AB Limited (ABL) is a private company in Ontario that sells mugs, jars, and bottles in a variety of colours, sizes, and materials. ABL has been owned by four equal owners since its inception. The owners have different skills—creative design, marketing, finance, and information systems. The company attributes much of its success to the use of materials that can be easily shipped without breaking, and unique designs that appeal to a variety of buyers, particularly commercial buyers who purchase for restaurants, or for businesses who choose to advertise their business by giving away or selling regular or travel mugs. The owners meet formally every month and have informal meetings two or three times per week to discuss particular clients or new approaches. About a quarter of the company's sales are completed via the company's secure website, while the remainder are by telephone or purchase order. ABL works with distributors of kitchenware, selling wholesale to hundreds of outlets in Canada. Most of these sales are done over the phone, although a salesperson does spend some time in major cities across the country visiting some of the large customers and helping with shelf layout and marketing to the ultimate consumers for larger distributors. These efforts have resulted in gradually increasing market share for the company. All sales are recorded in the accounting software package used by the company. The accounting manager reports directly to one of the owners, and there are two other employees in the accounting department. Password controls are used to limit functions that are accessible by employees. For example, only the

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Advances in printing technology and the imperatives of modern commerce have coalesced to output a range of interesting consumer products These include custom printed mugs and water bottles that bring ... View the full answer