Prepare a summary report (in the form of a table) that reflects the major issues addressed in the case. Each row in your table should deal with a separate issue you addressed. For each issue, provide a statement as to whether and why (or how) the issue at hand would affect the recommended decision as well as any additional information you think is pertinent. Assume that the document you prepare would be the type that could be used to guide the discussion at the decision team’s final meeting (or the presentation of your report to a client) and that the project evaluation summary would be supported by the various analyses conducted in conjunction with answering previous case questions.

XYZ Company was formed in the United States seven years ago by Jim Smith, Marsha Chang, and Earl Watson, who together purchased a commercial machine shop that had been in business for more than 40 years but, at the time of the acquisition, was feeling pressure from a variety of new entrants into the markets in which the machine shop competed. Smith had a distinguished military career and felt he could use the skills he acquired in the military to help this business return to its previously highly profitable state. Smith currently serves as the president and CEO of the company. XYZ produces three primary product lines, all of which are made of brass and are water-related: flow controllers, valves, and pumps. Marsha Chang, a long-time friend of Smith and his family, and a practicing CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and CMA® (Certified Management Accountant), joined the company as its CFO shortly before the formation of XYZ. Earl Watson, a high school friend of Smith, had worked as the manufacturing supervisor at the company for the past 10 years and, at the request of Smith, decided to stay onboard after the formation of XYZ. Over the past several years, Watson had toyed with the idea of introducing more technologically up to-date equipment that, he thought, could help ameliorate the competitive position of the company. Recently, Chang instituted an activity-based costing (ABC) system and a “bare-bones” Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that, among other things, helped the company assess customer profitability and price its products more competitively. A new marketing manager, Maria Sanchez, was hired last year to develop and implement an aggressive product-promotion plan.