Promotions that look like bargains still create cost and waste More than a decade ago, suggesting that buy-one-get-one-free promotions could be “immoral” caused rather more controversy than expected. BOGOF sounds like a bargain. But the second product still has to be made, packaged, transported and stored, and sometimes it ends up being thrown away. Promotions can also create artificial peaks in demand, followed by a fall when cupboards and fridges are full. What looks like a

For supplier-screening and procurement teams, the problem is not a missing policy. It is a missing view of the plant that actually ships the parts. McKinsey partner Knut Alicke, co-author of the firm’s Global Supply Chain Leader Survey, has said a large share of disruption starts in the sourcing network. That survey found nine in ten supply chain leaders hit challenges in 2024, while only 60 percent reported comprehensive visibility even of their tier-one suppliers. Visibilit

Most consumer products move through increasingly global supply chains. Clothing, electronics and household goods can be manufactured thousands of miles from their customers, imported in bulk and distributed through established logistics networks. The market for live ornamental plants operates very differently. Regulation Creates a Partially Closed Market The United States maintains strict controls on plant imports. These controls serve an important purpose: preventing pests,

A shipment clears manufacturing but stalls at export review. Customs documentation is incomplete. Export-control licensing requirements changed last week, and no one updated the screening checklist. Freight forwarders request additional cer...