For example an EDI 940 ship-from-warehouse order is used by a manufacturer to tell a warehouse to ship product to a retailer. It typically has a ship to address, bill to address, a list of product numbers (usually a UPC) and quantities. Another example is the set of messages between sellers and buyers, such as request for quotation (RFQ), bid in response to RFQ, purchase order, purchase order acknowledgment, shipping notice, receiving advice, invoice, and payment advice. [...] In some cases, EDI will be used to create a new business information flow [...in the case of] Advanced Shipment Notification (856) which was designed to inform the receiver of a shipment, the goods to be received and how the goods are packaged.

...while US consumers are familiar with China’s fake iPhones and Fendi bags, fewer likely know that Chinese brands suffer the same fate. More important, Chinese consumers themselves are hurt when their children are at risk from toys with lead paint or their milk is tainted with melamine. When national pride, health and their hard-earned yuan are on the line, Chinese consumers demand the genuine article. According to a China Market Research Group survey, the “overwhelming majority” of consumers said that their biggest fear in life was buying products that could harm their health (CNBC.com, 28 July 2011). The masses of angry consumers who’ve stormed the copycat stores and joined class-action lawsuits are an even better testament to how fed up they are over being duped.

There is a wicked new marketing strategy currently sending shock waves through the high-stakes competitive world of luxury fashion. It’s devious, delightful and deliciously dirty. Here’s the deal: Remember how Snooki, drunk or sober, was never seen without that Coach bag dangling from the crook of her arm? Snooki and her Coach were as synonymous as The Situation and his six-pack. But then the winds of change started blowing on Jersey Shore. Every photograph of Guido-huntin’ Snooki showed her toting a new designer purse. Why the sudden disloyalty? Was she trading up? ... The answer is much more intriguing. Allegedly, the anxious folks at these various luxury houses are all aggressively gifting our gal Snookums with free bags. No surprise, right? But here’s the shocker: They are not sending her their own bags. They are sending her each other’s bags! Competitors‘ bags!

[...]Accenture found that 61 percent are considering moving some of their manufacturing back to their home market. Ferreira and Heilala describe this as being a "secret shift" and a "quiet trend." Many manufacturing companies that shifted production offshore "likely did so without a complete understanding of the 'total costs,' and thus, the total cost of offshoring was considerably higher than initially thought," write the two analysts. "Part of the issue is that not all costs of offshoring roll up directly to manufacturing; rather, they impact many areas of the enterprise."