The marketplace has come a long way since Henry Ford's all-black Model T, mass produced at a price "everyman" could afford. Today's consumers want products designed the way they like, at the right price and with quick availability.

In the event of a disease outbreak or bioterrorist attack, public health officials must make decisions about how to allocate finite medical resources — decisions that impact the spread of the disease and the number of lives lost.

Quint Studer is CEO of the Studer Group, a health care consulting firm and recipient of the 2010 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

In light of recent product recalls, this question nags: Has Chinese product quality actually deteriorated, or not? Opinion is split. Some argue forcefully that Chinese products have suffered in recent years, or at the very least, were never of high quality in the first place.

For any shopper who noticed how the price of hamburger and lettuce jumped after gas prices soared last year, this should come as no surprise: Buyers eventually feel the pinch when their suppliers' expenses surge. The reason?

When times are good, expansion plans, future investments and revenue growth are the focus points in most industries. But during down times, organizations scrutinize spending. The current economic crisis is hitting the health care sector as hard as other industries.

When executed correctly, strategic sourcing — a multi-faceted approach to purchasing contingent on types of goods and services — yields many benefits for both buying companies and their suppliers.

Achieving environmental sustainability for supply management is a goal which may also help boost firms' overall competitiveness in these fretful economic times.

The 2007-2009 recession brought about shifting consumer demand that left wholesalers and manufacturers grappling with how best to change inventory and production strategies.

In the national debate over how to make U.S. health care more efficient, one promising area for reform is often overlooked: supplies.