Which of the following metrics would be least useful for a board to monitor management's creation of long-term value?

Monitoring management's creation of long-term value involves assessing how well a company is positioned for sustainable success and profitability over an extended period. While gross sales figures for a specific quarter provide a snapshot of revenue performance, they do not reflect the underlying factors that contribute to long-term value creation.

Gross sales can be influenced by short-term promotions or seasonal trends and may not indicate the true health of the business or its potential for future growth. Assessing long-term value requires metrics that offer insights into operational efficiency, customer relationships, and market dynamics over time.

In contrast, metrics like net profit margin, market share growth, and customer satisfaction scores provide more valuable insights into the company's performance and prospects. Net profit margin reflects the company's efficiency in converting sales into profit, market share growth indicates competitiveness and market positioning, and customer satisfaction scores can reveal customer loyalty and the potential for repeat business, all of which are critical to sustaining long-term value.