Consider the following list, and indicate and explain whether each best fits the definition of a problem, opportunity, or symptom:
a. A 12.5 percent decrease in store traffic for a children’s shoe store in a medium-sized city mall.
b. The number of recent graduates joining the business school alumni club has dropped 50 percent from 8 years ago.
c. A furniture manufacturer and retailer in North Carolina reads a research report indicating consumer trends toward Australian Jara and Kari wood. The export of these products is very limited and very expensive.
d. The number of cigarette smokers in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to increase dramatically over the next decade.
e. A local fine-dining establishment cannot find enough applicants with sufficient skills to learn how to deliver the quality of service its customers expect.
f. Next winter is expected to bring record-setting cold to most of the United States.