The retail mall owner told a marketing researcher, "we have the option of staying open late twice a week or opening up an hour early every day. we need to know which will be most profitable since we cannot do both. the decision must be made in 11 weeks and we only have $10,000 budgeted for this research project." in which step of the marketing research process would the owner determine this budget and time frame?
a. define the problem
b. develop the research plan
c. collect relevant information
d. develop findings and recomendations
e. take marketing actions

M. cotteleer electronics supplies microcomputer circuitry to a company that incorporates microprocessors into refrigerators and other home appliances. one of the components has an annual demand of 235 units, and this is constant throughout the year. carrying cost is estimated to be $1.25 per unit per year, and the ordering (setup) cost is $21 per order. a) to minimize cost, how many units should be ordered each time an order is placed? b) how many orders per year are needed with the optimal policy? c) what is the average inventory if costs are minimized? d) suppose that the ordering cost is not $21, and cotteleer has been ordering 125 units each time an order is placed. for this order policy (of q = 125) to be optimal, determine what the ordering cost would have to be.