The topic of supply-chain risk management is fraught with agonizing questions. Should global businesses emphasize risk prevention, or steel themselves to respond to whatever disaster might occur? Should they seek to transfer risk, or concentrate on achieving better risk-management up front? Should they attempt to do all of the above? The wrong answer can mean the death of an organization.

American manufacturing to the rescue? Who could have imagined that? It wasn't so long ago that this sector was said to be on its deathbed. Now we're hearing that manufacturing is the "key driver" of what's passing for an economic recovery in this country.

Two observations about human nature: We move in herds. And we very quickly forget what the last pasture was like.

United Stationers set out to achieve a simple goal: boost space utilization within its network of distribution centers. Surprisingly, it found little in the way of guidance from other companies.

For McCormick & Company, the ubiquitous producer of spices and flavorings, 2011 was one tough year. I'm not talking about financials; McCormick's net sales for the year were up 10.8 percent over 2010, to $3.7bn, while net income rose 5 percent, to $374.2m - not a bad performance in a sluggish economy. I'm referring to the anti-trifecta of disasters and disruptions that severely challenged the company's ability to service its customers.

How France's Sofrigam SA came to trust an outside logistics provider, ModusLink, to provide fulfillment and warehousing duties for its highly sensitive line of products for protecting temperature-controlled bio-pharmaceutical shipments.