Goal! Sportswear, a Maker of Clothing for Soccer Players, Buys

Goal! Sportswear, a maker of clothing for soccer players, buys textiles made in South Asia, which are then sewn into jerseys, shorts, and other items of sportswear at factories in East Asia. Recently, Darius, the company president, has received a large volume of negative emails from customers concerned with allegations of unfair labor practices at these facilities, and therefore the company is reviewing its entire process. Darius has appointed Millie, Avi, and Asher, three company managers, to assess the company's choices as to textile suppliers and production facilities and to examine what the customers-both amateur and professional soccer players-are looking for in the company's products. When Asher considers the players' requirements, the part of the value chain is he most likely looking at is

A) inbound logistics.
B) operations.
C) outbound logistics.
D) marketing and sales.
E) research and development.