  We obtain a complete characterization of the norm attainment set of a bounded
linear functional on a normed space, in terms of a semi-inner-product defined
on the space. Motivated by this result, we further apply the concept of
semi-inner-products to obtain a complete characterization of the norm
attainment set of a bounded linear operator between any two real normed spaces.
In particular, this answers an open question raised recently in [Sain, D.,
\textit{On the norm attainment set of a bounded linear operator}, J. Math.
Anal. Appl., \textbf{457} (2018), 67-76.]. Our results illustrate the
applicability of semi-inner-products towards a better understanding of the
geometry of normed spaces.
