Question 4. Leading versus lagging indicators In a recent annual report, Lexmark, a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of printing and imaging solutions for offices and homes, made the following statement: \"One of the most important metrics for Lexmark is our hardware revenue growth because sales of hardware drive our future sales of supplies, which is the profit engine for Lexmark.\" Required - Would Lexmark's hardware growth be considered a leading or a lagging indicator? Why? Question 1. Taylor Construction builds custom homes in Dallas, Texas. Brandon Taylor knows that his future depends on the quality of the homes he builds and the service he provides to customers. Most new-customer sales arise from word-ofmouth advertising by former customers. Place an X in the appropriate columns to indicate whether the following measures are leading or lagging and financial or non-fina ncial indicators of Taylor Construction's financial performance: m g. Dollars invested in new equipment h. G rade (quality) of brass xtu res i. Variances between budgeted and actual costs of building a house cl. Turnaround time on customer design changes e. Hours of training per employee 1'. Average labor cost per house Question 2. Determining cause-and-effect relationships Focusing managerial attention on a single metric may result in undesirable employee behavior and adverse business consequences. For each of the following scenarios, identify the undesirable results that could occur. a. A shipping department is evaluated solely on total shipping costs incurred. b. An airline is evaluated based on on-time departures. c. A production line is evaluated based on the percentage of time machines are running. d. A salesperson is evaluated based on the number of new accounts opened