Read the following case study and answer the five questions at the end.

THE PRIVILEGED FLY

You are a privileged fly: You are allowed to be on the wall of a corporate boardroom during a high$-$powered discussion. The corporation is an engineering firm whose sales total approximately $$140$ million a year. Up to now, things appear to have been going well. Production does an efficient job, and inventories have been reduced. But danger signs are cropping up$.$ Although no orders have been lost as yet, several shipments have missed their deadlines. Customers are beginning to complain. In addition, transportation costs on incoming and outbound freight shipments are mushrooming. It is $9$ a$.$m$.,$ and several people are nervously sitting at the conference table. A stern$-$looking individual enters