The Marketing Plan Coach software on the text website includes a sample marketing plan for Hillside Veterinary Clinic. Look through the “Marketing Strategy” section. To provide veterinary care to pets, Hillside needs to have a variety of medical supplies on hand. To handle that, it relies on deliveries from suppliers and its own inventory decisions. It also sells some retail pet products to customers, and that requires a separate set of decisions about how it will handle inventory.

a. What logistics issues related to medical supplies should Hillside consider? Can you think of ways in which delivery from its suppliers or its own inventory decisions will be important in its ability to help its patients?

b. With respect to the retail pet products that Hillside sells, what level of customer service should customers expect?

c. What issues are involved in the storage of pet supplies?