Janet Jefferson operates a group of 10 Fresh Stop food trucks that serve lunch to busy workers in the business center of a large Midwest city. One of the most popular items on the menu is a quinoa salad made with organic vegetables. The ingredients of thesalad, as well as other menuitems, are prepped in a central kitchen eachmorning, under the supervision of thecompany's chef, Marie Beck, and loaded onto the trucks. The food truck operators assemble the salads as the orders are placed to ensure maximum freshness. Janet employs a purchasingagent, Bruce Atkins, who orders produce directly from local farmers. Bruce places produce orders at the beginning of eachweek, based on projecteddemand, and the farmers make deliveries every 2 days.

In September of 2020, an unexpected early freeze destroys the localfarmer's arugula that is a key ingredient of the quinoa salad. Bruce decides to replace the arugula order with baby spinach. Unhappy that Bruce made the change without herapproval, Chef Marie sends a kitchen helper out to a retail organic grocer to purchase imported arugula at a significantly higher price. Her argument is that the spinach is not an acceptablesubstitution, and that the change will be noticed by thecompany's many regular customers. By the followingweek, Bruce is able to purchase arugula from a southern grower that serves the company in theoff-season. Janet is displeased with Bruce for not securing replacement wholesale arugula in time to avoid thesubstitution, and with Marie for making the unauthorized purchase at the much higher price.

Who is responsible for the cost of thearugula? At what level is the costcontrollable? Do you agree that Janet should be angry with the purchasing agent Bruce? With Marie? Why or whynot? You need to choose the right answer.

The cost of the produce is usually the responsibility of ----------(Janet Jefferson, Marie the chef, the food truck operators, the purchasing agent)------However, in thisscenario,----------(Janet Jefferson, Marie the chef, the food truck operators, the purchasing agent)------has taken the responsibility for the cost of the replacement arugula from------(Janet Jefferson, Marie the chef, the food truck operators, the purchasing agent)-------by making a purchasing decision. Since Janet holds------(Janet Jefferson, Marie the chef, the food truck operators, the purchasing agent)--------responsible for producecosts,------(Janet Jefferson, Marie the chef, the food truck operators, the purchasing agent)------- should have discussed the decision with-------(Janet Jefferson, Marie the chef, the food truck operators, the purchasing agent)-------- before trying to resolve the situation.