If a management team wishes to undertake efforts specifically aimed at helping the company meet or beat the investor-expected increases in the company's stock price in upcoming years, then it should pursue actions to

a. outspend rivals on corporate social responsibility initiatives and charitable contributions, so as to encourage bigger numbers of investors who strongly support corporate social responsibility initiatives to purchase shares of the company's common stock.

b. build the company's brand reputation; a strong, widely-known brand reputation is the biggest factor that drives the company's stock price upward.

c. increase the annual loan repayment to debtholders most every year.

d. minimize the company's annual dividend payments to shareholders.

e. increase total operating profits in all four geographic regions -- the resulting growth in operating profits will improve total net profit and help raise the EPS, driving the company's stock price upward.