Suppose that in reviewing a quarterly report of a department's achievements, the manager compared desired performance with actual performance. If the manager found that actual performance was less than the standard, the manager should ___.

A) take no corrective action
B) take corrective action
C) seek more resources for the department
D) defer action until the next quarter's reports are in and a trend is established
E) keep the information to himself/herself

If actual performance is less than the standard, it indicates that there is a gap between what is expected and what has been achieved. Therefore, it is important to take corrective action promptly to address the issue and make necessary improvements. Taking no action or deferring action may result in further deterioration of performance, while seeking more resources may not always be the best solution. Keeping the information to oneself is not in the best interest of the department or the organization as a whole, as it could lead to missed opportunities for improvement. Therefore, the best choice is to take corrective action.