Pauline Cooper is a registered dietitian and the foodservice director at Memorial Hospital. Increasingly, the hospitals marketing efforts have emphasized its skill in treating diabetic patients. As a result, the number of diabetic meals served by Paulines staff has been increasing. As a professional member of the hospitals management team, Pauline has been asked to report on how the hospitals diabetic treatment marketing efforts have affected her area.

1. How important is it that Pauline have historical records of the type (i.e., vegetarian, low-sodium, gluten-free, and the like) of meals served by her staff and not merely the number of meals served? Why?

2. Assume that Paulines per-meal cost has been increasing because diabetic meals are more expensive to produce than regular meals. Could Pauline use sales histories to estimate the financial impact of serving additional diabetic meals in the future? How?