Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Gender Roles in The Awakening Essay - 931 Words

Gender Roles in The Awakening The 1890’s were an era of rapid social change in regards to women’s rights. In 1893, Colorado was the first state granting women the right to vote with Utah and Idaho following soon after in 1896. This soon set momentum towards of ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. It was in 1899 the Kate Chopin published The Awakening, a novel telling the tale of a suppressed mother, Edna Pontellier, and her desire for something more in her life. Literary scholars consider Chopin’s The Awakening as a subtle yet effective portrayal of women of the late 19th century and consider it as an important piece of the feminism movement. Throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, women had felt controlled by men and the†¦show more content†¦Adele is a selfless woman as she devotes her whole existence to her children and husband. She was often found sewing â€Å"little night drawers†¦a bodice†¦or a bib† (11) fo r the upcoming winter whereas Edna’s â€Å"mind was quite at rest concerning the present material needs of her children† (11). Adele frequently talks about her children, always sounding proud or excited about them. Edna neglects to mention her children many times, as clearly they are not the top priority in her life. Many times Adele would wonder if she even should leave her children behind and go somewhere with Edna. Adele is accepted in the Creole community, she is family to them, and she has many Creole companions. This only noticed when you note Edna’s relations with the Creole community, she is accepted but never seems to fully integrate with the community. This is representative of the how Edna rejects the common role of women in society at the time. Chopin also uses a subtle hint of Adele’s appearance to suggest that Adele’s commitment to her maternal role. Adele is described a delicate woman with soft hands and pale skin. This is to suggest that Adele does not leave her house, nor does she do physical labor, which would mean she would leave the house. Her pale skin suggests that she is committed to the household and all the duties involved. Her physical beauty is to impress her husband as she is frequently seeking his approval through her physicalShow MoreRelatedLindsey Allison. Mrs. Schroder. Ap Literature And Composition.1217 Words   |  5 PagesLiterature and Composition 3 January 2016 Awakening Essay: 1987 Awakening, takes place in 1899, a period in history where traditional gender roles were especially prevalent. Traditionally, women were destined to be housewives. The life of a woman was centered around caring for her children and husband. The success of a woman was not determined by her occupation nor accomplishments, but instead was determined by the livelihood of her family. The protagonist of Awakening, Edna Pontellier, steps outside ofRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening935 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin’s â€Å"The Awakening† can arguably be considered a feminist piece, but regardless of whether it is or not, the short story unmistakably describes how life was for women in the late 1800’s. Her story is a great example of the sexist views of the time and existing social roles for each gender. The literature includes a large interplay between society and gender roles, which affected the reader’s response to the plot and other literary devices such a s imagery back then and even today. ChopinRead MoreDesiree s Baby And The Awakening1238 Words   |  5 Pagesin 1892 in Vogue magazine (Gilbert 167). In 1899, Chopin published The Awakening. These two stories, Chopin writes how women’s personal identities and independence are concealed by society through her different female characters in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† and The Awakening. The main female character in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is Desiree and Chopin portrays her protagonist, Desiree, as a submissive character. On the other hand, in The Awakening, the main female character is Edna and she is portrayed to be bold. WhileRead MoreThe Symbolism Of Birds Throughout Chopin s The Awakening1564 Words   |  7 PagesThe Symbolism of Birds in Chopin’s The Awakening In the 1899 novella, The Awakening, Kate Chopin illustrates the social oppression that women experienced during the Victorian Era (1837-1901). The protagonist in the novella, Edna Pontellier, reflects the progressive women of the late 1800s who began to question the traditional gender roles of society. In contrast to customary women such as Adele Ratignolle, the model character in the story who displays very high standards of being a wife and a motherRead MoreEssay about Feminism in The Awakening986 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin the critical approach feminism is a major aspect of the novel. According to dictionary.reference.com the word feminism means, â€Å"The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.† The Awakening takes place during the late eighteen hundreds to early nineteen hundreds, in New Orleans. The novel is about Edna Pontellier and her family on a summer vacation. Edna, who is a wife and mother, is inferior to her husbandRead MoreKate Chopin s Life And Feminism1281 Words   |  6 Pagespeople outrage and condemn some of her works. However, in the early 1900s, her works were examined again and people started to listen to her ideas. One of these main motifs that Chopin’s works kept bringing up were feminism and equality. In The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, a radical feminist, and Adele Ratignolle, a subtle feminist, demonstrate to the reader the desire for equality for women. The actions of these characters critique on the social problems of the time period while at the same timeRead MoreThe Awakening : Evaluating The Core Values Of The Nineteenth Century1203 Words   |  5 PagesThe Awakening: Evaluating The Core Values of the Nineteenth Century In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the main protagonist Edna Pontellier exists as the embodiment of the feminist ideas that stand as outliers in the midst of the more traditional nineteenth century beliefs. Set in 1899 near the end of this generation, Chopin’s work explores the shared attitudes of most of the novel’s cast as they respond to Edna’s search for independence and freedom, an action that challenges her conservativeRead MoreThe Importance of Setting and Symbols in The Awakening by Kate Chopin1014 Words   |  5 Pagesthe meadow in Kentucky, symbols and settings in The Awakening are prominent and provide a deeper meaning than the text does alone. Throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin, symbols and setting recur representing Edna’s current progress in her awakening. The reader can interpret these and see a timeline of Edna’s changes and turmoil as she undergoes her changes and awakening. The setting Edna is in directly affects her temperament and awakening: Grand Isle provides her with a sense of freedom; NewRead MoreHistorical Background of The Color Purple, I know why the caged bird sings, and The Awakening1383 Words   |  6 PagesHistorical Background of The Color Purple, I know why the caged bird sings, and The Awakening In a stereotypical society, the reader expects for the protagonist of a novel to be a strong, heroic male who saves the day and gets the girl. However, in the classic works â€Å"The Awakening† (Kate Chopin), â€Å"The Color Purple† (Alice Walker), and â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings† (Maya Angelou), a different kind of protagonist is portrayed. In these novels, the protagonist is a heroine who grows throughoutRead More feminaw Seeking a New Identity for Women in The Awakening Essay1461 Words   |  6 PagesSeeking a New Identity for Women in  The Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Awakening, Chopin questions gender roles. Chopin seeks an identity for women that is neither wife nor mother. To achieve this end, she incorporates progressive feminist ideas into her writing. Yet, in the end, Chopin also shows that, because of years of conditioning, many women are unable to escape society’s stereotypical roles by any satisfactory means. The protagonist of the novel, Edna Pontellier, does not possess the skills

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Great Depression And Its Effect On Higher Education

The Great Depression was an economic downturn that occurred in the late 1920s and the early 1930s. It was begun by the stock market crash in October of 1929. The Great Depression did not just affect the United States of America, it also affects the world. At this time, Higher Education was in the University Transformation Era (Cohen Kisker, 2010). As the world was changing, so was Higher Education. The Great Depression had its own effect on Higher Education system, such as the institutions, students/faculty, and finances of most institutions. The Great Depression takes place in between the two World Wars. After World War I, the United States emerged as a prominent country on the world stage (Cohen Kisker, 2010). It was able to benefit from â€Å"exporting agricultural products, manufactured goods, and explosives to the belligerents† (Cohen Kisker, 2010, p.110). According to Granados, Roux and Portes, (2009) the 1920s started with a negative in economic growth and unemployment rate that was over 10%. The economy began to flourish during the middle part of the decade (Granados, et al., 2009). While there were signs that the economy was struggling in the summer of 1929, the onset of the Great Depression was during the stock market crash in October of that year (Granados, et al., 2009). According to Granados, et al., (2009) the unemployment rate rose substantially; â€Å"reaching it historical maximum of 22.9 % in the United States in 1932† (p.17290). The economy greatly affects theShow MoreRelatedThe Great De pression : A Worldwide Economic Downfall That Was Preceded By The Stock Market Crash Of 19291356 Words   |  6 PagesThe Great Depression was a worldwide economic downfall that was preceded by the Stock Market Crash of 1929. 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The GR officiallyRead MoreA Brief Note On Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health1590 Words   |  7 PagesIndigenous disadvantage which includes life expectancy, child mortality, education and employment. The social determinants of health such as socioeconomic factors, early life, social and emotional wellbeing have significantly impacted on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, causing the wide gap in Indigenous disadvantage. (Brennan 2015) Socioeconomic factors such as social gradient, employment and education can have a great effect on the health of individuals throughout life. (Australian InstituteRead MoreI Find This Journal Article Interesting As It Discussed1335 Words   |  6 Pagesgroup, particularly in my husband’s case who is in his mid-thirties. Although I have been aware of the implications of certain psychosocial factors in someone’s well-being, I wanted to know the other aspects of midlife psychosocial development and its effect as the person ages. 2. A summary of related literature or studies Erikson’s psychosocial development theory became the foundation of understanding human development across the lifespan. He hypothesized that individuals who fail to navigate the challengesRead MoreThe Effects Of Midlife Psychosocial Development On Cognitive And Emotional Health1331 Words   |  6 Pagesgroup particularly in my husband’s case who is in his mid-thirties. Although I have been aware of the implications of certain psychosocial factors in someone’s well-being, I wanted to know the other aspects of midlife psychosocial development and its effect as the person ages. 2. Summary of related literature or studies Erikson’s psychosocial development theory became the foundation of understanding human development across the lifespan. He hypothesized that individuals who fail to navigate the challengesRead MoreTeen Pregnancy And Its Effect On Children855 Words   |  4 Pagesnations. 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One day they may feel great and ready to conquer the world Read MoreDepression And Its Effects On Depression1411 Words   |  6 Pages Depression is a broad area because it has to do with the emotional state of a person. It can either make you stronger or break you down to nothing. Many people don’t notice they’re depressed because they’re either in denial or can function regularly with the condition. What is depression? Depression is a state of mind along with feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and or uncertainty in life. Depression can trigger in so many areas in life such as: losing a child, employment, home or evenRead MoreBaby Boomers, the Driving Force1544 Words   |  7 Pagesthat 18 year span. The baby boomer generation is now creating a boom in the field of adult education. Enrollment in college programs by baby boomers has risen substantially. 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Sunday, December 15, 2019

Hr Scorecard Free Essays

International Bulletin of Business Administration ISSN: 1451-243X Issue 4 (2009)  © EuroJournals, Inc. 2009 http://www. eurojournals. We will write a custom essay sample on Hr Scorecard or any similar topic only for you Order Now com/IBBA. htm The Application of Human Resource Scorecard: A Case Study of Public Hospitals in NTT Province, Indonesia Riana Sitawati Accounting Department, STIE Dharmaputra Sodikin Manaf Accounting Department, STIE Dharmaputra Endah Winarti Accounting Department, STIE Dharmaputra Abstract Together with regional autonomy development, regional performance management becomes one of the most important factors to be considered. Regional public hospital becomes a regional government asset that should manage itself therefore it can prepare transparent performance measurement report for the benefit of the hospital itself and also the society or other interest parties. However, as a service organization, human resource competency becomes key factor in a public hospital that also needs to be improved. For achieving this aim, then this paper describes human resources performance measurement steps for the hospital particularly regional public hospital which consisted of preparing Activity Value Chain, Job Description, Job Specification, Job Performance Standard, and Job Performance Scorecard. Those steps had been implemented in public hospitals in NTT province, Indonesia. In the end, hopefully it can provide alternative standard for measuring a whole organization performance. Keywords: Public hospital, performance measurement, Activity Value Chain, Job Description, Job Specification, Job Performance Standard, Job Performance Scorecard, East Nusa Tenggara Province 1. Introduction The early years of the 21st century are proving to be a period of profound transition business world. This transition is being driven by a number of key trends including: global interdependence; diverse, diffuse, and asymmetrical security threats; rapidly evolving science and technology; dramatic shifts in the age and composition of population; important quality of life issues; the changing nature of our economy; and evolving government structures and concepts. These trends also contribute to a huge, longer-range fiscal and budgetary challenge around the world. Given these trends and long-range fiscal challenges, we are now seeing increased attention to strategic human capital management (U. S. General Accounting Office, 2002). While human capital is the foundation for creating value in the new economy, human assets are the least understood by business leaders and therefore the least effectively managed. Furthermore, there is exceptional about human resource function, which is that is less prepared than many other functions (such as finance or information system) to quantify its impact on business performance (Yeung Berman, 1997). Since the Indonesian government determined regulation about regional autonomy in 2002, there were efforts to arrange specific policies for government owned institution in each Indonesian region. Those specific policies also included performance measurement area that the government institutions in local region can manage their own performance report but still have obligation to report their performance condition to central government. That independent performance management is based on Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia (Indonesian Regulation) no. 17 / 2003 that applies the implementation refers to the activity area of the government institution activity. Refers to the regional public hospital that also becomes regional government institution, this institution also has obligation to prepare an independent performance report system. In fact, there are not many public hospitals that had implemented performance measurement report system refers to Indonesian generally accepted accounting principle. This caused by the bureaucracy culture in Indonesia that can not be removed easily particularly in government institution environment and lack of skilled human resources that has sufficient knowledge to make a good financial report. Although there are many problems resulted in preparing an independent public hospital, but it will be better if the public officer that works at Health Department, Regional Government, or Public Hospital begins to take real steps in improving financial system at public hospital. It becomes more important refers to Indonesian bad economic condition after multi dimension crisis so that public hospital should find its own core business rather than depend on government budget (Subanegara, 2005). This condition had been applied at developed countries which have their own business unit, such as laundry facility that are provided for general society with tariff that relatively the same with market price. Moreover, the hospitals also have specific pavilion for sound patient where room price and medical service are based on higher tariff compared with regular class so there is subsidy for the poor patient. As a public institution, main goal of public hospital is to provide medical service to local patient particularly the poor ones. Therefore, profit is clearly not the main goal of public hospital. With such character, it is not surprising that there are so many public hospitals that complain about their lost in operating activities because of their social responsibility service. Based on the above factors, we can see the importance of good measurement management system for regional public hospital. Until recently, public hospital only depends on central government or local government funding and management system without tries to find out any efforts to be more independent. This opinion should be changed therefore hospital can produce its own performance measurement report that still can support its social service function which always become its main mission. Refers to this condition, then it is necessary to understand how to arrange a good performance report therefore the hospital knows for sure its own advantages and disadvantages as a foundation to decide strategic action in order to manage better and more professional public hospital financial and non financial aspect. Therefore a performance measurement that is capable to measure not only financial but also non financial aspect will be more supportive. 2. Problem Statement Although the application of a complete Balanced Scorecard as one of Strategic Management Accounting performance tools had produced enormous studies and practices, but there is still lack of focus on its application at Indonesian public sector. This also occurs especially in an organization which provides service such as medical organizations which have social responsibility and see human resources as the main organization asset. That background inspires author to describe author’s experience related with human resource performance measurement at Indonesian public hospitals. 3. Theoretical Background 3. 1. Performance Measurement Performance can be considered as a â€Å"relative and culture-specific concept†, one of those â€Å"suitcase words in which everyone places the concepts that suit them, letting the context take care of the definition†(Lebas, Euske, 2002). We could use the same words to describe performance measurement. Different people give different meanings to performance measurement. Adams, Kennerley and Neely defined performance measurement as â€Å"the process of quantifying the efficiency and effectiveness of past action† (Neely, Adams, Kennerley, 2002). The author considers this definition clear and meaningful. We can argue that quantifying only the efficiency and the effectiveness dimensions of the action could be too limiting. We can argue that performance measurement doesn’t mean only quantifying but also comparing to a reference. But we should agree that the definition they gave sounds quite linear, appropriate, reasonable and useful. As it happens with other processes, the purpose of performance measurement is not univocal. Performance measurement is a sort of primary process: it can be considered as a basic element of larger and different processes like: †¢ internal performance evaluation †¢ external performance assessment †¢ performance management So the aims of performance measurement could be quite different. In the past decade performance measurement has been a topic that has received growing attention in the Public Sector. To encourage a performance-driven culture, a lot of public organizations have adopted a performance measurement system to measure, assess, report their performance and compare it with the performance of other organizations (performance evaluation and benchmarking). Just few of them have adopted it to manage their performance (performance management). For the author the difference between the two approaches is a fundamental issue to point out. In the former, measures are used to evaluate ex-post, at the end of a period of time, what has been done during the period and whether the desired outcomes have been achieved at the end. Here the purpose of measuring is to help to make a judgment about the performance of the organization at the end of a period. In the latter, measures are used to manage the performance within the period, identify issues and problems before correction becomes difficult or impossible and support decision-making processes in order to really achieve the desired outcomes at the end of the period. The purpose of measuring is to help people, accountable for performance, to make the right decisions within the period of time used as the reference. Both in the Private and Public Sector, using performance measurement just for evaluation s â€Å"one of the main barriers that people need to overcome if the organization wants to move from measurement set to judge to measurement consciously adopted to support decision making process†(Bocci 2004). If we talk about performance measurement just in terms of reviewing and assessing, we can not inspire people and align them with the strategy and t he overall goals of the organization. People will not understand the needs of measuring their performance and will consider measures used to find fault and punish someone (Kaydos, 1998): any performance measurement system we try to implement will be boycotted in some way. Performance evaluation is important but it does not tell us the true and complete story. That is why organizations should focus on adopting performance management systems. If organizations continue to use measurement just for assessing their performance, they can not achieve the consensus that allows them to effectively manage their performance. 3. 2. The Balanced Scorecard Application in Public Sector The Balanced Scorecard method (Kaplan Norton, 1992) forms a conceptual measurement model for assessing an organization’s performance. This model complements financial measures of past performance with measures of drivers of future performance (Gaspersz, 2002). Unlike other accounting models, the Balanced Scorecard incorporates valuation of organization’ intangible and intellectual assets such as (Walker MacDonald, 2001): †¢ High – quality products and services †¢ Motivated and skilled employees †¢ Responsive internal processes †¢ Innovation productivity The original Balanced Scorecard model developed by Kaplan and Norton can be seen at the following figure. Figure 3. 1: Balanced Scorecard FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE VISION STRATEGY INTERNAL BUS. PROCESS PERSP. LEARNING GROWTH PERSPECTIVE (Source: Niven, 2005) As mentioned above, Kaplan and Norton introduced 4 perspectives from a company activities that can be evaluated by management as follows : 1. Financial Perspective : how we can satisfy stakeholder? 2. Customer Perspective : how we can satisfy customer? 3. Internal Business Perspective : what processes that we should offer in order to achieve company success? . Learning and Growth Perspective : how we can maintain ability to face company changes? The BSC concept is not only applicable to private sector but also public sector including public health sector. Indonesian economic system that experiences disaster recently is mostly caused by government system mismanagement that usually known as KKN (Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism). Therefore it needs a performance measurement tool for its public organization to impr ove economic system condition. Based on the different character between private sector and public sector, we can compare the 4 perspectives of Balanced Scorecard as follows. Figure 3. 2: Balanced Scorecard Perspectives: A Comparation Between Private Sector and Public Sector Perspective Financial/Operational Efficiency Customer Learning and Growth Private Sector How we can give value to the stakeholder? How customer will evaluate our performance? Can we continue to improve and create value to the customer, stakeholder, employee, management and organization? What should we proposed from our process and product? Internal Process and Product Public Sector How we can give value to the society and tax payer? How public service user evaluate our performance? Can we continue to improve and create value to the society/tax payer, public officer, public organization, and stakeholder? Does the implemented development program can bring results refers to the expectation? (Source: Gasperz, 2002) Those differences in balanced scorecard perspectives between private sector and public sector encourages us to modify the implementation of balanced scorecard at public sector. This modification is necessary because of the following reasons: 1. Main focus of public sector is the society and certain interest groups while main focus of private sector is customer and stakeholder. 2. Main goal of public sector is not to maximize financial result but the balanced budget responsibility through service to stakeholder refers to its vision and mission. 3. Defining indicators and target in customer perspective needs high concern as consequency of public sector role and needs clear definition and strategic result. 3. 3. Human Resources Scorecard The Human Resource Scorecard approach used slightly modifies the initial Balanced Scorecard model, which at the time was most commonly used at the corporate level. However, the approach remains focused on long-term strategies and clear connections to business outcomes. The Human Resource Balanced Scorecard can be classified into four perspectives (Walker MacDonald, 2001): a. Strategic Perspective This perspective measures company success in achieving 5 strategic thrusts (talent, leadership, customer service and support, organizational integration, and Human Resource Capability). . Operations Perspective This perspective measures Human Resource success in operational excellence. The focus here is primarily in three areas: staffing, technology, and Human Resource processes and transactions. c. Customer Perspective This perspective measures how Human Resource is viewed by company key customer segment. Survey results are used to track customer perception of ser vice as well as assessing overall employee engagement, competitive capability, and links to productivity. d. Financial Perspective This perspective measures how Human Resource adds measurable financial value to the organization, including measures of ROI in training, technology, staffing, risk management, and cost of service delivery. Many leading organizations use their performance management systems as a key tool for aligning institutional, unit, and employee performance; achieving results; accelerating change; managing the organization on a day-to-day basis; and facilitating communication throughout the year so that discussion about individual and organizational performance are integrated and ongoing (U. S. General Accounting Office, 2000). We also can see some examples of previous research studies in Human Resource in the following table: Table 3. 1: Summary of Major Research Studies in HR – Organizational Performance Relationships Research Studies MacDuffie Krafcik (1992) Methodology Studied 70 automotive assembly plants representing 24 companies and 17 countries worldwide Key Findings †¢ Manufacturing facilities with â€Å"lean production systems† are much higher in both productivity and quality than those with â€Å"mass production systems† (Productivity: 22 hours vs. 0 hours in producing a car; Quality 0. 5 defects vs. 0. 8 defects per 100 vehicles). †¢ While the HR strategy of a mass production system is used to create a highly specialized and deskilled work-force that supports a large-scale production process, the HR strategy of a lean production system aims to create a skilled, motivated, and flexible workforce that can continuously solve probl ems. The success of a â€Å"lean production system† critically depends on such â€Å"highcommitment† human resource policies as the decentralization of production responsibilities, broad job classification, multiskilling practices, profit/gain sharing, a reciprocal psychological commitment between firm and employees, employment security, and a reduction of status barrier. Studies that demonstrate business impact by adopting the following highperformance work practices are summarized: †¢ Employee involvement in decision making. Compensation (profit/gain sharing) †¢ Training programs †¢ Constellation of high-performance work practices †¢ Contradictory to traditional strategy literature, these five companies are neither in the right industry (based on Porter’s industry structure analysis) nor are they market leaders in these industries (based on Boston Consulting Group’s learning curve). †¢ Instead, these companies share a set of hig h commitment work practices such as employment security, selectivity in recruiting, high wages, incentive pay, employee ownership, information sharing, participation and empowerment, teams and job redesign, cross-training, etc. Empirically identified two distinct HR configurations: control and commitment systems. †¢ Control systems aim to reduce direct labor costs, or improve efficiency by enforcing employee compliance with specified rules and procedures and basing employee rewards on some measurable output criteria. †¢ Commitment systems aim to shape desired employee behaviors and attitudes by forging psychological links between organizational and employee goals. †¢ The mills with commitment systems had higher productivity, lower scrap rates, and lower employee turnover than those with control systems. Based on his sample, Huselid found that if firms increase their highperformance work practices by one standard deviation (SD), their turnover would be reduced by 7. 05 %, productivity increased by 16%. †¢ In terms of financial impact, a one-SD increase in high-performance work practices leads to a $27,044 increase in sales, an $18,641 increase in market value, and a $3,814 increase in profit. †¢ Developed an overall HR Quality Index based on the aggregate ratings of all HR activities adopted by a firm. †¢ Based on the HR Quality Index, firms are grouped into four categories based on their percentile (i. . , bottom 25%, second 25%, third 25%, and top 25%). †¢ Firms that score higher in the HR Quality Index consistently outperform firms with a lower index in four financial measures: market/book value ratio, productivity (i. e. , sales/employees), market value, and sales. U. S. Department of Labor (1993) Summarized all major research studies regarding the HR-firm performance relationship Pfeffer (1994) Identified the five topperforming firms (based on percentage of stock returns) between 1972 and 1992 and assessed their common Arthur (1994) Conducted a survey research from 30 U. S. steel minimills Huselid (1995) Utilized both survey research and financial data of 968 firms Ostroff (1995) Conducted a survey research jointly sponsored by Society of Human Resource Management and CCH Incorporated (Source: Yeung and Berman, 1997) 4. The Case Study Application of Balanced Scorecard is a new progress in Indonesia particularly in public sector as there is no standard for measuring public sector performance until recently. Moreover as a fact, most of Indonesian public hospital administration and financial activities has not applied generally accepted accounting principle which is main accounting system (AlkatiriSetiyono, 2001). Therefore author’s experience in building a performance measurement system in 3 (three) Nusa Tenggara Province public hospitals will be described at the following case study. In general, road map for measuring the performance is: Figure 4. 1: Roadmap for Performance Measurement ROADMAP OF HOSPITAL PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT DEVELOPING UNIT PERFORMANCE SCORECARD MEASURES MEASURABLE THEORY OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT W EIGHT RELIABLE SCORECARD UNIT TRANSPARENT TARGET (Source: Ferdinand, 2003) Figure 4. 1 above shows that theory of performance measurement such as Balanced Scorecard (BSC) provides 3 standards in making indicators, which are measurable, reliable, and transparent. Measurable means the indicators should be a matter of quantitative, not abstract. Reliable means the indicators can be trusted. Transparent means the indicators should be socialized to all parties. Then after determining the indicators, we should pay attention to the measures (indicators), weight of each indicators, and target that should be achieved. In the end, it will produce scorecard for each hospital unit. Detail steps of producing this scorecard can be followed at the following sections. 4. 1. Preparing Activity Value Chain The initial step in making performance measurement standard should begin from preparing activity chain for each staff. In order to make it, we should know our Achievement Generating Factor which is the main task of a job position. In order to make clear description, the example of activity value chain can be seen on the Appendix-Figure 1 for Head of Medical Committee. The activity details that belong to the Activity Value Chain are all activities that are done regularly. For example, routine activity for a lecturer is teaching a class. But the lecturer also has supporting activity such as giving suggestion to his/her students if they are experiencing problems in their study. This different type of activity should be clearly understand in defining activity value chain as a first step before move further to other steps. . 2. Preparing Job Description After determining routine activities in value chain, the following step is making job description. Job description is a description of a job that should be completed by a person in certain position. The example for this Job Description can be seen on the Appendix-Figure 2. In order to formulate good job description, we should pay attention to these factors: 1. Job a ssignment should be detail and concrete. 2. State the assignment in information type so it can be implemented and evaluated. The presented information can be input information or output information. . Determine Information Source that we use to state information type of a conducted assignment. This information source can be officer with whom we cooperate, and what form we use to state the information. 4. Determine the time frame and the person who should implement the informed assignment. 5. Decide how information distribution is implemented. Information distribution can be done by assigning person / department that receives the information and time schedule when the information should be delivered. 6. We also need to determine success measurement criteria for implemented task. . It is our obligation to determine development requirement to be completed by the implementer person so they can do their job competently. 8. It is also suggested that we determine responsibility person for fixed asset whether in unit or monetary form so all staffs feel responsible. Job Description can be implemented if the people who sit on certain position fulfill the required specification. Therefore a job description will be more meaningful if continued by job specification for potential candidate of a position. 4. 3. Preparing Job Specification Job specification is a criteria or requirement for a certain position. There are 2 main classification in Job Specification which are: (See Appendix-Figure 3) a. Initial Requirement It is organization demand to the position holder candidate. b. Development Support After someone fulfills the requirement to sit on a position, then it becomes organization responsibility to develop this position holder. The development support can be in the form of training and education therefore the position holder can be developed and succeed in doing his/her job now or in the future. 4. 4. Preparing Job Performance Standard The previous Job Description will be more meaningful if management has certain scoring tool that can be used as performance measurement for a position holder. In order to have that scoring tool, then it needs to develope a standard which called Job Performance Standard. In making Job Performance Standard, we will determine performance score criteria. The common score standard is as follows: Performance Criteria Very Good Good Average Bad Very Bad Code VG G A B VB Score 5 4 3 2 1 Job Performance Standard consists of: (See Appendix-Figure 4) a. Performance Criteria Scorecard . Job Description c. Performance Indicator d. Performance Criteria e. Target Description By having Job Performance Standard, then it will decrease job evaluator subjectivity so that the evaluated staff and the evaluator person have the same guidance in understanding the performance. Performance Indicator or Performance Measures aims to determine success criteria of a job that bein g implemented by a position holder. This Performance Indicator/Measures can be measured from 2 aspects which are Lagging Indicator and Leading Indicator. a. LAG Performance Indicator is a Final Result Indicator of an activity. For example, Lag Performance Indicator for a Salesman activity: recording sales to achieve target is recording accuracy and timeliness. b. LEAD Performance Indicator or Process Performance Indicator is indicator for supposedto-be-done activity. If this activity can be done, then the Lag Indicator tends to be achieved. As an example for the salesman above, in order to make recording sales activity run well, then it needs some activities such as: (1) Checking data and report completeness and (2) Preparing supporting facility and information to make report. 4. 5. Preparing Job Performance Scorecard Job Performance Scorecard is an achieved performance result of a staff in certain period. From Job Description, Job Specification and Job Performance Standard, then it can produce Design of Management Performance Scorecard that can be used as a tool to measure organization managerial performance. Therefore the organization has a measurement tool that can be used as a guidance to measure overall organization performance. The scorecard can be seen at the Appendix-Figure 5. As a performance report, this Job Performance Scorecard should be published regularly as a complement of hospital financial report. This report can be foundation for management to make decision on what they should do related to their staff performance. Therefore this scorecard should be applied to all management levels from operational level until strategic level so it might run well. 5. Conclusion It is not surprising that Indonesian public hospital still provide minimum medical service with minimum funding support from the government. However, Public Hospital as a public service institution needs a condusive human resource performance measurement system to determine its worker ffectiveness and efficiency weaknesses so it can achieve good corporate governance in the future. Balanced Scorecard has provided a foundation for both private and public sector to measure both sector performances. This foundation can be used by Indonesian public sector particularly regional hospital to improve its performance so in the end it might produce scorecard report regularly that is reliable. All steps from making Activity Value Chain, Job Description, Job Specification, Job Performance Standard, and Job Performance Scorecard can be easily followed as a standard for implementing the BSC into the public health sector. However, this paper is only limited on success story at three Indonesian public hospitals in Nusa Tenggara Province. Therefore future research should be more generalized to other public hospitals or other public sectors in Indonesia. Bibliography [1] [2] [3] Alkatiri, A. Setiyono, V. (2001). Manajemen Akuntansi Rumah Sakit. Fa. Sinar Bahagia, Jakarta. Bocci, F. (2004). Defining Performance Measurement. A Comment. PMA Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 1/2 September, pp. 20. Ferdinand, A. (2003) Module for Performance Monitoring: Supervisory Monitoring Scorecard. Training for Hospital Performance Management at East Nusa Tenggara Regional Public Hospitals, a joint programme between EPOS Health Consultant Germany, East Nusa Tenggara Health Department, and AGF Consulting Indonesia Gaspersz, V. (2002). Balanced Scorecard dengan Six Sigma untuk Organisasi Bisnis dan Pemerintah. PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, Chapter 1. Kaplan, R. S. and Norton, D. P. (1992). Translating Strategy into Action: the Balance Scorecard. Harvard Business School Press, Boston. Kaydos, W. (1998). Operational Performance Measurement: Increasing Total Productivity. CRC Press, pp. 98. Lebas, M. Euske, K. (2002). A Conceptual and Operational Delineation of Performance in Business Performance Measurement: Theory and Practice. Neely, Andy Editor, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Neely, A. , Adams, C. , and Kennerley, M. (2002). The Performance Prism: The Scorecard for Measuring and Managing Business Success. Financial Times Prentice Hall, London 2002 Niven, P. R. (2005). Balanced Scorecard Diagnostics: Maintaining Maximum Performance. John WileySons, Inc. Subanegara, H. P. (2005). Diamond Head Drill Kepemimpinan Dalam Manajemen Rumah Sakit. Penerbit Andi, Yogyakarta. Sugiri, S. (1992). Pengantar Akuntansi, Edisi Revisi. AMP YKPN, Yogyakarta. Undang-Undang RI No. 17 Tahun 2003 Tentang Keuangan Negara. BP Cipta Jaya, Jakarta. U. S. General Accounting Office, Human Capital: Key Principles From Nine Private Sector Organizations, GAO/GGD-00-28. Washington, DC. : Jan. 31, 2000 U. S. General Accounting Office, Managing for Results: Using Strategic Human Capital Management to Drive Transformational Change, GAO-02-940T. Washington, DC. : July 15, 2002 Walker, G. MacDonald, J. R. (2001). Designing and Implementing an HR Scorecard. Human Resource Management, Winter; 40, 4; pp. 365-377. Yeung, A. K. Berman, B. (1997). Adding Value Through Human Resources Reorienting Human Resource Measurement to Drive Business Performance. Human Resource Management, Fall; 36, 3 : p. 321-335 [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] Appendix Figure 1: Activity Value Chain Name of Position : HEAD OF MEDICAL COMMITTEE Main Goal of Position : Achieve optimum Medical Service Coordination in accordance with medical science and technology and medical profession ethic. VALUE CHAIN DIAGRAM ACTIVITY DETAIL JOB CHARACTERISTIC Head of Medical Committee 1 8 2 3 4 7 6 5 1. Make Medical Committee plan 2. Make Committee and Team, and ascertain duty implementation of Committee and Team 3. Ascertain duty implementation of SMF (Functional Medical Staff) refers to service standard 4. Coordinate SMF education and training 5. Coordinate research and development for SMF medical area 6. Approve Credit Proposal and make DP3 for Head of SMF 7. Make report and conduct evaluation on Medical Committee activities AT AT AT AT AT AT AT Note: AT = Routine Accountability Figure 2: Job Description Division Position Main Activity Make Medical Committee plan : Medical Committee : Head of Medical Committee Job Characteristic AT Information Type Input : Director SK PHO IDI Information Source Person Format †¢ Director †¢ Minister of Health †¢ IDI/ Professional Organisation Relevant person †¢ Letter †¢ Book †¢ Book Head of Medical Committee Annually †¢ Director †¢ Head of SMF On December Job Implementer Time Result Distribution Person Time Success Criteria †¢ †¢ Plan finishing time accuracy (POA) Plan content completeness (POA) Make Committee and Team, and ascertain duty implementation of Committee and Team AT Ascertain duty implementation of SMF (Functional Medical Staff) refers to service standard AT Coordinate SMF education and training AT Coordinate research and development for SMF medical area AT Approve Credit Proposal and make DP3 for Head of SMF AT Make report and conduct evaluation on Medical Committee activities AT uput : POA of Medical Committee Input : POA of Medical Committee Ouput : †¢ Committee SK †¢ Committee Activity Report Input : POA of Medical Committee Ouput : Service Standard Compliance Report Input : POA of Medical Committee Ouput : Activity report of SMF Education and training Input : POA of Medical Committee Ouput : Activity report of SMF Research and Development Input : †¢ Keppres (President Desicion) †¢ SK of Menpan Ouput : †¢ DP3 of SMF Head †¢ Promotion proposal Input : †¢ SK Director †¢ POA Committee Medis Ouput : †¢ Activity report and evaluation of Medical Committee Book Director Letter Head of Medical Committee Annually †¢ Director †¢ Head of SMF On December †¢ Relevant Person Letter Book Activity report time accuracy Director Book Head of Medical Committee Annually †¢ Director †¢ Head of SMF Relevant Person End of January at following year †¢ Reporting time accuracy Form Director Book Head of Medical Committee Annually †¢ Director †¢ Head of SMF Relevant Person End of January at following year †¢ Activity report time accuracy Form Director Book Head of Medical Committee Annually Director †¢ Head of SMF Relevant Person End of January at following year †¢ Activity report time accuracy Form President Menpan Letter Head of Medical Committee Docume nt †¢ Letter †¢ Book Head of Medical Committee 1 month ahead Semi annually †¢ Director 1 month ahead †¢ Arrangement time accuracy Relevant Person †¢ Director †¢ Director Annually †¢ Director †¢ Reporting time a ccuracy Relevant Person Head of SMF Form Figure 3: Job Specification Position : Head Of Medical Commitee Initial Requirement 1. S1/General Practitioner 2. Has 2 years experience at the relevant area Technical Competency 1. Medical basic skill 2. Ability to supervise medical committee task 3. Ability to make decision Managerial Development Competency Support 1. Ability to lead medical 1. Advance study committee S2/Specialist 2. Ability to make plan 2. Training of and policy in regards hospital with medical operational committee task management 3. Ability to make report 3. Training of and evaluation arranging job performance measurement Job Description 1. Make Medical Committee plan 2. Make Committee and Team, and ascertain duty implementation of Committee and Team 3. Ascertain duty implementation of SMF (Staf Medis Fungsional/Functional Medical Staff) refers to service standard 4. Coordinate SMF education and training 5. Coordinate research and development for SMF medical area 6. Approve Credit Proposal and make job performance measurement for Head of SMF 7. Make report and conduct evaluation on Medical Committee activities Figure 4: Job Performance Standard Position : Head of Medical Committee Very Good Score = 5 100% complete 100% from target 100% from target 100% from target 100% from target 100% from target 100% from target Very Good Score = 5 100% complete 100% from target Always Available 100% complete 100% complete 100% from target 100% complete 100% from target 100% complete Date 5 of the following month Good Score = 4 90 – 99% 90 – 99% from target 90 – 99% from target 90 – 99% from target 90 – 99% from target 90 – 99% from target 90 – 99% from target Good Score = 4 90 – 99% 90 – 99% from target 90 – 99% 90 – 99% 90 – 99% from target 90 – 99% 90 – 99% from target 90 – 99% Date 6-9 of the following month Average Score = 3 80-90% 80 – 90% from target 80 – 90% from target 80 – 90% from target 80 – 90% from target 80 – 90% from target 80 – 90% from target Average Score = 3 80-90% 80 – 90% from target Sometimes unavailable 80-90% 80-90% 80 – 90% from target 80-90% 80 – 90% from target 80-90% Date 10 of the following month Bad Score = 2 70-79% 75 – 80% target 75 – 80% target 75 – 80% target 75 – 80% target 75 – 80% target 75 – 80% target Bad Score = 2 70-79% 75 – 80% target 70-79% 70-79% 75 – 80% target 70-79% 75 – 80% target 70-79% Date 11-15 of the following month Very Bad Score = 1 How to cite Hr Scorecard, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

The Effectiveness of Fiscal Policy Actions of the Government

Question: Discuss about the Effectiveness of Fiscal Policy Actions of the Government. Answer: The graph above represents the changes that would occur if tax was imposed on sweets and sugary snacks. Since the demand is inelastic to both low and high calorie food stuffs, the demand curve is steeply sloped; the close the elasticity to zero, the more vertical the slope becomes; at zero the curve is perfect inelastic and is vertical. The initial price is P and quantity level is Q. Since the demand is inelastic, the tax incidence will be borne by the consumers; the producers will be able to transfer nearly or the whole burden to the consumers. The price level will rise significantly. It however would require a huge tax imposition to bring some desired changes in the market behavior. I would therefore argue for the tax/subsidy imposition. Although the change wont be significant, at least there will be a reduction in the obesity level which is rising every year in Australia. The subsidy will raise the welfare of the citizens who are health conscious since they will be paying less tha t what they were paying earlier. The loss of consumers surplus for the sweets and sugary snacks consumers will be a gain to the fruits and vegetables consumers. Makin in his argument laid out the simple idea presented by Keynes on the effectiveness of the fiscal stimulus on boosting the economic activity. His simple idea was that pumping of extra spending by the government would stimulate the growth of output. This is because there will be an expansion in the economys income which will stimulate some extra spending by the households. The increased spending which means an increase in the economys level of demand causes the market price to rise. Suppliers are attracted to selling at a higher price and thus are forced to raise their production level and subsequently output expands. During a recession, the economic growth becomes poor, the investment level falls, employment falls; many people become unemployed. There is contraction of the economys income. If the governments spending remain unchanged during a recession, there will still be a deficit because the revenue raised will fall. This is because increased employment raises the governments revenue, and a decrease makes it to fall. Fiscal policies that may be implemented during a recession includes a tax cut which further lowers the governments revenue and pumping of additional government spending through borrowing. The discretionary policies increases the level of the government budget balance. A fiscal contraction would involve a reduction in the governments spending. However, this should be on wasteful government programs. The government need to do a research and determine the programs that yield good returns and differentiate them from those that dont and withdraw its spending from those that dont. It should also determine the programs that are mostly demanded by the public and withdrawal spending from those with less demand. This will reduce its spending and lower is budget deficit. Since a claim has been posed that high government spending suppresses private investment through increased interest rate. Low spending will stimulate economic growth through falling interest rate. Monetary policy can be used to create an economic stimulus by raising the supply of money in the economy or lowering of the interest rate. With a high supply of money, households have an income to raise their spending and stimulate demand and output production. At a lower interest rate, investment level rises since capital borrowing is made cheaper. Makin argue that, it is more effective because it does not increase the economys level of borrowing. It therefore helps in maintaining the credit worthiness of an economy which would otherwise be lost with the implementation of discretionary fiscal actions of additional pumping.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Internal Trade Essay Example

Internal Trade Essay :: Internal Trade:: Meaning Trade : Trade refers to the process of buying and selling of goods and services with the objective of earning profit. Internal Trade : Buying and selling of goods and services within the geographical boundaries of a country is called internal trade. In other words trade takes place between the people of the same country then it is termed as internal trade. Features of Internal Trade 1. Buying and selling of goods and services takes place within a country 2. Payments are made and received in the home currency only. 3. There is no or less legal formalities are required. 4. Local modes of transport can be used for transfer of goods. 5. No custom duty or import duty is levied on such trade. Internal trade can be classified into two broad categories. 1. Wholesale trade 2. Retail trade 1. Wholesale TradeBuying and selling of goods and services in large quantities for the purpose of resale or intermediate use is referred to as wholesale trade. Wholesalers acts as an important link between manufacturers and retailers. They purchase in bulk and sell in small lots to retailers.Features of Wholesalers 1. Wholesaler acts as a link between manufacturers and retailer. 2. Wholesaler deals with large quantities of goods. 3. Wholesaler is specialized in few or one line of product. 4. Wholesaler purchases goods in bulk quantities and sells in small quantities to retailers. 5. Wholesaler usually maintains large stock of goods for steady supply. 6. Wholesalers also sometime perform promotional activities to push sells. 7. Profit margin of wholesalers is generally low. 8. They also extend credit facility to retailers. Services of Wholesaler to Manufacturers 1. Economy of Scales: Wholesalers enable manufacturers to undertake large scale production as they purchase goods in large quantities from them. 2. Risk Sharing: Wholesaler deals in goods We will write a custom essay sample on Internal Trade specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Internal Trade specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Internal Trade specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Monday, November 25, 2019

SAT Test Dates Full Guide to Choosing (2019-2020)

SAT Test Dates Full Guide to Choosing (2019-2020) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT is offered seven times a year, but which SAT test dates will work best for you and your schedule? What essential factors should you consider before creating an SAT schedule? What are the best SAT dates for juniors? For seniors? In this comprehensive guide, we offer you the most current info on SAT test dates (domestic and international) for 2019 and 2020. We also give you our top tips for choosing the best SAT test dates for you as well as tons of resources to help you navigate the complicated web of SAT/ACT test dates. SAT Dates and Deadlines: 2019-2020 In general, the College Board administers the SAT on Saturdays, with more tests offered in the fall. If you can't take the test on a Saturday for religious or other reasons, Sunday alternate dates are usually available. Below, we give you SAT test dates, normal registration deadlines, late registration deadlines, and score release dates for 2019/2020. All the test dates have been officially confirmed by the College Board, although some of the score release dates haven't. I’ve listed international test dates in separate tables since the SAT is administered on fewer dates outside the US. Note that in the US (and abroad, as of 2018), SAT Subject Tests are available on all SAT dates except March. SAT Test Dates 2019-2020 (US) As of 2018, there's no longer a January test date. This date has been replaced by an earlier August test date, which is only available in the US. Test Date Normal Deadline Late Registration* Online Score Release August 24, 2019 July 26, 2019 August 14, 2019 September 6, 2019 October 5, 2019 September 6, 2019 September 25, 2019 October 18, 2019 November 2, 2019 October 4, 2019 October 23, 2019 November 15, 2019 December 7, 2019 November 8, 2019 November 26, 2019 December 20, 2019 March 14, 2020** February 14, 2020 February 25, 2020 March 27, 2020 May 2, 2020 April 3, 2020 April 21, 2020 May 15, 2020 June 6, 2020 May 8, 2020 May 19, 2020 June 19, 2020 *The late registration deadline is about one week earlier if you are registering by mail **Regular SAT only SAT Test Dates 2019 and 2020 (International) Unlike the US SAT test dates above, the international November and June test dates offer only SAT Subject Tests. Test Date Registration Deadline Online Score Release October 5, 2019 September 6, 2019 October 18, 2019 November 2, 2019** October 4, 2019 November 15, 2019 December 7, 2019 November 8, 2019 December 20, 2019 March 14, 2020* February 13, 2020 March 27, 2020 May 2, 2020 April 3, 2020 May 15, 2020 June 6, 2020** May 8, 2020 June 19, 2020 *Regular SAT only **SAT Subject Tests only SAT Test Dates: 2019-20 Visual Calendar and Trends When it comes to choosing SAT dates, you don't want to simply register for the next available date. To help you select the best SAT test dates for you personally, we've created an easy-to-use visual calendar for the 2019-20 SAT test dates. This infographic allows us to look at trends in SAT dates and see whether certain dates and deadlines overlap with others. (C) 2019 PrepScholar Inc, Use with Link to PrepScholar.com Allowed As you can see on this visual calendar, SAT test dates are tightly clustered in the late summer and fall. This is due to the fact that most college application deadlines are in the late fall and early winter. Essentially, the College Board is giving seniors multiple shots at hitting their SAT goal scores right before their applications are due. In the spring, SAT dates are more spread out, with the exception of May and June. This is, again, due to the fact that there are fewer college application deadlines in spring than there are in fall and early winter. These dates are also geared more toward juniors and other students who'd like to take the SAT early. Next, we can see that because of the high number of test dates in the fall, it's difficult to take two SATs in a row. By the time your score for one test comes out, the late registration date for the next test will have often already passed! Even if you were to go ahead and register for another test without knowing your scores, you might end up ultimately wasting money on a retake if your scores are higher than you thought they'd be. Likewise, if you don't sign up for the following test, you might miss your only shot at raising your scores before your application deadlines. Taking back-to-back SATs also doesn't give you enough time to make the most out of your retake; you'll likely see little, if any, improvement in your scores due to the lack of adequate prep time in-between tests. Choosing the Best SAT Test Date for You: 5 Essential Factors It’s critical you choose an SAT test date that’ll work well for not just anyone but you specifically. Below are five major factors you'll want to consider before committing to a test date. #1: When Are Your College Application Deadlines? By far the most important factors are your college application deadlines. In the US, most deadlines fall around January 1 (for regular decision) and November 1 or 15 (for early action/early decision). The College Board sends SAT scores to schools (for your four free score reports) beginning one day before online score release, or approximately three to five weeks after the exam. However, not all schools process scores straight away; in fact, some might take a week or so to report scores. As a result, you might have to wait at most around six weeks after your test date for your schools to officially process your SAT scores. And this doesn't even include the extra time needed to process orders for additional score reports (if you have more than four schools you want to send scores to). Ordering these reports will add at least another week or two once scores are released. Therefore, as a rule, don't take the SAT less than five or six weeks before your college apps are due. If you'll be ordering additional score reports after your scores come out, stick with test dates more than seven or eight weeks before your deadlines. Remember that if your schools don't receive or process your SAT scores in time, your application could get disqualified! So plan accordingly. #2: Are You Applying for SAT Scholarships? Another factor is SAT scholarships. Generally, school-based SAT scholarships will use the same deadlines as college applications. If you're not sure when your SAT scores are due, contact your schools directly to ask whether your scores should arrive earlier than or with your application. #3: How Many Times Will You Take the SAT? You should also consider whether you might want to retake the SAT if you're not getting the scores you need for college. We typically recommend taking the SAT at least twice, possibly three times, depending on your score goals. Here's our suggested SAT schedule: Take the SAT in the fall of your junior year Take the SAT a second time in the spring of your junior year Take the SAT a final time in the late summer/early fall of your senior year If you took your first SAT in the spring of your junior year instead of in the fall, you still have plenty of opportunities to take the SAT once or twice more. You could, for example, take the SAT a second time in June or August and a third time in October or November. That said, avoid registering for back-to-back SAT test dates, especially in the fall of your senior year. Squeezing in too many SATs gives you barely any time to study and probably won't raise your score by any noticeable margin. Furthermore, trying to balance so much prep during the school year- and as you’re applying to college, no less!- is an incredibly stressful endeavor. So spread out your tests as best you can. #4: How Much Study Time Will You Need? Before you register for the SAT, decide how much time you'll need to dedicate to studying. We normally recommend setting aside three to six months for SAT prep. This amount of time allows you to space out your study sessions so that you're studying consistently without burning yourself out. More importantly, though, you'll want a sufficient number of study hours. The number of hours you'll have to spend studying depends on the number of points you’d like to improve your baseline SAT score by. (A baseline score is the score you get on an official SAT practice test before you begin any SAT prep.) Below are the (approximate) number of study hours required to make the following total point improvements on the SAT: 0-30 point improvement: 10 hours 30-70 point improvement: 20 hours 70-130 point improvement: 40 hours 130-200 point improvement: 80 hours 200-330 point improvement: 150 hours+ As you can see, the bigger the point increase you want, the more hours you’ll have to study. Unfortunately, not everyone has a ton of time to devote entirely to SAT prep. At a minimum, try to clock in at least 10 hours of prep. If you only have a month or so before test day, you can still make large score increases- so long as you’re willing to put in the effort. You can also use our last-minute SAT tips and strategies to help you get the score you want. #5: Will You Have Any Obligations or Conflicts? Finally, consider your own obligations. Is there anything you can't reschedule that'll be taking place on a certain test date? Do you have any ongoing commitments (school or otherwise) that could prevent you from being able to focus on your SAT prep? Obligations can be anything, from school plays and AP tests to sports tournaments and family vacations. Before you choose a test date, make sure that you're keenly aware of your schedule. I suggest using a planner to take note of any big chunks of time during which you'll be too busy to study for the SAT. Ultimately, if a certain test date feels overwhelming, choose another one for which you'll have far fewer obligations in the period leading up to it. Quick Guide: What’s the Best SAT Test Date for Juniors? For Seniors? For Early Action? In reality, the "best" SAT test date varies for each student; however, sometimes you just want to know what a good test date is, generally speaking. Here, we give you a brief look at the best SAT test dates for four common scenarios. Scenario 1: You’re a Junior Best Dates For 1st SAT: October, November, December For 2nd SAT: March, May, June You should always take your first SAT as a junior, ideally in the fall. The October and November test dates offer lots of flexibility and plenty of time to study and prepare for round two should you want to take the SAT again. In the spring, try to take the SAT in March or May- latest June. These dates ensure you'll have the entire summer to evaluate your scores, finalize your list of colleges, and decide whether you’d like to take the test again in August or autumn. Scenario 2: You’re a Senior Best Dates: August, October, NovemberRiskier Dates: December As a senior, you have up to four possible SAT test dates (for regular decision deadlines): August, October, November, and December. As with all college prep, the earlier the better! Try to take the SAT in August, October, or November. These three test dates should have little trouble getting your scores to colleges in time, assuming your earliest deadline is somewhere around January 1. Although you can opt for the December test date, too, I would only do so if your deadlines are January 10 or later. December scores aren't usually released until late December, so January 1 might be playing it a little too close for some colleges. Check with your schools directly to verify whether they'll accept SAT scores from the December test date before you register for it. If your regular decision deadline happens to be especially early, like the University of California's November 30 deadline, opt for the August or October test dates instead. Scenario 3: You’re Applying Early Action/Early Decision Best Dates: June, AugustRiskier Dates: October Most early action deadlines are November 1 or 15. A June or August test date (before your senior year) is an excellent choice since scores from either test date should definitely get to your schools in time. These dates also give you the fall to focus entirely on your college applications instead of on SAT prep. The October deadline is a bit riskier, though, as its scores aren’t normally released until the end of October. So if your deadline is November 1, October probably won't work. If your deadlines are November 15 or later, however, October should be fine. Scenario 4: Your College Applications Aren’t Due Until February or Later Many schools have later-than-normal deadlines in February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and even September. So which SAT test dates will work for these late decision schools? Below are the latest SAT test dates you can choose depending on your college application deadline. The latest recommended dates are pretty much guaranteed to get your SAT scores to schools in time, whereas the riskier dates might not get your scores in before the deadlines. College App Deadline Latest Recommended SAT Test Date Riskier SAT Test Date February December - March December - April December March May March - June March May July May June August June - September June August Warning: SAT Test Dates May ChangeSign up to Receive Free Updates // Additional Resources for Info on SAT Test Dates Need extra assistance with choosing SAT test dates? Our top resources below will help you pinpoint the best SAT dates for you: When Should You Take the SAT or ACT? Best Test Dates: Our popular guide to SAT/ACT test dates zeroes in on the four most important factors you'll need to consider when selecting a test date. You can also check out our more general guide to the other major factors that come into play when choosing a test date. SAT/ACT Test Dates Study Plan for Sophomores and Juniors: Seeking advice on when to take the SAT or ACT your sophomore or junior year? This guide walks you through a typical SAT/ACT test-taking schedule and offers targeted tips for honing your weaknesses. 5 Step SAT/ACT Test Dates Study Plan for Summer Before Senior Year: This step-by-step guide explains how to structure a personalized SAT/ACT study plan before your senior year. The Best SAT and ACT Test Dates for Senior Fall: Looking for a guide geared specifically toward seniors? Here, we lay out the SAT/ACT test dates in autumn and provide you with tips on how to choose the best date for you. Can I Get an Alternate SAT Test Date?: If there's a conflict with your current SAT test date, you might be able to schedule an alternate test date for the following week. Read our guide to learn everything you can do to ensure your request is successful. SAT and ACT Test Date Lists: For more general SAT/ACT test date info, check out our year-by-year guides: SAT Test Dates 2019 SAT Subject Test Dates 2019 ACT Test Dates Full Guide to Choosing (2019, 2020) The Final Word: What to Know About SAT Test Dates Although exact SAT test dates change each testing year, the exam will always be administered a total of seven times across the following months (in the US): August (This test date has replaced the January one) October November December March May June For the most part, international test dates are similar to US ones. Here are the only major differences: There is no August test date outside the US As of 2018, the international November and June test dates will only offer SAT Subject Tests- no regular SAT To choose a test date that’s right for you, consider the following four factors: When your college application and scholarship deadlines are How many times you want to take the SAT How much time you're willing to study Whether you'll have any obligations that might prevent you from taking the SAT on a certain date Hopefully, after reading this guide, you now have a clearer and more confident sense as to which SAT test dates will work for you! What's Next? Planning ahead for 2021 or 2022? Then take a look at our handy (and updated!) compilation of future SAT test dates. You've chosen an SAT test date- your next step now is to get online and register for the SAT. Our detailed guide offers easy-to-follow instructions to help walk you smoothly through the registration process. Ready to get a great SAT score? Consider the many different ways you can prep for the exam by reading our free eBook. And if you're hoping for a perfect score, check out our in-depth guide to getting a 1600 on the SAT, written by an expert full scorer! Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Friday, November 22, 2019

Alternative management accounting (AMAR)

Alternative management accounting (AMAR) In this paper, the emergence of alternative management accounting (AMAR) will be discussed followed by the contributions it has brought to the field of knowledge. After which, reasons why alternative management accounting research s tools and techniques has not successfully displaced the use of traditional accounting research s and techniques in organizations will be discussed. The importance of addressing this issue is to justify if this alternative direction is right within management accounting academia, and whether it should be continued. The emergence of alternative management accounting research occurred in the late 1980s partly due to the shortfalls of the traditional management accounting approaches. Traditional management accounting research (TMAR) is objectivist-orientated, with a focus upon unifying characteristics. These assumptions have limitations and hence are unable to provide broader insights into the nature of management accounting. TMAR makes no distinctions between the perspective of the organization and its managers (Puxty, 1993). In general, this approach encouraged a financial accounting mentality and also encouraged a focus on external financial reporting requirements (Johnson Kaplan, 1987). It was widely believed that all management accounting research existed to inform rational decisions to achieve organizational goals which essentially refers to achieving shareholder wealth maximisation. TMAR also has an implied assumption that the manager is isolated from other decision makers when making decisions (Scapens, 1991). Group decision makings were either ignored or considered to be non-existent in TMAR. Traditional approaches are problem motivated and are aimed towards bettering and refining tools and techniques to inform rational decisions in order to achieve given organizational goals (Covaleski, Dirsmith Samuel, 1996). As a result, it provides narrow insights as focus was not brought into the broad er social, political and economic settings (Macintosh, 1985). Traditional management accounting thoughts was greatly influence by neoclassical economic analysis (Scapens, 1994). According to Otley (1984), though management accounting centres on the provision of information, the core theoretical approach derives from economics in which the rational model dominates. The utilization of power, group considerations, choices and purposes are disregarded or excluded from neoclassical analysis. Such factors are assumed to minimally impact individuals (Spechler, 1990).Individuals live and interact within society, but are not altered or affected by these social interactions (Ulman, 1998). Neoclassical economics has no intention to explain behaviours if managers within the organization (Scapens, 1994) and hence cannot adequately study social phenomena since it does not consider the political, social and organizational factors that affect individuals. Ryan and Scapens (2002) state that management accounting research based upon positivist theories; may be useful for predicting general trends, but they will not be helpful in explaining individual behaviour; nor are they likely to be useful as guides to individual managers or firms about their own economic behaviour . Traditional management accounting researches offers a narrow insight to the world, which limits individuals abilities to create and analyze interesting propositions and develop meaningful stories about MA in its social, organizational and behavioural contexts (Hopper, Storey Willmott, 1987). Rational designs also limit one s abilities to develop critical positions and impends the ability of MA research community to carry out significant scientific conversation and achieve progress. The limitedness recognised in the rational designs approach of traditional management accounting has ignited the interest of a core group of alternative management accounting researchers from Europe who had strong sense and beliefs that management accounting was much more beyond the very simplistic positivist technical view. They believed that there was a lot of new and important insights that AMAR could bring to the field of knowledge and began to emphasise the need to study management accounting in the contemporary world from a broader political, cultural and social perspective (Baxter Chua, 2003). Critique of Means-Ends reasoning Traditional MA tools and techniques are developed from rational design theories (Hewege, 2012) but it was never questioned if the tools and techniques are practical or useful for the organization. They might be unintended and unrelated to achieving unclear organizational goals. Even when organizational goals are not achieved, managers choose to learn from the failures and improve on the tools and techniques used. Therefore AMAR promotes rethinking and restructuring traditional practices. The organization should question if better finances automatically denote benefits for the company and consider if the reputation or social responsibilities might have greater impacts on a companies long-term growth. Critique of the real Information can be easily manipulated which means that information presented might not portray an objective view. Hence, the importance of MA tools and techniques are subject to the reader s interpretation due to differing reactions that people have towards the information they have. Every organization is different which means tried-and-tested concepts is not adequate to capture the performance of the whole organization. It is crucial for managers to accept the fact that there is no one ideal solution. Mouritsen s study (1999) suggests that due to the current technological advancements, non-human actant can be relied on to aid in the interpretation of information. Management accountants can have more time to focus on other important things such as improving the performance of the company from social, or cultural aspects. Critique of accounting s impotence The apolitical imagery of TMAR is challenged by AMAR. AMAR enables us to understand the ability of management accounting practices to achieve or bring about a certain result. Baxter and Chua draws an example of this from the politicised budgetary process of a Swedish local government (Jonsson, 1982). Although technologies such as budgeting systems were thought to be useful in influencing important decisions, it might in fact be detrimental for the organization if they are invented for use by the personally motivated. They may mobilise political power to set policies and rules and as a result, influence management accounting practices which might not contribute to achieving organizational goals. AMAR states that it is these technologies that contribute to the overt clashes of interests in organizations and society, and the oppression of others (Chua, 1995). Critique of accounting change The rational designs approach provides sparse empirical evidence that an enlightened, well-engineered and progressive path characterises the development of management accounting technologies (Baxter Chua, 2003). Some researchers demonstrated the roadblocks that particular organizations faced in attaining a fit between management accounting control systems and appropriately modifying environments contexts when using the rational design approach (Ezzamel Bourn, 1990). AMAR has increased understanding of accounting change by conveying distinct insights. For example, attributing changing of sociocultural, political and economic conditions to a plethora of changes within MAP in the 20th Century including the emergence of value-added accounting (Burchell, Clubb Hopwood, 1985). AMAR recognises that accounting changes are not predictable, not controllable, exclusively technical or well-behaved. Memorably, many of these perspective would not be covered in the mainstream approach. Critique of bodiless forms of MA practice. Baxter Chua (2003), discussed the ways in which management accounting is both inhibited and assisted by the inherent attitudes of its proponents. This alternative research highlighted the importance of interactions between the management and the organizational participants. Management accounting is not just about the techniques that inform, maximise, and optimise decisions- it also focuses on the people who uses them, and who continually interact to understand their needs and habits. For example, emphasising the need to motivate companies employees. This is supported by Preston s (1986) research, which set an anchor between an organization s processes and an individuals involvement within them. So what practical contributions has AMAR made? Alternative management accounting researchers have been challenged to face important contemporary topics which includes but not limited to globalisation, hybridity and the network society (Baxter Chua, 2003). Globalisation brings about high exposure of information, increasing trade and competition. And in these contexts, it is not enough for companies to remain competitive just by using financial measure. As testified to by Kaplan and Norton, who stated that financial measures tell stories of historical events, which are appropriate for industrial age companies whereby customer relationships and long term investment capabilities were not critical for success. However, these financial measures are inadequate for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation.† Globalisation causes the global dissemination of technology, popular culture, workers, financial capital, knowledge, and goods and services. Though globalisation uproots MA practices from their context and diffuses it to other remote locations, knowledge of how technologies travel and the issues that result from it are very limited (Vaivio, 2008). AMAR sees management accounting as a set of practices implicated within complex processes of societal and organizational interpenetration which requires implementation of expert systems that interconnects time and spaces. AMAR has helped developed tools and techniques like Economic Value Added (EVA) and the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to help companies gain competitive advantage in this environment. The balanced scorecard is a tactical planning and management system that is used in business and industry, government, and non-profit organizations worldwide. The purpose of the BSC is to improve internal and external communications, align business activities to the stratagem and vision of the organization, and monitor organization performance against planned goals. It is a performance measurement framework that considers both strategic non-financial performance measures and financial metrics to give managers a more holistic view of the performance of the organization (Kaplan Norton, 1996). Hybridity suggests the examination of the functioning of management accounting in conditions with both traditional and new elements such as the local and the global, private and public. For example, the university in which Baxter and Chua worked in an educational institution that was widely viewed to be a public institution. However, reducing government funds and increasing fee paying students dominated the budget of the faculty. Hence the university is in a way, no longer considered to be a public institution but is not a private one either. This creates contradictions, but accounting inscriptions are central to the ongoing function of this hybridity by conveying economic differences between public and private entities and traversing this differences to enable the university to function. AMAR contribute insights to the hybrid roles of management accountants. Instead of their traditional score keeping controller role, their new accounting role is focused on consulting and helping the organizational participants implement and adapt to the new accounting change. This is supported in Pharmaceutical, which is a UK Based manufacturing branch of an international pharmaceutical product producer, where hybrid accountants assist day managers with day to day decisions as well as advising performance measurement product stream leaders on strategic issues (Hopper, Northcott Scapens, 2007). A change in the image of accountants was observed by looking at how they were portrayed in software advertisements. It was seen that the image of accountants has changed from being dependable and logical to a more self-indulgent person from the 1970s to the 1990s (Baldvinsdottir, Burns, Noreklit Scapens, 2009).This reflects changes in wider social practice from a modern way of thinking to a h yper modern way of thinking. Finally, it has been suggested by Baxter and Chua (2003) that we are living in the network society. This basically meant a digitized, technologically advanced surveillance society, where management accounting can cause any type of action to become visible. Through qualitative analysis, we can ask whether management accounting is taken on-board in the creation of a super panopticon, an open space where personal privacy is exposed (Baxter and Chua, 2003). Latourian researchers are known to be the most suitable out of the other approaches to take on such modern-day alternative research, in view of the close attention this point of view lends to the interaction between networks of individuals and non-human objects, such as computers (Baxter Chua, 2003). AMAR has brought insights to show how management accountants have been influenced by external factors. It was identified in a study that social advertisement has encouraged management accountants to hand over control to systems which are able to do everything while the accountants themselves should follow instructions (Baldvinsdottir, Burns, NÃÆ' ¸rreklit Scapens, 2010). AMAR has also contributed to the growth of new management accounting techniques including technology road mapping to help organization fit in the new technological advanced environment. Technology roadmapping is a flexible technique prevalent within industries to balance long-term strategic issues alongside short-term financial performance. The approach provides an organized way to explore and communicate relationships between evolving and developing markets, products and technologies over time. It is suggested that the roadmapping technique can boost companies chances in stormy environments by providing them a focus during environment scans, and a means of tracking the performance of individual, including potentially counterproductive, technologies (Phaal, Farrukh Probert, 2004). Whilst Miller and O Leary recorded widespread use of technology roadmaps in their case study of Intel corporation, its use in capital decision making practice is still in its infancy. Also, despite its recognised potential for supporting strategic investment decision-making, this strategic analysis tool has yet to make its way into mainstream capital investment academic materials. (Hopper, Northcott Scapens, 2007) Despite the advances of knowledge through AMAR over the last 30 years, AMAR has not completely displaced the traditional approaches. Organizations outside Europe still uses the traditional approaches to determine the performance of the company. This is because changes are often time-consuming and expensive, considerably impacting an organization s overall success. Another reason on why organizations refuse to change is due to a form of mimetic isomorphism (Baxter Chua, 2003). This is with a mind-set that since other organizations are still going on well using the traditional, rational approaches, so must we. Also, according to the theory of structural inertia, organizations are hesitant towards change because they are reluctant to take unnecessary risk. They prefer replicable behaviours as constancy is rewarded. Change not only disrupts current business but also can lead to disaster. As a result, organizations continue with past procedures, even when it seems irrational to do so (Hansen, 2012). Though TMAR have their own limitations, they should not be replaced by AMAR. A blend of usage of tools and techniques developed from the two areas of research should be considered by organizations. For example, using TMAR techniques to influence financial measures and using AMAR techniques to focus on non-financial measures which help organizations grow substantially and maintain sustainability in both short-term and long-term aspects. In conclusion, AMAR emerged mainly due to limitations identified in the traditional rational approach and increased interests. AMAR has contributed significantly in helping organizations operate and gain competitive advantage in the contemporary environment. The direction to explore into AMAR is right because in doing so, regression will not occur within the MA academia (Lukka Mouritsen, 2002). However it is important for AMAR to not lose sight of its public responsibility, and for it to persist in providing insights that protect individuals against impersonal, entrenched forces that are not in their interests. Qualitative research needs to investigate the social, societal and political facets of management accounting, and remind us of the larger picture containing the beliefs and motivations that lie beneath the surface of modern practice.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

HIST 2112 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HIST 2112 - Essay Example While industry had been around for quite a while before the turn of the century, this was the first time it became nearly impossible to survive in a purely rural environment. At first, many skilled workers joined unions in an attempt to save their jobs from unskilled machine workers who could do the exact same work in a factory as them for cheaper and more quickly. This did not last long, however, as more cooperation was needed for success. Often times, the actions of these unions would lead to violence, which means more problems would be caused by their protests than would be solved by them. The Coal Strikes between 1900 and 1902 became somewhat of a national crisis, as coal was a necessary commodity. The workers did gain higher wages and less hours with these strikes, although the government refused to admit that the union had anything to do with this. As time moved on, workers attempted to create a union for all to be a part of, which would end the wage system and would give the w orkers the power. These attempts were suppressed by the capitalists, however, as they knew that paying too much in wages would put a damper on the significant profits they were making during this time period. The entrepreneurs got the government involved in these disputes in order to protect their interests. The government knew that it was in its best interests to keep the capitalist entrepreneurs happy, so it did whatever it could to prevent the workers from winning these disputes. These unions were, however, important because they allowed for wages to rise and hours worked to fall for skilled workers in the United States. The lives of African Americans between 1877 and 1928 were transitional, as African Americans began to search for a niche in American society. In 1877, North troops left the South, which meant that former African American slaves in the South could no longer rely on them for political protection. Many issues

Monday, November 18, 2019

Health Care Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Marketing - Research Paper Example The researcher states that the idea to provide healthcare insurance was prudent, which was sponsored by employers. The insurance scheme became unaffordable for the elderly who did not have a source of income, the scheme left millions of Americans uncovered. The government has stepped in the healthcare industry and provides medical coverage for all Americans. Recently President Obama signed into law the healthcare bill famously known as Obamacare. The bill revised the way physicians were to be paid. As stated in the law doctors will be paid based on the quality of service offered to the patients rather than the number of times the patient was checked by the doctor. The idea to offer medical cover is indisputable a brilliant one and credit has to be given to those who initiated it. Medical industry cannot operate alone it has to depend on other factors that will enhance its service level. Technology has been integrated with the medical field and hospitals need to be abreast with the de velopment in the technological field. The use of bio-medical equipment such as X-ray machine, CT scan et cetera is common in hospitals. Engineers are busy in workshops trying to come up with devices that are better than those being used. Due to change in lifestyle Americans, massage equipment is  being designed to meet the growing demand for the service. Hospitals have installed this equipment to help their patients in the recovery process. There are mobile applications that help patients track their health status. These apps can perform several functions such as detecting blood pressure. Research on medicines is a continuous process in the medical field; the main objective is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the present drugs. Patients need their information to be secret (privacy), which is their right.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Emily Dickinson Essay Example for Free

Emily Dickinson Essay Emily Dickinson’s great skill and unparalleled creativity in playing with words and their connotations in her attempt to convey to the reader the power of a book are evident. In this poem, she is considering the power of books or of poetry to carry us away from our immediate surroundings to a world of imagination. Her poem is suffused with (full of) metaphors, as she is desirous of likening a book to various means of transportation. To do this she alludes (allusion-noun) directly to concrete objects such as â€Å"frigate,† â€Å"coursers† and â€Å"chariot,† which carry archaic (ancient) connotations. The difficulty inherent in the use of these vehicles has to do with the reader’s knowledge concerning the properties and characteristics evinced by a â€Å"frigate,† â€Å"coursers† and a â€Å"chariot. † The poetess associates the swiftness of a â€Å"frigate,† â€Å"coursers† and a â€Å"chariot†Ã¢â‚¬â€as well as their use to explore new lands and seas—with the power of a book or poetry to usher (lead, guide) us into another dimension, perhaps shrouded (covered) in mystery but definitely rewarding. If the reader is not acquainted (familiar) with these means of transportation that reigned supreme, so to speak, centuries ago, he / she is denied access to the meaning that the poet seeks to impart by means of these vehicles. But Emily Dickinson does not limit herself to these vehicles alone; the whole poem is reminiscent (suggestive) of a past era when people used â€Å"frigate[s],† â€Å"coursers† and â€Å"chariot[s]† to travel â€Å"lands away. The words â€Å"traverse,† (to cross an area of land or water) â€Å"oppress,† (stress) and â€Å"frugal,† (simple and inexpensive) with which the poem is interspersed—all of them are of Latin origin, thus lending it a formal hue. She has been careful to choose kinds of transportation and names for books that have romantic connotations. â€Å"Frigate† suggest exploration and adventure; â€Å"coursers† beauty, spirit and speed; â€Å"chariot,† speed and ability to go th rough air as well as on land. Chariot reminds us of the myth of Phaethon, who tried to drive the chariot of Apollo (Greek god of sun), and of Aurora (Greek goddess of dawn) with her horses. How much of the meaning of the poem comes from this selection of vehicles and words is apparent if we try to substitute steamship for â€Å"frigate,† horses for â€Å"coursers,† and streetcar for â€Å"chariot. † How would the poem sound if, instead of likening a book to a â€Å"frigate,† â€Å"coursers,† and a â€Å"chariot,† one resolved to use a â€Å"Mercedes Benz,† a â€Å"GMC† or a â€Å"Porsche† to convey the same meaning, that of speed and swiftness? Emily Dickinson’s shrewdness in selecting the most appropriate diction is superb and undoubtedly holds up a mirror for the reader to see what it is that she had in mind when writing the poem. On a more technical note, related to the rhyme scheme, it is obvious that the poem is written in open form or in free verse (from the French vers libre), as indicated by the lack of a regular rhyme pattern, as a parallel to â€Å"prancing poetry† or the power of a book to carry you to foreign â€Å"lands† where no man has ever trod before. Liberated from the confines and shackles of rhyme, Emily Dickinson’s â€Å"There is no frigate like a book† makes a permanent impression on the reader, as it â€Å"entangles a part of the Divine essence,† to quote W. B. Yeats. Allusions in There is no Frigate like a Book 1. The story of Phaeton In Greek mythology, Phaeton or Phaethon was the son of Helios (Phoebus). Perhaps the most famous version of the myth is given us through Ovid in his Metamorphoses (Book II). The name Phaeton means the shining. In the version of the myth told by Ovid in the Metamorphoses, Phaeton ascends into heaven, the home of his suspected father. His mother Clymene had boasted that his father was the sun-god Apollo. Phaeton went to his father who swore by the river Styx to give Phaeton anything he should ask for in order to prove his divine paternity. Phaeton wanted to drive his chariot (the sun) for a day. Though Apollo tried to talk him out of it by telling him that not even Zeus (the king of gods) would dare to drive it, the chariot was fiery hot and the horses breathed out flames. Phaeton was adamant. When the day came, Apollo anointed Phaetons head with magic oil to keep the chariot from burning him. Phaeton was unable to control the fierce horses that drew the chariot as they sensed a weaker hand. First it veered too high, so that the earth grew chill. Then it dipped too close, and the vegetation dried and burned. He accidentally turned most of Africa into desert; bringing the blood of the Ethiopians to the surface of their skin, turning it black. The running conflagration spreads below. But these are trivial ills: whole cities burn, And peopled kingdoms into ashes turn. [3] Rivers and lakes began to dry up, Poseidon rose out of the sea and waved his trident in anger at the sun, but soon the heat became even too great for him and he dove to the bottom of the sea. Eventually, Zeus was forced to intervene by striking the runaway chariot with a lightning bolt to stop it, and Phaethon plunged into the river Eridanos. Apollo, stricken with grief, refused to drive his chariot for days . Finally the gods persuaded him to not leave the world in darkness. Apollo blamed Zeus for killing his son, but Zeus told him there was no other way. This story has given rise to two latter-day meanings of phaeton: one who drives a chariot or coach, especially at a reckless or dangerous speed, and one that would or may set the world on fire 2. (Aurora, goddess of the dawn, equivalent to the Greek goddess Eos ) In Roman mythology, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky in her chariot, announcing the arrival of the sun. Her parentage was flexible: for Ovid, she could equally be Pallantis, signifying the daughter of Pallas,[1] or the daughter of Hyperion. 2] She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon).. In Roman mythology, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun. Her parentage was flexible: for Ovid, she could equally be Pallantis, signifying the daughter of Pallas,[1] or the daughter of Hyperion. [2] She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon). Rar ely Roman writers[3] imitated Hesiod and later Greek poets and made the Anemoi, or Winds, the offspring of the father of the stars Astraeus, with Eos/Aurora.