In Stanley Kubrick's Cold War black comedy "Dr. Strangelove," the Soviets have developed a devastating "Doomsday Device," to be triggered by a nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R. It's supposed to act as a deterrent, but has been kept a secret. Asks an exasperated American president of the Russian ambassador: "Why didn't you tell the world?" To which the ambassador replies: "The Premier loves surprises."

The condition of emerging-market economies seems to seesaw from week to week. But one thing remains constant: the failure of a lot of companies to shore up their supply chains in those countries with up-to-date information technology.

Think of the typical corporate merger as the meeting of two ocean liners. It's tough enough to combine the crews. But how do you mash together two engine rooms?

The world of product lifecycle management (PLM) has been turned upside down by a raft of technological breakthroughs.

Economists' predictions often disagree, but there's one thing they have in common: They're pretty much all wrong.

Here's a bit of advice for big-box retailers who fear a rise in the minimum wage: Get used to it.

The field of companies offering rapid delivery of items ordered online is getting awfully crowded.

In the folktale "The Three Little Pigs," a house made of brick is the one that the Big Bad Wolf can't blow down. If only today's brick-and-mortar retailers were as sturdy.

The battle of the parcel carriers has begun.

The path to harmonized and streamlined global trade is steep and strewn with boulders.