Despite differences arising from environmental variation, all foraging economies have shared one essential feature, their a. emphasis on devising new forms of organic pesticides. b. reliance on welfare supplied by state-level societies. c. willingness to test out new food-producing technologies to see if they are any better than what they are used to. d. interest in developing irrigation technologies to control sources of water. e. reliance on available natural resources for their subsistence, rather than controlling the reproduction of plants and animals.

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?