After working for years as a regional manager for a retail organization, Scott Parry opened his own business with Susan Gonzalez, one of his district managers, as his partner. They formed Scott and Susan (S&S) to sell appliances and consumer electronics. S&S pursued a clicks and bricks strategy by renting a building in a busy part of to`wn and adding an electronic storefront. S&S invested enough money to see them through the first six months. They will hire 15 employees within the next two weeks three to stock the shelves, four sales representatives, six checkout clerks, and two to develop and maintain the electronic storefront. S&S will host its grand opening in five weeks. To meet that deadline, they have to address the following important issues:

17. What decisions do they need to make to be successful and profitable?

18. What information do S&S need to make those decisions?