The world is changing, and consumers’ ability to get information and buy products from their mobile devices anywhere, anytime, is having a trickle down effect on the supply chain—they want their items delivered quickly and at a competitive price. So retailers now have to re-examine how they are sourcing their products and where to get them cheaper in order to bring something more to the table.

I help my buddy Buzz select articles for the Supply Chain Buzz page every week (our motto: “we read ‘em so you don’t have to!”). We review a range of stories and blogs on the subjects of supply chain, electronic commerce, ERP, continuous improvement, and general management. Since there’s a great diversity of jobs, departments, and company sizes among our readers, not all will be on target. However, we noticed a few themes that cut across nearly all jobs and organizations. Let’s take a look at a prominent one: risk.