A 2010 survey by a reputable automotive website found that 62​% of vehicle owners avoided automotive maintenance and repairs. Suppose a company would like to perform a hypothesis test to challenge this finding. From a random sample of 150 vehicle​ owners, it was found that 103 avoid maintenance repairs. Using alpha equals 0.05​, complete a-c below,

a.) What is the critical value(s)?

b.) What is the test statistic?

c.) What is the p-value?

During the Great Recession (2008-2010) , “the portfolio of federal bonds amassed [by the FED] during 2009 will swell…about doubling.” This is in contrast to the FED initial action to the 2007-8 crisis when one asset account was reduced and the funds shifted into another asset account of the FED to meet the liquidity needs of the marketplace:

            a. FED expanded the money supply without expanding either the Loan or Security Portfolio on its balance sheet.

            b. FED forced gold prices to record prices to provide the collateral to print additional money.

            c. FED increased its security holdings associated with US Treasuries, repos, acceptances, foreign securities, and foreign currencies.

            d. FED sold US Treasuries from its portfolio and expanded loans to record high amounts.

In a 2008 article, the FED’s intention to “buy the equivalent of most of the new Treasury debt issued” to maintain an open & active market (stabilize) is referred to as ______________ monetary policy:

            a. defensive (action to maintain achievement of current goals)

            b. offensive (action to change the direction of monetary policy)

            c. reactionary (action taken without clear policy intentions stated)

            d. precautionary (action in expectation of some unknown events)

According to a Nov. 5 2019 article, in 2012 the FED set the inflation target at 2% in a “…symmetric (manner), meaning that the FED is equally unhappy if prices run below or above 2%.” This goal statement further restricts (redefines for the immediate situation) most directly which of these more general goals:

            a. fight inflation by keeping inflation within a + 2% range

            b. fight unemployment by targeting a natural level of 4%

            c. provide real growth to the economy of 3%

            d. provide a flexible money supply to achieve stable prices and full employment.

In a Nov. 5 2019 article it is reported that Esther George, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, opposes the recent (and any further) rate cuts. “Easing policy might lift inflation, but at the cost of further tightening an already hot labor market and perhaps fostering financial imbalances.” She stated. Her opinion will have the most direct impact on national Monetary Policy if which of the following is true:

            a. in her position currently, she is a member of the Board of Governors

b. in her position currently, she is a member of the Federal Advisory Council

            c. in her position currently, she is a Federal Reserve Bank President

            d. in her position currently, she is a voting member of the FOMC.

6) Each year since winning control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 election, Conservative wing of Republicans have argued that we need to immediately initiate sharp reductions in government spending and entitlement programs and rapidly move towards a balanced budget, (although they have never actually produced a budget proposal in which tax revenues would match government spending plus entitlement transfers). Many Democrats, while arguing that tax rate increases on high income earners need to be part of the any deficit reduction program, have agreed that we need to initiate budget deficit reduction now. However, under the current Trump Administration, the tax reform implemented in 2018 was just the reverse of what democratic party views on taxes. Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) have made an estimate of how much these tax reform approved by by the GOP led Congress would impact the existing budget deficit crisis already. According to their estimate, this reform would yield tax revenues of only $1.1 trillion. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimated that the federal government would raise an estimated $2.5 trillion and spend $5 trillion in 2018. Another estimate by independent research organizations and government agencies predict that the federal budget deficit might increase by $1 trillion in 2018-2019 budget year. Given this reality, would result which of the following outcomes?

A) What is the argument against attempting to balance the Federal Government budget rapidly at the present time via either deep cuts in Federal Government spending or sharp increases in federal income tax rates? 4pts

B) Does this argument imply that budget deficits don’t matter in the long run? If not, why might the impact of large deficits predicted in the long run under current tax and spending programs be different than the impact today? Explain. 4pts

Immigration In April 2010, the state of Arizona passed one of the most stringent immigration laws in the nation. The law requires all immigrants to carry their immigration documents with them at all times, and it authorizes law enforcement officials to question and apprehend anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Individuals who are not carrying the appropriate papers will be at least detained, and local governments and police departments that do not comply with the order can be reprimanded. This law has drawn fire from critics including President Obama, who believes it undermines the basic idea of fairness that we hold as standard in the United States. The Obama administration challenged the law in court, but in 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the law’s central provision, the requirement that law enforcement check the legal status of anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant, was constitutional. It can be said that the United States is a nation of immigrants, based on our history. What are some reasons why people are so resistant to immigration despite this history? Elaborate on your peers’ posts with a well-thought-out, substantive comment that contributes new knowledge to the conversation.

On October, 13, 2011, the debtor, Carl Davis, purchased and took possession of a 2010 BMW 328i. The debtor granted a security interest in the car to the dealer in the purchase contract, which the dealer then assigned to BMW. On Dec. 24, 2011, the Department of Motor Vehicles issued a certificate of title for the car, noting BMW's security interest. BMW did not file a financing statement. On January24, 2012, less than 90 days after BMW's lien was noted on the certificate of title, the debtor petitioned for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, listing the car as the bankruptcy estate's only asset. The Trustee in Bankruptcy argued that BMW's security interest was never properly perfected since BMW never filed a financing statement, and was, therefore, inferior to its claim.

write a brief on behalf of Plaintiff or Defendant. Your grade will be based upon: (1) quality of writing(2) depth of analysis and legal reasoning(3)quality of research--you must cite at least one external source that guided the analysis. (4) demonstrated ability to use MSWord in an appropriate and professional manner

[I. Statement of the Facts (Brief recitation of the facts) II. Issue (Legal question) III. Application (Apply the law to the facts) IV. Decision (Conclusion)]

Sweet leaf tea

In March 2010, Clayton Christopher announced to his employees and all of the fans of sweet Leaf tea that he was leaving the company and handing leadership to an outsider, Dan Costello. Clayton’s final act was to send an email to his employees praising their performance and integrity, which helped grow sweet leaf tea to the number one ready to drink tea at whole foods. In his email, he wrote that after his departure he hoped: We will not sacrifice the magic of this brand and thus jeopardize the love affair we have created with our consumers in order to save a few dollars on our path up the mountain.

Tea Drinkers Heaven

The ready to drink tea market was consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing new product entries in the early twenty- first century. In 2007 total sales if tea equaled $6.85 billion, almost a third od which were ready to drink ( RTD) or bottled tea. Tea is high in antioxidants, has health boosting properties and is either all natural or organic which might be the reason more people were move from traditional carbonate drinks to healthy options like Sweet Leaf Tea . between 2003-and 2008 the RTD category grew by 65 %. In the southern United States, tea has long been a popular beverage choice. It is usually served cold and sweetened. It can be found in any restaurant, mom and pop store or at a road- side stop. From moonshine to big time Clayton Christopher and David Smith were always fans of sweet tea and loved their Grandma’s recipe. But they couldn’t find any good bottled tea that tasted as good as what Grandma made. Their grandma made sweet tea by brewing teabags for3-4 minutes. Then she would pour that freshly brewed tea over ice and add natural sugarcane to make it sweet. In 1997 they founded Sweet Leaf Tea ( SLT) to fill this void, and hoped that others would enjoy their Grandma’s recipe as much as they did. Initially their production and marketing more closely resembled that of a moonshine producer than that of the multi Million- dollar brand it today. They used giant crawfish pans to boil the water and pillowcase as giant tea bags to brew the tea. To distribution the bottled beverages they had an old fun down van. Clayton and David moved Sweet leaf Tea from Beaumont to Austin, Texas after a couple of years and started using an automated system to make the tea. But, they always remained true to their grandma’s recipe. Sweet Leaf Tea’s only competitive advantage was its superior flavor compared to other ready to drink teas like Arizona, Snapple, Lipton, and Nestea. In 2008 SLT had $12 million in revenue and was available in 30 percent of the US market. In March 2009, Nestle Waters purchase as third of Sweet Leaf Tea for $16.5 Million. With large investment from Nestle waters also came a new president, Dan Costello a former executive at Nestle Waters North America. Growing their brand Beverages tend to be low-involvement products, but also a unique in that everyone has a favorite drink, which make it very personal Sweet Leaf Tea had to find ways to develop a following of customers
without a big advertising budget. They focused on sampling at music Festivals, products placement on shows like MTV’s Real World and CBS’s big Brother as well as Making sure they had a clear brand personality. Clayton and David worked with Lyon Advertising to create a brand personality that would represent who they were, laid back and fun, but did not forget Clayton’s Grandma Mimi. SLT could build a large fun base they needed people to try their product. In an interview conducted by Inc. Magazine Clayton stated “ Sampling is the best form of marketing You’ve got to get the product past people’s lips. In 2002 they started partnering with music festivals like Austin City Limit ( ACL ) lollapalooza, South by south West (SXSW) and country Thunder. The folks attending the festivals were thirsty and willing to try new drinks. This also allowed then to target their core target audience – young (25-45) laid back hip, and health conscious beverage drinkers. Initially, ninety percent of their advertising budget went to sampling (Inc). Focusing their sampling program during music festivals allowed them to target masses of people at a time when they were thirsty such as the dead of summer in Texas, Chicago and Arizona. SLT realized very early, however , that they needed to be on store shelves if they wanted their customers to find and buy the product. Selling their product at a few music festivals a year wouldn’t be enough to keep them in business. Their first major store partnership was with whole foods (WF) in 2002, which launched them on store shelves in the greater Texas market. Adi Wilk, the former marketing manager at SLT stated that the Whole Food Partnership “lifted the brand” in 2006 whole food expanded the SLT market to all of their stores in the US. Along with the Whole Foods partnership they also found distribution through partnerships with 7-11 stores, placement in Texas school vending machines, and at army bases. This allowed fans that may have tried SLT at lollapalooza to find it in Chicago, or people that traveled to Austin for ACL or SXSW to find it in New York at their local whole Foods stores. SLT’s communication strategy had traditionally focused on connecting to their customers their partnership with WF, however, helped them grow the brand by being on the shelves of national chain store and also helped them connect to other distributors. But more importantly was that SLT the built a strong connection with their customers, with most of them willing to search far and wide for a bottle for SLT. This truly helped them become a successful company. In 2008, with an infusion of money from Catterton partner, a Connecticut - based private equity firm, and Nestle Waters North America Inc, SLT had expanded their marketing beyond sampling and store partnerships. In 2009 they had three major advertising updates- 1) they launched a new website (2) hired a dedicated Twitter Write (3) and added a team of Facebook managers for the fan page. SLT empowered every employee to be a spokesperson for the brand- with even their receptionist talking a core part in their Twitter and Facebook posts.
Communications Role

Initially the core communication for Sweet Leaf Tea, was through direct to customer marketing at music festivals. The owners, Clayton and David, were at the Music Festivals handing out their product. This allowed customers to meet the people behind the beverage and link friendly faces to a good beverage. Also the association with music festivals may have helped the brand develop the Cool and Fun image they were pushing. Once SLT had expanded beyond the central Texas market they needed to find a way to stay connected to their customers and keep that direct to customer communication active. The infusion of money from
both Catterton partners and Nestle waters allowed them to expand their communication strategy beyond music festivals and their core website. Their Facebook fans matched the same target audience they first had a t music festivals. Their blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages allowed them to continue that face to face communication Clayton and David started at the music festivals, but in the digital world. Their Facebook and Twitter communication reflected the brand and the Culture of the Company. At the time, these two sites were used for announcement about the brand or to communicate special evet taking place during music festivals. As an example during 2009 SXSW they also used Twitter to announce a free concert and used Facebook to get people to RSVP to the event. In one week they had 4,500 people registered on Facebook for the free concert. Another advertising advance SLT made in 2009 was using mobile technology to get consumers to search for their product and receive free sample. SLT was one of the first companies to give away real samples using Gowalla Gowalla was a location game that encouraged people to find a virtual item in a real-world place. Gowalla allowed then to use virtual sampling of a product and connect it to real world sampling.

Questions :

1- What are the strength and weakness of SLT’s corporate Culture in the terms id communications, as described in the case ? 2- Considering the relationship the brand had with its audience, should Clayton have reached out to customers to announce he was leaving ? 3- What challenges do you see for SLT’s new management ? 4- What role should corporate communication paly at SLT to help the company advance its strategic goals? 5- As clayton’s replacement would you change the way SLT communicated with its customers, or who was allowed to ? why or why not ?

1) What explains the fall in inequality from 2002 to 2010 in Latin America? In your answer be sure to explain the reasons for the changes in returns to education.

2) Why did the Latin America experience with industrialization from Word War I until World War II lead Latin American Structuralists to believe that it was necessary to limit imported manufacturing into Latin America?

Tell the economic story of the US 2000-2010 decade. Be sure to include specific examples and data points that help tell the story. Like a brief overview of what happened in the economy.

You can include things like the GDP, civilian unemployment rate, interest rates, unemployment/inflation, foreign trade, and fiscal policys that effected this decade. Not too much information but just an overview. Thanks!

Using the data in the following​ table,   

2010   2011   2012   2013   2014   2015
Stock A   -10%   20%   5%   -5%   2%   9%
Stock B   21%   7%   30%   -3%   -8%   25%

consider a portfolio that maintains a 50% weight on stock A and a 50% weight on stock B.

a. What is the return each year of this​ portfolio?

b. Based on your results from part ​(a​), compute the average return and volatility of the portfolio.

Social Construction of Health and Illness Using the Conrad & Barker (2010) reading: What is one key finding of social constructionism? Explain and provide examples. Have you noticed this before in daily life and/or the medical field? After reading the links on BMI: How is BMI socially constructed? Is using BMI a good indicator of health? Why or why not? Has the use of BMI by the medical field influenced your perception of health? Discuss. Stigma is a key concept to understanding the social construction of health and illness. Rather than reading the (long) article on this, please look up one mental health condition that is stigmatized. This may be either a current recognized mental health condition or one that has been de-pathologized. What mental health condition did you decide to look up? How does stigma affect this condition? In what ways is this condition embedded with cultural meaning? (This section should connect to the Conrad & Barker article) How do individuals come to understand and live with this illness? (This section should connect to the Conrad & Barker article) How does stigma affect the way you think about and discuss mental health? Note: you are not required to disclose your mental health status unless you are comfortable and want to. This week and last week’s content included more dense and theoretical content. Do you have any questions, comments, and/or notice any connections to your life/experiences? This section is purposely broad and intended to be as similar as possible to in-class time to discuss the material and to ask questions.