An article in BusinessWeek in 2013 reported that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke testified to Congress that: "If we see continued improvement and we have confidence that that is going to be sustained, then we could-in the next few meetings-we could take a step down in our pace of purchases." According to the article, Bernanke also told Congress that '"premature tightening' could 'carry a substantial risk of slowing or ending the economic recovery."' Source: Nick Summers, "Confusion about the Fed Slowing Its $85 Billion in Monthly Bond Buying Is Roiling the Markets," Bloomberg BusinessWeek, June 10-16,2013. The purchases Fed Chairman Bernanke is referring to are a) purchases of foreclosed homes. b) open market purchases of commercial bonds. c) purchases of foreign currencies. d) open market purchases of government securities.

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?

Interest is credited to a fixed annuity no lower than the variable contract rate contract guaranteed rate current rate of inflation prime rate

Suppose that a firm is considering moving from a batch process to an assembly-line process to better meet evolving market needs. what concerns might the following functions have about this proposed process change: marketing, finance, human resources, accounting, and information systems?