Amazon changed its search system to attract consumer attention to products based on profit potential instead of emphasizing the best-selling or most relevant products, according to employees who worked on the project. Amazon in a statement denied it has "changed the criteria we use to rank search results to include profitability."

Boeing's acquisition of KLX was just one change that is reshaping the marketplace for aircraft parts distribution, writes Kevin Michaels. Questions for distributors include figuring out where they offer more value, what niches are available and how original equipment manufacturers will integrate distribution acquisitions.

5G benefits for supply chains include improved communication through internet of things devices, better support for planning algorithms that use real-time data and enhanced network performance in pop-up distribution centers, says Sean Elliott, chief technology officer at HighJump.

Business-to-business companies are focusing their spending on "paid other" strategies, which include direct mail and trade shows, according to the August edition of The CMO Survey. Meanwhile, B2B product and services companies alike expect big increases in social media spending during the next five years.

CEOs can implement change by being disciplined, empowering people to make decisions, spending on training and celebrating success and failure as equal measures of progress, writes R. Paul Vuolle of Bellevue SME Advisors. "Luddite CEOs and business leaders who grit their teeth and ignore the inevitable in always-fluid and changing market forces are doomed," he writes.

Make the most of meetings by offering your expert knowledge, asking good questions and seeing yourself as a peer to higher-ups, writes Joel Garfinkle. "There's a reason you've been included, so own it and resist the urge to defer to others' voices," he writes.

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The U.S. Business Payment Coalition and Federal Reserve recommend switching from manual to electronic invoices to achieve 92% invoice approval and on-time customer payments. Find out what smart, dynamic e-Invoicing can do for your DSO in this short 20-minute video from "Top 10 AR Solutions Provider" and NAW Trusted Partner, Unified Commerce.