A group of venture investors is considering putting money into Lemma Books, which wants to produce a new reader for electronic books. The variable cost per unit is estimated at $250, the sales price would be set at twice the VC/unit, or $500, and fixed costs are estimated at $350,000. The investors will put up the funds if the project is likely to have an operating income of $500,000 or more. What sales volume would be required in order to meet the minimum profit goal? (Hint: Use the break-even formula, but include the required profit in the numerator.) 3,706 3,400 2,958 3,094 4,216

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?