Suppose an economist advises a city's mayor to begin charging drivers a fee to drive on a busy highway during congested times. the mayor does not implement the policy because it would not be popular with voters. which of the following statements best describes the scenario?
a. this is a common occurrence. the policymaker knows the best policy but chooses not to institute it for other reasons.
b. this is a common occurrence. the policymaker usually disregards an economist's advice because they do not believe it is the most efficient policy.
c. this is an unlikely occurrence. most of the time, policymakers follow the advice of economists and institute the most efficient policies.
d. this would never happen. policymakers always follow the advice of economists.

Last year, western corporation had sales of $5 million, cost of goods sold of $3 million, operating expenses of $175,000 and depreciation of $125,000. the firm received $40,000 in dividend income and paid $200,000 in interest on loans. also, western sold stock during the year, receiving a $40,000 gain on stock owned 6 years, but losing $60,000 on stock owned 4 years. what is the firm's tax liability?

Insurance companies have internal controls in place to protect assets, monitor the accuracy of accounting records and encourage operational efficiencies and adherence to policies. these internal controls are generally of two types: administrative controls and accounting controls. administrative controls are the policies and procedures that guide the daily actions of employees. accounting controls are the policies and procedures that delineate authorizations of financial transactions that are done, safeguard assets, and provide reports on the company’s financial status in a reliable and timely manner. internal controls should include both preventative and detective controls. the purpose of preventative controls is to stop problems and errors before they occur. detective controls identify problems after they have occurred. preventative controls are usually more effective at reducing problems, but they also tend to be more expensive. internal controls must be flexible to adjust for changes in laws and regulations in addition to adding new products or modifying current ones. companies must also do regular analyses to ensure that the benefits of implementing the controls are worth their costs. when concerned about paying unwarranted insurance claims which type of control would be useful?

Alarge tank is filled to capacity with 500 gallons of pure water. brine containing 2 pounds of salt per gallon is pumped into the tank at a rate of 5 gal/min. the well-mixed solution is pumped out at the same rate. find the number a(t) of pounds of salt in the tank at time t.