How would an Internet-based retailer handle transportation needs? Would its overhead be less than a brick-and-mortar store in terms of moving, storing, picking, and shipping?

Modern Considerations

1. Why would a company’s own product descriptive data be inaccurate?

Whose job should it be to update it, and how often should this be done?

2. What kind of retailers would be best suited to direct deliveries from manufacturers? What kind of retailers would be better served by milk run deliveries?

3. Using the topics in the sidebar “Modern Considerations for DC Locations,” pick a city and find out the pros and cons of locating a distribution center there. What is the economy like? Where are other, similar facilities lo- cated? Does the city, county, or state offer some economic incentives?

4. How would an Internet-based retailer handle transportation needs? Would its overhead be less than a brick-and-mortar store in terms of moving, storing, picking, and shipping?

5. If you were a retailer, are there any business functions that you would not even consider outsourcing to a third-party service provider? If not, why not?