1. How many total local governments does Texas have: A. 254 B. 900 C. 1200 D. 5,147

2. In the American federal system, states possess police powers, the authority to regulate: A. International trade B. Currency C. Immigration D. Health, safety, and morals

3. Constitutionally, municipalities and local governments are: A. creatures of the nation B. Creatures of the state C. Independently sovereign entities D. Confederal

4. Which of the following words describes the relationship between state and local governments? A. Unitary B. Federal C. Dual D. Independent

5. The HCC system is an example of a: A. Multi purpose governing unit B. Independently sovereign entity C. Limited purpose governing district D. General law municipality

6. Which of the following does your textbook argues is the most visible example of a general purpose government? A. Cities B. Independent school districts C. Emergency services districts

D. The port of Houston authority

7. The process for establishing a city is called: A. establishment B. Ordination C. Incorporation D. Settlement

8. The purpose behind having a city manager is to ____ the running of city government. A. Politicize B. Bureaucratize C. Professionalize D. Stabilize

9. What powers does a strong mayor have that a weak mayor lack? A. Can appoint an remove heads of departments B. Has control over budget formation and execution C. Can veto actions of the city council D. All of the above

10. Why are turnout races in local elections so low? A. They tend to be held in odd numbered years B. They are often held in May C. They are often uncontested D. All of the above

11. All but Which of the following is a service provided by local governments. A. Water supply B. Sewage disposal C. Highway construction D. Building code enforcement

12. What percentage of Texans live in the 10 largest counties? A. 15% B. 27% C. 43% D. 59%

13. What percentage of Americans contribute to a political candidate or party? A. 16% B. 26% C. 36% D. 46%

14. According to your textbook, which of the following is the most common type of activist? A. Campaigners B. Complete activists C. Inactives D. Communalists

15. Which of the following criteria does the US Constitution does prohibit states from using in denying the right to vote? A. Failure to pay a poll tax B. Failure to register to vote C. Race D.gender

16. Texans must register to vote: A. At least 30 days prior to an election B. At least 15 days prior to an election C. The same day as the election D. Texas does not have voter registration requirements

17. Which of the following is not a reason why someone can be denied the right to vote in an election in Texas? A. They are not U.S citizens B. They have committed a felony C. They do not live in Texas D. They have been declared mentally incapacitated

18. Approximately what percentage of Texans vote in presidential elections? A. 30% B. 40% C. 50% D. 60%

19. Approximately what percentage of Texans vote in mid term elections? A. 30% B. 40% C. 50% D. 60%

20. Where does Texas rank in terms of voter turnout? A. At the top B. Above average C. Average D. Near, or at the bottom

21. The poll tax in Texas originally targeted A. Pollsters B. The wealthy C. Low income white farmers D. Women

22. Since 1972, Texas has had _____ registration A. Annual B. Bi annual C. Permanent D. No

23. The laws that regulate elections in Texas are contained in the A. United States Constitution B. United States Elections Code C. City Charters D. Texas election code

24. Which two parties have qualified as minor parties in recent elections? A. The Green and Libertarian Parties B. The Democratic and Republican Parties C. The Socialist and Communist Parties D. Trick question: there are no minor parties in Texas

25. A major party in Texas must select its nominees in a A. Party caucus B. Primary election C. Party convention D. Party lottery

26. The courts have ruled that parties are not _____ and their actions are subject to control by state law. A. Public organizations B. Private organizations C. Limited liability corporations D. Non-profits organizations

27. Who ultimately makes the decision to run for public office? A. Party leaders B. The governor C. The candidate D. The president

28. Primary elections are administered by A. The national party B. The local party C. The county government D. The municipality

29. By Texas law, special elections can be held in A. January B. May C. August D. All three months

30. What is the final process in amending the Texas Constitution? A. The signature of the governor B. The approval of the president C. A Majority of the Texas electorate D. Trick question: the Texas Constitution cannot be amended

31. Your textbook argues that 30 and 40 years ago, ______ were rarely a facet of state and national politics. A. Social issues. B. Economic issues C. Tariffs D. Foreign affairs

32. Texas campaigns until the 1920s focused on A. The Civil War B. International commerce C. Local affairs D. Relations with Mexico

33. Which of the following is a key factor in the increased costs of campaigns? A. Media advertisement B. Professional consultants C. Full time paid staff D. All of the above

34. Most of the money spent in political campaigns come from A. The national government B. Business PACs C. Small donations of less than $250 D. Labor unions

35. What is the limit on PAC contributions in statewide races in Texas? A. $500 B. $500 per candidate C. $5,000 per candidate, but they must be in the same party D. No limit

36. According to your textbook, a political party is an organization that acts as _____ between the people and government. A. An Intermediary B. A facilitator C. A filter D. An umpire

37. The principle goal of a political party is to A. Serve then interests of all the people B. Expand the electorate C. Make it easier for people to vote D. Have it’s members elected to office

38. What factors, according to your textbook, have been central in the development of political parties in this country. A. They are expedient and useful B. They are mandated in the US and Texas Constitutions C. They are the only political organizations allowed by law D. Membership in political parties is a requirement in order to vote in elections

39. The divisions between the first two major parties in the US centered on all but which of the following issues? A. Slavery B. The proper role of the federal government with the states C. Financial policy D. Foreign affairs

40. According to your textbook, parties in the United States consist of coalitions of A. State parties B. Business groups C. Local party machines D. Elites

41.Most candidates within parties _____ to run for office A. Are recruited B. Self select C. Are required D. Re chosen by a lottery

42. Politics was primarily _____ from the 1790s to the 1970s. A. Capital intensive B. Ideological C. Labor intensive D. Media driven

43. In party machines, candidates for office were selected by A. The governor B. The president C. Candidates themselves D. Party leaders

44. Which of the following people, according to your textbook, was a “kingmaker” in Texas politics from the 1890s until the early 20th Century? A. Colonel Edward House B. Sam Houston C. Jesse Jones D. Lyndon Johnson

45. During the 19th Century, when Local and state parties were powerful, their power rested at least partially on A. Their control over campaign funding B. Their control over the distribution of government jobs and contracts C. Their ability to print ballots D. All of the above

46. Among the factors that have weakened parties in the 20th century are A. Candidates selecting themselves to run for office B. Candidates running their own campaigns C. The rise of PACs D. All of the above

47. All but which of the following is an example of capital intensive politics. A. Online advertising B. Polling and survey research C. Television advertising D. Political rallies

48. All but which of the following weakened the power of parties during the progressive era. A. The use of the anonymous ballot B. The rise of the civil service system C. The use of the primary election to determine party candidates D. The creation of cities

49. Your textbook suggests that the United States has a A. 2 party national system B. 50 state party system C. 2 party state system D. 1 party national system

50. In Texas, the _____ dominated state politics for roughly 100 years following Reconstruction. A. Populist Party B. Republican Party C. Democratic Party D. Peoples’ Party

The stock of United Industries has a beta a 1.14 and an expected return of 11.2. The risk-free rate of return is 4 percent. What is the expected return on the market?

Should Emirates expand it's fleet to a mix of aircraft (aka United Airlines), or should they enter a global code-share alliance? Explain your reasoning.

What role did the replica of Guernica play at the United Nations on February 17, 2003 and how does this speak to the power of this great 20th century painting?

Take a look at UPS (United Parcel Service). Briefly Research and analyze the companies; ·

Goals ·

Strategies for achieving goals

· How company integrates and coordinates activities

What are the current practices and procedures for translation of financial statements in the United Kingdom? Visit the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales’ website to start your research.

3a) Let ?={????:0≤?≤?}. How many of the following strings are in ?∗?

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3

4

5

6

b)

Let ? be any NFA with a single final state. If we convert ? into a right-linear grammar ?, the number of production rules in ? will be equal to

number of transitions in ?

number of states in ? plus 1

number of states in ?

number of transitions in ? plus 1

b) Explain in detail the various types of defects/failures that a structure may encounter to reach: (i) Ultimate Limit States. (ii) Serviceability States. Note: You may answer each part of this question in a number of paragraphs. It would also be useful if you provided some preliminary AutoCAD images to substantiate your answer

For each scenarios below "hr strategy: responding to a union organizing drive, assume that the union won and is now bargaining for a contract.

As a local union leader developing a strike contingency plan, what particular concerns should you have in each scenario?

ACME AUTO PARTS Acme Auto Parts is a small nonunion manufacturer of auto parts located in a small town in the South. The work is repetitive and routine. There are no particular skill or educational requirements for the production employees. Acme sells nearly all its parts to the Big Three automakers (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) according to the specifications they provide. The highly unionized Big Three have largely outsourced the manufacturing of parts. Many of their traditional parts suppliers have closed their unionized operations in Michigan and opened nonunion plants in the South and in Mexico. The Big Three, however, continue to face competitive cost pressures from the Japanese car companies and therefore are continually trying to wring cost concessions from their suppliers. The parts workers at various companies that are still represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) face demands for concessions during every contract negotiation. The UAW is therefore trying to organize the nonunion parts factories. You have seen UAW organizers in town trying to contact Acme workers for the past few weeks. This morning you overheard two workers talking about the UAW.

THE ZINNIA The Zinnia is a 300-room hotel in the central business district of a major Midwestern metropolitan area. This is a full-service hotel—a hotel providing a wide variety of services including food and beverage facilities and meeting rooms—that caters to individual business travelers, convention attendees, and local businesspeople who need meeting space. The Zinnia emphasizes outstanding service and amenities and is owned by a prominent local real estate magnate, Ms. Lucy Baldercash, who closely monitors the management and financial performance of her diversified properties. Many of this city’s major hotels are unionized, and the Zinnia’s wage rates are equal to the local union wage scale. You feel that while the Zinnia’s employee benefit package is modest compared to what the union has been able to extract from your unionized competitors, it is competitive with other low-skilled occupations in the area—and is particularly generous for the undocumented immigrants that you have quietly hired to fill the dishwashing and room cleaning positions. You also feel that your unionized competitors are saddled with myriad work rules that restrict flexibility. The local union organizes aggressively and isn’t afraid to have public marches and demonstrations in support of its goal of social justice. But you thought your workers were content, and you were astonished to learn this morning that Zinnia workers have been quietly signing authorization cards. You received notice from the NLRB that a petition was filed by the local hotel union requesting an election covering back-of-the-house workers (kitchen, laundry, and room cleaning employees—not front-of-the-house employees like bellhops, bartenders, and waitresses) and that this petition was supported by signed authorization cards from 40 percent of the workers.

SCHOOL DISTRICT 273 School District 273 is a medium-sized public school district in a Northeastern state with a comprehensive bargaining law that includes teachers. The bargaining law allows strikes (except for police, firefighters, and prison guards) and also allows unions to be recognized through a card check recognition procedure if the employer does not object. Otherwise a representation election will be conducted when a petition is supported by 30 percent signed authorization cards. No employees in District 273 are represented by a union, though teachers in many neighboring districts are. District 273 receives 75 percent of its funding from the state based on a statewide per-student funding formula; the remainder comes from local property taxes and fees. To balance the state budget, school funding was reduced by 10 percent. School budgets are also being squeezed by rising health care costs. And teachers are frustrated by the state’s emphasis on standardized test scores; they feel they are losing control over educational standards and curriculum. A grassroots unionization effort started among some teachers at the district’s high school near the beginning of the school year. It is now the middle of the school year, and the leaders of this grassroots effort—which they are now calling the District 273 Teacher’s Association—claim to have signed authorization cards from 70 percent of the teachers, including large numbers at all the district’s schools. They have asked the school board to voluntarily recognize their union and schedule bargaining sessions to hear their concerns and negotiate a contract that preserves teachers’ input into the educational process.

WOODVILLE HEALTHCARE Woodville HealthCare is a for-profit health care provider formed through the merger of several networks of physicians. It operates 50 managed care clinics and employs 400 doctors in the West. The merger has resulted in a Page 228major restructuring of operations. Several clinics have been closed, and a number of new operating guidelines have been implemented. Doctors are now required to see more patients; specialty medical procedures and nongeneric prescriptions must be approved by the medical authorization department; and expensive procedures can negatively affect a doctor’s salary. Some doctors contacted a national doctors’ union that is affiliated with one of the largest U.S. unions, and an organizing drive was launched. After a petition was filed with the NLRB, Woodville filed objections and argued that the doctors were supervisors and therefore excluded from the NLRA. The NLRB eventually ruled that 100 of the doctors had supervisory responsibilities, but that 300 were nonmanagerial doctors. Woodville then spent $300,000 (plus staff time) on an antiunion campaign leading up to last week’s election for the 300 nonmanagerial doctors. The election results were 142 voting in favor of the union, 128 against. This is a slim seven-vote margin, and you have until tomorrow to decide whether to appeal the results of the election by filing objections with the NLRB. Several days before the election, the union’s website reported salary figures for Woodville’s top executives that were grossly inflated. You have also investigated several allegations of inappropriate union campaigning on the day of the election but have uncovered only weak evidence. Your attorney predicts that there is a 20 percent chance an appeal would succeed.