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Business Strategy Alignment: Page 341

Downward Pressure on Oil Said to Be Likely to Continue

Following OPEC's decision at the end of November to maintain production at its current level, the Brent spot price of oil closed at $70.02 per barrel, down 39 percent from its closing price of $115.19 on June 19, 2014. Similarly, the WTI spot price fell by 39 percent over the same period, closing at $66.15 at the end of November. What's next? Will the price of oil continue to fall, and if so, how far? Will the price of oil level out? Or will it rebound?

Follow the Money: Where Investors Place Their Supply Chain Bets

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Retailers' IT Security Initiatives Criticized as 'Window Dressing'

It's been a year since Target's data breach and retailers are still vulnerable even as the busiest shopping season kicks into high gear, warn security experts, largely due to a lack of focus on asset management.

Small-business Owners Upbeat About Sales Potential Heading Into Holiday Season, Study Says

Sixty-eight percent of small-business owners surveyed recently expressed optimism for the upcoming holiday season as retail sales are poised to increase nationwide.

Study Finds Reversal of Outsourcing Initiatives Gains Momentum

Relocation of manufacturing and product sourcing to emerging economies is no longer the gold standard for global businesses, according to a study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's, Global Supply Chain Institute.

West Coast Port Congestion: A Lesson in Risk Management

Argue all you want about the reasons behind gridlock at U.S. West Coast ports, but one conclusion is inescapable: it proves the need for effective supply-chain risk management.

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New Ideas in Supplier Risk Management

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Will 3D Printing Radically Transform Manufacturing? Yes. Or Maybe Not. Well, Possibly.

3D printing has captured the imagination of the media and the financial markets; prognosticators are predicting a fundamental disruption in the manufacturing paradigm, from mass production to mass customization. Are we finally achieving the "lot size of one" that Taiichi Ohno envisioned when creating the Toyota Production System? Will factories disappear as the "maker movement" drives demand toward custom-designed items created on 3D printers in the home? How will these changes affect the industrial supply chains?

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The Internet of Things May Be the Next Great 'Transformation' in Business

The Internet of Things (IoT) may be more significant in reshaping the competitive landscape than the arrival of the Internet. Its productivity potential is so powerful it will deliver a new era of prosperity.

Surprisingly, China May Have Some Management Lessons to Impart

China Inc. might appear to be an improbable source of fresh management thinking. Its state-owned enterprises are, for the most part, regulated giants that are experimenting with Western management practices. China has yet to produce a world-class company like GE or Samsung, and outside the country most of its businesspeople are better known for amassing wealth than for innovative management ideas. Yet China offers more management lessons today than do most other countries.

Private Industry Turnaround Specialist Tries to Lead the Military PX Back to Financial Health

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service - widely known as the PX or the Exchange - is designed to provide everything a soldier might need or want, tax-free and often at a deep discount: uniforms, tactical gear, recreational sports equipment, vitamin supplements, electronics, furniture, booze, lawn ornaments. It serves 12.8 million customers in 50 states and more than 30 countries. In fiscal 2013 the PX had revenue of $8.3bn and a profit of $332m. About a third of that was reinvested in operations, and the rest - $208m - was plowed into the Pentagon's morale, welfare and recreation programs to provide services like playing fields and on-base Boy Scout troops.

Online Retail Sales Predicted to Hit $512Bn by 2020

Online sales are predicted to be about $300bn this year, rise to $335bn next year and be worth $512bn by 2020, according to research from FTI Consulting Inc.

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How a Leading U.S. Floral Distribution Company Reduced Warehouse Labor Costs by 45% with RFID

Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

Mobile geolocation service for track delivery, cargo shipment and freight transportation. Logistic Import Export business (Elements of this image furnished by NASA)

Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

Franchise business e-commerce online e-marketplace or digital marketing branch expansion for growth or use technology to analyze product consumer data website management plan for sale service concept.

Moving Robots Site-to-Site