As companies try to find ways to cut costs, one popular approach is to leverage software. And an area that is getting lots of traction is supply chain management. Hey, it's worked for companies like Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), right?

A leader in the supply chain software space is JDA Software (NASDAQ: JDAS). Well, now the company is going to get bigger; that is, it will purchase i2 Technologies (NASDAQ: ITWO) for $396 million. In fact, the deal will make JDA the world's largest player in the supply chain space.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) narrowed its net loss in Q2 but not as much as expected.
• Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) posted better-than-expected Q3 results on demand for iPhones and Macs.
• Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) reported earnings and revenue that topped expectations.
• JDA Software Group Inc. (NASDAQ: JDAS) shares surged after it reported record results for Q2.
• Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) lower Q4 results still topped earnings estimates, but shares fell.
• VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) unimpressive Q2 results still managed to beat analysts' low expectations.
• Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) Q2 profit was flat year over year and revenue and cash flow declined.

The successful management of business supply and demand processes is an art, requiring discipline and attention to many details. There's a firm in Scottsdale, Arizona that many turn to for help along that line.

JDA Software Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: JDAS) provides programs that helps retailers, manufacturers and distributors manage their supply and demand chains, plan operations and manage revenues. It also offers point-of-sale applications to handle an array of back-office functions. The company helps some 5,500 customers in more than 60 countries. Clients include Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL), OfficeMax (NYSE: OMX) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT). Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is a leading strategic partner. Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) and SAP (NYSE: SAP) are major competitors.

The firm surprised the Street earlier in the week, when it issued upside guidance for Q1 results. Management now sees EPS of 26-28 cents (21 cent consensus) and revenues of $89.7-90.7 million ($85.83M consensus). The CEO attributed the positive outlook to organizational changes put into place last year and to the impact of the company's acquisition of Manugistics (7/5/06). CIBC World Markets and Brean Murray subsequently reiterated "buy" recommendations on the issue and boosted their price targets to $20.

The retail buck is an elusive animal. It's hard to capture and often harder to hold. Folks who find success in the endeavor tend to be those who refuse to waste time and money re-inventing retail management wheels. There's an outfit in Scottsdale, Arizona that puts entrepreneurs in touch with such pre-existing art along that line.

JDA Software Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:JDAS) provides programs designed to help retailers operate more efficiently. Its solutions address demand and supply chain management, business process, decision support, inventory transaction support, e-commerce, inventory optimization and replenishment, collaborative planning and forecasting, space and floor planning, and store operations. The company also offers point-of-sale applications to handle back-office functions. JDA Software has more than 5,500 customers in over sixty countries.