Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Qualité de l’information financière et comportement d’investissement: Cas des entreprises tunisiennes cotées

L’objectif de cet article est d’étudier l’impact de la qualité de l’information financière sur le comportement d’investissement des entreprises. Nous appréhendons les caractéristiques du contexte tunisien grâce à une étude empirique de 25 entreprises cotées en bourse sur la période 1997-2009. Les constatations confirment que certaines caractéristiques de l’information financière, à savoir la fiabilité, accroissent l’inefficience de la décision d’investissement, tandis que d’autres, en l’occurrence le conservatisme, s’avèrent n’avoir aucun effet significatif. Nous attribuons de pareils résultats principalement aux spécificités contextuelles de l’environnement tunisien, notamment le cadre institutionnel, les réalités culturelles et les caractéristiques du système de gouvernance des entreprises

Does auditor quality affect firms' investment decisions in MENA countries?

International audienc

Corporate governance, political connections and real earnings management in France

International audienc

Free radical scavenging activity, kinetic behaviour and phytochemical constituents of Aristolochia clematitis L. roots

Nowadays there is an increasing demand of natural antioxidants. Imbalanced production and consumption of reactive oxygen species, lead to many diseases such as cancer, arteriosclerosis and ageing processes. The protective effects of plants have long been attributed to their antioxidant compounds, like polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and vitamins C and E. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of tannins and crude methanolic extracts of Aristolochia clematitis L. by two complementary test systems (DPPH free radical scavenging and bioautography HPTLC). Besides, phytochemical screening was carried out on roots of A. clematitis and showed the presence of tannins, alkaloids and essential oils. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) screening provided qualitatively the antioxidant effect of extracts under study. Furthermore, it was found that the tannins and methanolic crude extracts from A. clematitis had a potent DPPH scavenging potency with IC50 values of 0.196 and 0.142 mg/mL, respectively. Besides, the kinetic behaviour of DPPH radical scavenging activity of extracts under study allowed us to determine the half life t1/2, time reaction (t) and the remaining DPPH·≡ percent

The Influence of Feedback Conversation on Employee Performance in Malaysian’s Telecommunication Company

Purpose: Feedback conversation is the process of conveying information in the performance appraisal process. It helps employees to develop the right and appropriate behavior in order to achieve the targeted outcome. This study investigates the influence of feedback conversation (i.e., feedback frequency, the credibility of the feedback provider, receptive capability, organizational culture, and national culture) on employees’ performance in Malaysian-based telecommunication companies. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study utilized a descriptive quantitative approach, in which a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire has been used during data collection. A total of 341 respondents have participated out of 3019 employees in the selected company. The collected data were then be analyzed using SPSS and the inferential analysis of Multilinear Regression (MLR) was applied to test the hypotheses. Findings: MLR analysis revealed that the credibility of the feedback provider, the receptive capability of employees, and organizational culture and national culture have a significant positive impact on employees' performance. Meanwhile, feedback frequency has no significant impact on the employees’ performance. Implications/Originality/Value: This study has added values to management literature and offered practical managerial implications related to selected aspects of feedback conversations on the employees’ performance. Other similar organizational settings may also consider these findings to design and develop a more effective feedback conversation to boost employees’ performance