A cash payment of $250,000 was made by Durdy Coal, Inc., a U. S. corporation, to DCI's agent with the instruction "put this to good use on DCI's behalf." In turn cash is paid to the State Importation Officer of the People's Republic of China in order to secure a Chinese import license. Is this legal or illegal under U. S. law? What is the most relevant U. S. statute regarding this scenario?

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?