Penelope works at $$Whisper Weekly$,$ a local print newspaper company that has a weekly $$gossip column$,$ which features celebrity news. Due to the recent increase in the use of online media, $$Whisper Weekly$$ notices a decrease in the sales of their newspapers. They decided to offer their newspaper online, but it was not successful. $$Whisper Weekly$,$ as a last resort to save the company, considers the dismissal of some of its employees based on operational requirements. Penelope has worked for $$Whisper Weekly$$ for the past $10$ years and is worried that her job might be at stake. She approaches you for advice as regards the retrenchment of employees in the workplace.

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What is the preferred criterion for selection in the retrenchment process among the following options?

Group of answer choices

Skills and Performance

Academic Qualifications.

LIFO $($Last$-$In$-$First$-$Out$).$

Employee disciplinary records.