Which of the following most accurately reflects the concept of depreciation as used in accounting? (a) the process of allocating the cost of tangible assets to expense in a systematic and rational manner to those periods expected to benefit from the use of the asset.(b) the process of charging the decline in value of an economic resource to income in the period in which the benefit occurred.(c) an accounting concept that allocates the portion of an asset used up during the year to the contra-asset account for the purpose of properly recording the fair market value of tangible assets.

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?