Carolyn bought 200 shares of stock at $30 per share ($6,000 total). She paid $3,000 in cash and borrowed $3,000 from the brokerage firm. The loan has an annual interest rate of 5 percent. Six months later, she sold the stock for $40 per share. Carolyn paid a commission of $120 and repaid the loan. Her net profit was $

You work as the sales manager for a company that sells office supplies to businesses of all sizes. because the profit margins are razor-thin, you need to ensure that you are getting the very best prices on paper, pencils, pens, post-it notes, and other office supplies from the manufacturers. when reviewing the quarterly profit statement, you realize that your costs are higher than they should be, and you trace the higher costs back to an employee who has been lax about getting competitive bids to ensure the lowest prices. when you conduct your research to determine the reason for the higher costs, and take action to bring those costs back down, in which of the key management processes are you taking part?