1. Since it is year-end, you have decided that it is time for Ed to complete a physical inventory of parts and finished goods. Ed is telling you that he has never done this before and doesn't believe it necessary because "everyone always keeps good records of what is used and sold. " Discuss why you feel Ed needs to conduct a physical inventory. How will this impact the financial statements? Write a proposed policy for Ed's office procedures manual including details of why an inventory count is necessary, how and when the inventory count will be conducted, and who will be responsible for ensuring the count is completed.

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Counting inventory gives an exact count of assets within the company. This will also help with preventing stealing. (I am thinking of Johnny Cash's One Piece At a Time song right now). It will also give an idea as to what needs to be ordered and what is being used within the shop.

As the bookkeeper, I would take part of the inventory along with the parts manager.

I would have the parts manager count each item as I recorded them.

The numbers then will be kept to compare to with is being billed out and purchased to make sure everything is accounted for.
This should be done at minimum of once per year.

2. Is deviance relative? Why/why not? Are there some acts that are considered deviant in every culture? Of the different theoretical perspectives on deviance, which do you think is most useful for understanding deviance and why?

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I certainly believe that deviance is relative. While there may be some acts that are generally considered deviant across all cultures (for example, murder is generally deviant in most cultures in the contemporary world, but not necessarily all), cultures vary in many ways. What is considered deviant in America may not be considered deviant in Korea. For this reason, I believe deviance is very relative. Another example is the consumption of alcohol by minors. Underage alcohol consumption does not apply to all cultures; in several cultures, drinking is socially acceptable at any age. The many differences between various cultures are the building blocks of uniqueness among cultures. Furthermore, if we consider the variations in cultures and cultural norms during certain time periods, then deviance is even more relative. A perfect example of this is the prohibition of alcohol in America; during this era, the consumption of alcohol was considered a deviant act. In modern American societies, the consumption of alcohol is extremely common, despite the fact that many deviant acts occur as a result. There are many contemporary examples that demonstrate deviance is relative to time; gay marriage, the legalization of marijuana, etc. These things are either no longer, or will soon be no longer, wholly deviant in American culture.

I personally believe that the theoretical perspective that best supports an understanding for deviance in a society depends on the particular society under scrutiny. For American societies, in which freedom, individuality, and informality are prevalent, I believe that the social interactionism theory is the most useful for understanding. While each of the theories makes valid, applicable arguments, the majority of individuals in America seem to strongly represent the values and environments that they were raised with. Certain levels of morality are developed based on how we are raised and what we are taught is acceptable. As a result of the three concepts mentioned previously, individuals in America are generally unrestricted, aside from laws, in terms of personal development and as to how they carry out their everyday lives. For this reason, I believe the biggest influence that individuals in America have in their lives are those who help shape us as we are children; parents, teachers, tutors, babysitters, daycare providers, peers, and many others. As children grow older, the beliefs and social concepts that they have been taught are either reinforced or discouraged and diminish. This is where the other theoretical perspectives potentially play a role; reviewing the societal class in which many individuals are taught similar particular deviant behaviors, norms, and values (conflict perspective), or that society as a whole is the at the root of deviant socialism in these areas (functionalist perspective). However, it is not always society that supports deviance. White collar crimes are often the result of an individual or a group of individuals in which the deviance, in my opinion, derives primarily from interactions with others, or from particular aspects or "powers" of their individual role within a society.

3. What is a preference ballot? Why are they useful? What is instant runoff voting (IRV)? Which cities in the United States use instant runoff voting?

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A preference ballot is a ballot where an individual voter ballot to list each of the candidates in order of their preference. This allows for voting on the first , second, third, so on and so forth. This is for the pick for a commitee. This is so they see where everyones preference is for the people up for the vote.

An instant runoff voting is a one winner from a ranked voting option.there looks like there are a lot of cities that use this. St Paul is one of them and some cities use it every two years for their city council type of elections.