AmerisourceBergen is investing $100 million in a private equity fund created to start or buy suppliers led by people of color. The goal of Ariel Alternatives' $1.45 billion fund, called Project Black, is to establish "a powerful, collective way to advance racial and social equity by creating economic opportunities that will empower communities across the United States," AmerisourceBergen CEO Steven Collis said.
Digi-Key Electronics, pointing to an industry "moving at a phenomenal pace," has opened a technology hub in Bengaluru, India. The move comes only months after the expansion of product distribution capacity in Thief River Falls, Minn.
Avnet had $243.9 million in profits in its fiscal second quarter, on $6.72 billion in revenue. The Phoenix-based electronic components distributor expects third-quarter revenue to fall between $6.15 billion and $6.45 billion.
Amazon is adding about 1,000 robots to its e-commerce operations daily and the number of automated workers is on track to outpace the number of human employees by 2030, says Cathie Wood, CEO of asset-management firm Ark Invest. The shift is part of a larger workplace automation trend that's on track to grow faster in the coming decade, Wood says.
Growing and retaining customers is the best way for business-to-business marketers to weather an economic downturn, writes David van Schaick, chief marketing officer at B2B agency The Marketing Practice. Use behavioral science to help internal decision-makers influence their peers, target the right customers with the best upselling options and identify the most valuable prospects using customer segmentation.
Build a high-performing team by asking these 10 questions, including how to leverage strengths, what are the challenges the team faces, how best to support each other for optimal collaboration and how to use feedback to improve performance, writes Lolly Daskal. "[I]t's important to establish clear communication channels and protocols, regularly check in with one another, and actively listen and provide support to one another," Daskal writes.
It's easy to spot bad leaders who believe they're good but are rarely there for their people, have more style than substance and damage companies with their incompetence, writes Steve Andriole, a professor at the Villanova School of Business at Villanova University. By contrast, good leaders are those who show up, listen, anticipate problems and lead in the face of challenges, Andriole writes.
