@Risk

In order to carry out their operations, federal agencies often rely on IT components manufactured overseas. But, a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warns that this growing dependence on a global IT supply chain introduces multiple risks to sensitive federal information systems.

For example, the report says federal agencies are vulnerable to:

• Installation of malicious logic on hardware or software
• Installation of counterfeit hardware or software
• Failure or disruption in the production or distribution of a critical product or service
• Reliance upon a malicious or unqualified service-provider for the performance of technical services
• Installation of unintentional vulnerabilities on hardware or software (more…)

World leaders are meeting in Seoul this week to discuss nuclear security concerns, including the growing threat of radioactive material in the global scrap metal supply chain.

According to a recent article at Bloomberg Businessweek, industries around the world are confronting the impact of loose nuclear (i.e., radioactive) material in an international scrap-metal market worth at least $140 billion. From the article:

Radioactive items used to power medical, military and industrial hardware are melted down and used in goods, driving up company costs as they withdraw tainted products and threatening the public’s health . . . Abandoned medical scanners, food-processing devices and mining equipment containing radioactive metals such as cesium-137 and cobalt-60 are picked up by scrap collectors, sold to recyclers and melted down by foundries, the IAEA (United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency) says.

The problem made headlines earlier this year when retailer Bed Bath & Beyond had to recall a metal tissue holder from its shelves after the item was found to be slightly radioactive.  A Bed Bath & Beyond truck loaded with the tissue holders reportedly set off a surveillance monitor in California. (more…)

Last week at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented new research that reveals two emerging –and disturbing –trends:

• Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by imported food appeared to rise in 2009 and 2010, and
• Nearly half of the outbreaks implicated foods imported from areas which had not been associated with outbreaks previously.

An earlier report from the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) found that US food imports grew from $41 billion in 1998 to $78 billion in 2007, and that much of that growth occurred in fruit and vegetables, seafood and processed food products.

All told, researchers now estimate that about 16 percent of all the food Americans eat is imported, including up to 85 percent of the seafood and depending on the time of year, as much as 60 percent of fresh produce.

The CDC’s recent study reviewed outbreaks reported to its Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System from 2005-2010 for implicated foods that were imported into the US. During that five-year period, 39 outbreaks and 2,348 illnesses were linked to imported food from 15 countries. Of those outbreaks: (more…)

Has your company spent the last few years adjusting to a “new normal?”

For many firms, the answer to that question is an unequivocal “yes.”

Without a doubt, pressures from the global economy have transformed business practices throughout the enterprise, and recently released key issues research from The Hackett Group confirmed that many large companies are adapting to a new status quo characterized by increased volatility and uncertainty in:

• demand,
• cost of raw materials and energy, and
• availability of talent.

In fact, nearly one in five companies in The Hackett Group’s 2012 study said they expect to see 25 percent or more volatility in these areas over the next two to three years.

How will companies adapt? The research shows that many companies are focusing on: (more…)

Even though business executives from around the world may be disgruntled with their jobs, most are planning to sit tight in their positions –at least for now.

Accenture recently conducted an online survey of 3,900 business executives from medium to large companies in 31 countries and found that:

• More than half of both the women (57 percent) and men (59 percent) surveyed are dissatisfied with their jobs. But even so . .  .
• More than two-thirds (69 percent) of all respondents said they do not plan to leave their current employers. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) cited flexible work arrangements as the reason for staying put.
• Underscoring earlier research which indicated a growing concern for work-life balance, the majority (59 percent) of respondents reported having some type of flexible work schedule. More than four in ten (44 percent) of this group said they have used flexible work options for more than three years. (more…)