Explain the benefits and disadvantages for outsourcing supply logistics operations and management to 3PLs

Each essay answer is worth ten points. Be sure to provide detailed and complete scholarly responses for each question. Read each question completely, because there are several parts to some questions. Be sure to address all parts presented in each question. Your answer may include content from readings, conference discussions, outside sources or relevant workplace examples. These must not be merely cut-and-pasted from other sources. Provide examples that show a clear understanding of the material. Please save the examination with answers as a Microsoft Word document under a new filename which includes your last name_section (9040)_midterm. Essay answers should appear in order, from one through ten. Please make sure you have an answer for each question before submitting it for grading. There is one bonus question worth 5 points. Remember, completed exams are to be submitted in the mid-term examination assignments folder. Note that your assignment folder is locked after the due date and the exam cannot be submitted. The test represents 25 percent of your total class grade, so please spend quality time in preparing answers. Essay Questions:  1) Explain the benefits and disadvantages for outsourcing supply logistics operations and management to 3PLs. 2) Which logistical functions are most commonly outsourced to 3PLs and why? Give examples. 3) Explain ERP and the advantages of ERP systems. What are the benefits of ERPs in talking to other SW applications? 4) Explain how RFID tags are used to reduce shrinkage. What are the benefits and disadvantages in using RFID for monitoring the movement of supply chain management goods throughout the supply chain? 5) Discuss reverse logistics including its definition and its process flow. 6) How does reverse logistics relate to a company being socially responsible and how is reverse logistics related to service recovery? 7) What is the relationship between demand management, order management and customer service? 8) In looking at demand management explain the difference in independent demand, dependent demand and derived demand. Explain how CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems are related to demand management and how can they be used in demand management? 9) Define and distinguish between possession, form, time, and place utility. Give a “real world” example for each one. 10) In the readings, Flint and Gammelgaard shared that creating superior logistics service quality involved managing at least nine service-related elements that pertain to either order placement or order receipt. Choose four of the nine listed and explain why they are important and how service quality can be negatively impacted if the element went lacking. Bonus: 5 points. Why is supplier collaboration and at times systems integration beneficial in building supplier relationships? In our readings, Sheth and Sharma shared examples of the benefits of supplier relationships with Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor Company, Levi Strauss, DuPont, McKesson, and Bose Corporation. Choose one of the examples that was shared and explain how logistical saving was achieved by supplier relationships and why you think this was effective.