Final answer:
The traditional receiving, inventory control, and accounts payable transaction processing systems support the purchasing (option b) function in a business, as these processes are crucial for procurement and managing supplier payments.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to transaction processing systems (TPS) and their role in supporting various business functions. A transaction processing system is an organized collection of people, procedures, databases, hardware and software to record completed business transactions. In the context of the question, we are considering three specific TPS functions: receiving, inventory control, and accounts payable.
Receiving refers to the process whereby a business accepts goods from suppliers, inventory control involves tracking and managing the items in stock, and accounts payable is the accounting process of managing amounts owed to suppliers for goods and services received.
All these functions are integral to the purchasing process of a company, which includes ordering goods, receiving them, controlling the company's inventory, and managing payments to suppliers. Therefore, these TPSs support the b. purchasing function, as they help in the procurement of goods and services and in keeping the flow of business smooth and efficient by keeping track of incoming goods and related payments.
The correct option in the final answer, in this case, is b. purchasing.