Use This Information for Question That Refer to the United

question 141

Multiple Choice

Use this information for question that refer to the United Tools case. Terry Harter is marketing manager for United Tools and Mike O'Reilly is the firm's logistics manager. They work together to make decisions about how to get United's hand and power tools to its customers--a mix of manufacturing plants and final consumers (who buy United tools at a hardware store) . United Tools does not own its own transport facilities and it works with wholesalers to reach its business customers.
Together, Harter and O'Reilly try to coordinate transporting, storing, and product handling activities to minimize cost while still achieving the customer service level their customers and intermediaries want. This usually requires that United keep an inventory of most of its products on hand, but demand for its products is fairly consistent over time so inventory is easy to manage.
Harter has identified four options for physical distribution systems she could use to reach two of her key wholesalers, Ralston Supply and Ricotta Tool Co. The total cost for each option--and the distribution service levels that can be achieved--are as follows:
Ralston Supply expects a very high level (90 percent) of distribution customer service. Ricotta Tool Co. is willing to settle for a 70 percent customer service level, even if that means some products will occasionally be out of stock, if it gets products at a lower price.
For its large retail hardware customers (like Home Depot) , United regularly ships smaller orders directly to individual stores or in some cases to the retail chain's warehouses. Cross-country shipments usually go by rail while regional shipments usually go by truck.
As marketing manager, United's Terry Harter should realize that:
$\begin{array}{lrl}\text { Main feature of system: }&\text { Total Cost }&\text { Distribution Service Level }\\1.\text { Airfreight } & \$ 1,000,000 & 95 \text { percent } \\2.\text { Inland waterways } & \$ 300,000 & 60 \text { percent } \\3.\text { Trucks } & \$ 500,000 & 70 \text { percent } \\4.\text { Rail and regional } & \$ 650,000 & 80 \text { percent } \\\text { warehouses } & &\end{array}$

• A) transporting costs may limit her choice of target markets.
• B) a supply chain can only consist of one distribution channel.
• C) the lowest cost distribution system is the best alternative.
• D) none of these alternatives is correct.

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Definitions:

Times Interest Earned

Times Interest Earned is a financial metric that measures a company's ability to meet its interest obligations, calculated as earnings before interest and taxes divided by interest expense.

Inventory Turnover

A ratio indicating how often a company sells and replaces its stock of goods during a period, calculated as cost of goods sold divided by average inventory.

Cost of Goods Sold

The exact costs incurred in the creation of a company’s sold goods, including the expenses for materials and labor.

Average Inventory

An estimation of the amount of inventory a company typically holds over a specific period, calculated as the average of the beginning and ending inventory.