Over half (51 percent) of North American manufacturers participating in the MFGWatch survey said they’ve experienced a significant supply chain disruption in the past three months –that’s up from 44 percent in the previous quarter, and marks the fourth straight quarter that more than one-third of survey participants have suffered a disruption. In addition, for the fourth straight quarter, over one-third of small and medium-sized manufacturers (42 percent) said they’ve received inquiries or work from companies suffering from supply chain disruptions.

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Although the acute stress of the global recession is easing for increasingly more industries, organizations across all sectors continue to face a number of new and recurring threats. New research highlights the top risks for 2010.
Even as the global recession eases, organizations continue to face a number of critical new threats — in addition to recurring challenges — across all sectors, new research indicates.
Based on a series of in-depth interviews with more than 70 industry leaders and analysts across 14 industrial sectors, Ernst & Young's latest annual Business Risk Report ranks the top business risks for the next 12 months.

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Although there are a number of definitions for “risk” out there, most of us seem to gravitate around a definition that relates to the likelihood (or frequency) and consequences (or magnitude of loss).  So with that in mind I’m going to ask a question about something that’s bugged me for a long time — What is “a risk“?  Likewise, what are “risks” (the plural of “a risk”)?

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In a recent survey by Deloitte and The Deal, more than a quarter of the executives polled (26 percent) believe having the ability to analyze value and risk is the most important skill in their arsenal. 50 percent rated it as the first or second most important skill. Yet, when these same executives were asked what represents the greatest opportunity for improving corporate development effectiveness, analytics ranked below organization, process and talent.

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Risk models are merely tools that can be used or abused, and their failure to predict the crisis largely is attributable to the assumptions, rationalizations and just plain denial on the part of those using them.
As the economy slowly emerges from the crisis, insurers realize that they need a clearer, more current view of their risk exposures, including access to both accurate source information and more comprehensive risk modeling.

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After a sluggish 2009, the ePurchasing market will grow 12 percent this year, rising to $4 billion, predicts a new study from the technology and market research company Forrester Research.

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Honda Motor Co. is adding 437,000 vehicles to its 15-month old global recall for faulty airbags in the latest quality problem to hit a Japanese automaker.

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The company is now pulling almost 8.7 million vehicles around the world -- far more than its entire 2009 global sales of 7.8 million vehicles.

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In her speech last week at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, announced that the FDA is deploying a new web-based information technology system designed to more reliably monitor imports of food and medical products at the port of entry and to target high-risk shipments for further inspection.

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Incidentally, the Chinese New Year 2010 starts on Valentine’s Day. The latter is an annual (and predictable!) peak in flower and chocolate demand, the former a source of disruption in any shipment that goes through ports where the Chinese New Year is celebrated.

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