Farmers' Market, Agriculture Expert Says

March 4, 2010

Cornell Nutrition Conference

CPG Logistics: Five Strategies to Help Mid-Sized Manufacturers Compete and Win

March 2, 2010

Alex Stark, Marketing Director of CPG Logistics, Kane Is Able

Environmental: Successful Businesses (Not Governments) Lead the Green Charge

March 2, 2010

Bill McBeath, chief research officer, ChainLink Research

Analyst Insight: Don't be fooled by the dismal lack of progress in government venues on climate-change agreements or environmental legislation. The smartest companies are already pushing the frontier to bigger and bolder green agendas to gain competitive advantage, with the added benefit of enhancing their reputations for true corporate responsibility.

Product Lifecycle Management: Successful Product Launches Address All Requirements

February 25, 2010

Michael J. Burkett, Vice President, PLM Research, AMR Research

Analyst Insight: New product launch success remains elusive cross-industry, with fewer than 60 percent on average considered successful in high-tech alone. Yet PLM applications have been deploying for over 10 years. Manufacturers claim time-to-market and cost benefits, so why such poor success? The answer is a combination of narrow PLM deployments and PLM providers not grasping the attention of all stakeholders.

Environmental: The Changing Outlook in Sustainable Supply Chain Management

February 24, 2010

Viktoriya Sadlovska, Researcher, Prod Value Chain Bench. & Anal., Aberdeen Group

Analyst Insight: Today, sustainability is on the agenda of the highest-ranking corporate executives, as well as line-of-business managers. It is time for companies to take a more serious look at the role sustainability can play in making their supply chains more viable, competitive and best aligned with the Triple Bottom Line of profits, people and planet.