Kennedy Company reports the following costs and expenses in May. Factory utilities $ 16,500 Depreciation on factory equipment 12,650 Depreciation on delivery trucks 3,800 Indirect factory labor 48,900 Indirect materials 70,800 Direct materials used 157,600 Factory manager's salary 8,000 Direct labor 79,100 Sales salaries 48,400 Property taxes on factory building 2,500 Repairs to office equipment 1,300 Factory repairs 2,000 Advertising 23,000 Office supplies used 4,640 Determine the total amount of manufacturing overhead.

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?