Testing the Moderating Effects of Sex, Age and Job Classification on Work-life Balance, and Job Satisfaction of Higher Education Institution Employees

Work-life balance and job satisfaction have become a predominant issue in the workplace especially for those with conflicting responsibilities. This study examined the relationship of work-life balance and job satisfaction of 120 employees of a sectarian higher education institution. It further tests the effects of sex, age, and job classification on the relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction. Validated survey questionnaires were used to assess the employees’ work-life balance and job satisfaction. The moderator variables are sex, age (classified as above 40 years old and 40 years and below), and job classification in terms of teaching and non-teaching. The study utilized the descriptive and structural equation modeling techniques using SPSS version 23 and AMOS. The overall results revealed that the employees agree that they have a balanced work and family life. Further, the employees also claimed that they are highly satisfied with their current job. This study established that work-life balance has a positive influence on job satisfaction. The effects of sex, age, and job classification do not moderate the relationship of work life balance and job satisfaction. This research can be beneficial not only to academic institutions but also to any organization especially in maintaining the human resources of the institution

The Judas Iscariot Syndrome and Its Implication for Accounting Educators

The study is qualitative and applied the appreciative inquiry approach to address the "Judas Iscariot syndrome" of misappropriation and wrong assumptions among accountants and treasurers. It is believed that Seventh-day Adventist universities integrate faith and learning in their educational curriculum to cause a behavioral change. There seems to be a gap between knowledge, values, and the practice of accounting and financial management. From the biblical perspective, Judas Iscariot was the treasurer among the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, but he was said to be a thief (see John 12:4-6). This study utilized a semi-structured, self-developed, open-ended questions in interviewing ten accounting educators at Valley View University, Ghana from the Oyibi and Techiman campuses and based on the triangulation method and the 5-D cycle approach of appreciative inquiry (Define, Discover, Dream, Design, and Delivery). The study revealed that in order to generate positive change, self-discipline, truthfulness, and conscience to duty must be inculcated into the current accounting education to make the student dream to have contentment. The achievement of contentment is based on a design of biblical and ethical discussion, sharing of examples and personal experiences, truth writing and telling, and audiovisual presentation. The study recommends that accounting educators must live an exemplary life, mentor students, use ethical simulations and debates to instill self-discipline, truthfulness, and conscience to duty. A roadmap of Christian Behavior Change for Accounting Educators is developed. 

Evaluation of Strategic Planning in HEIs Using Contex, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) Model: Basis for an Enhanced Model

This study aimed to evaluate and improve the prevailing strategic planning process of selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) using the Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) by Daniel L. Stufflebeam in 1966. The study utilized quantitative techniques with 644 respondents composed of administrators, associates and assistants in administration, faculty and staff of selected higher education institutions (HEIs). Six HEIs were selected to represent each type of institution under the vertical typology of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), namely: autonomous, deregulated, and regulated. In each category, two were selected to represent the group of HEIs they belong: two HEIs which were granted Autonomous Status, two HEIs that were given Deregulated Status, and two HEIs with Regulated Status. The geographical location was considered in choosing the HEIs. The evaluation results emphasize that the performance and degree of implementation of both autonomous and deregulated status are of the same range in most of the aspects that were subjected to evaluation. It is suggesting that deregulated HEIs performance is leaning towards being autonomous than of being at the lower end of the scale, except for financial capability where the capacities of deregulated HEIs is closer that of regulated HEIs. Further results revealed that universities and colleges differ in the degree of implementation on the monitoring of finance. Based on the results, a proposed program to enhance strategic planning process model was developed

Organizational Factors Contributing to Workplace Stress Among Office Professionals in Selected Hospitals in Laguna: Basis for Stress Management Program

This study determined the organizational factors contributing to workplace stress among office professionals in selected hospitals in Laguna that served as a basis for a stress management program. This quantitative research employed a descriptive correlational design using descriptive statistics in analyzing the data. Data were collected among 80 office professionals from four selected hospitals in Laguna, Philippines. Convenience sampling was utilized in choosing the respondents of the study. The study revealed that the respondents experienced or observed the following organizational factors: high in terms of leadership support, good for working conditions, fair for peer relationship, moderate for role ambiguity, while the workload is moderately heavy. It was also found out that the respondent’s physical and psychological stress is low. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed that role ambiguity, working condition, and leadership support is not significantly related to physical, psychological test, and the overall workplace stress and that there was no significant difference in the employees’ demographic profile considering the age, gender, highest educational attainment, year of service and civil status. Regression analysis also revealed that workload and peer relationship significantly predict workplace stress, with a variance accounted for 24.1%. Workload contributed a total of 19.3% of the variance in workplace stress and 4.8% for peer relationships and working conditions. This means the heavier the workload, the higher the workplace stress and the better peer relationship and working conditions, the higher the workplace stress. Based on the results, it is recommended that the proposed stress management program be utilized by the selected hospital respondents.Keywords: organizational factors, workplace stress, physical and psychological stress, peer relationship, working condition

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The The Mediating Effect of Intellectual Capital on the Quality of Higher Education and Capital Wellness

This study aimed to determine the mediating effect of intellectual capital on the quality of higher education and financial wellness. It is a quantitative research that made use of descriptive-correlation design with 403 respondent institutions from public and private HEIs in the East Africa Community. Data were analyzed using descriptivE AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS. Results showed that quality of higher education and intellectual capital was perceived to be high; the level of financial wellness was good, and intellectual capital partially mediated the relationship of quality higher education and financial wellness. The direct effect of quality higher education on financial wellness is 0.613 at p-value 0.05 and its indirect effect, which is the mediation effect of intellectual capital, is 0.266 (0.378 * 0.703). The total effect of quality higher education on financial wellness when mediated by intellectual capital is 0.879 (0.613+0.266). Higher Education Institutions need to create a system that will ensure the regular assessment of the quality of education that they offer and their intellectual capital to increase capital wellness

Factors Affecting Students’ Pursuance to Complete the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy Course

The accounting profession has always played a vital role in the business world because of the financial information that helps in the decision-making of businesses. Statistics from several studies indicate a downward trend in accounting graduates. Therefore, this study determined the factors affecting the students’ pursuance to complete the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) program, given that several studies indicated a decline in the enrolment of accounting degrees. The factors considered were stereotypes, social conditions, social status, and economic reasons. The correlational method of research was employed to gather information using survey questionnaires. The study was conducted in three selected higher education institutions in the Philippines with a total of 145 freshmen and sophomore students, chosen through stratified sampling. Regression analysis revealed that stereotypes and economic reasons significantly influence the students’ degree of pursuance to BSA courses. The findings implied that students who are less likely to stereotype and have stronger economic reasons are more likely to complete the accountancy program. On the contrary of the results, the factors social conditions and social status do not significantly influence the pursuance of the students. The study also revealed that regardless of year level and sex, students’ degree of pursuance remains unaffected. One implication of this study is for students to disregard the stereotypes of the accounting profession and focus more on the economic reasons to have a higher level of pursuance to finish the accountancy course. They must understand the scope of the profession to be more dedicated to becoming an accounting professional Keywords: pursuance to complete the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) stereotypes, social conditions, social status, and economic reason

Risk of COVID-19 after natural infection or vaccinationResearch in context

Background: While vaccines have established utility against COVID-19, phase 3 efficacy studies have generally not comprehensively evaluated protection provided by previous infection or hybrid immunity (previous infection plus vaccination). Individual patient data from US government-supported harmonized vaccine trials provide an unprecedented sample population to address this issue. We characterized the protective efficacy of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 early in the pandemic over three-to six-month follow-up and compared with vaccine-associated protection. Methods: In this post-hoc cross-protocol analysis of the Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, we allocated participants into four groups based on previous-infection status at enrolment and treatment: no previous infection/placebo; previous infection/placebo; no previous infection/vaccine; and previous infection/vaccine. The main outcome was RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 >7–15 days (per original protocols) after final study injection. We calculated crude and adjusted efficacy measures. Findings: Previous infection/placebo participants had a 92% decreased risk of future COVID-19 compared to no previous infection/placebo participants (overall hazard ratio [HR] ratio: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05–0.13). Among single-dose Janssen participants, hybrid immunity conferred greater protection than vaccine alone (HR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.10). Too few infections were observed to draw statistical inferences comparing hybrid immunity to vaccine alone for other trials. Vaccination, previous infection, and hybrid immunity all provided near-complete protection against severe disease. Interpretation: Previous infection, any hybrid immunity, and two-dose vaccination all provided substantial protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 through the early Delta period. Thus, as a surrogate for natural infection, vaccination remains the safest approach to protection. Funding: National Institutes of Health

Risk of COVID-19 after natural infection or vaccinationResearch in context

Summary: Background: While vaccines have established utility against COVID-19, phase 3 efficacy studies have generally not comprehensively evaluated protection provided by previous infection or hybrid immunity (previous infection plus vaccination). Individual patient data from US government-supported harmonized vaccine trials provide an unprecedented sample population to address this issue. We characterized the protective efficacy of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 early in the pandemic over three-to six-month follow-up and compared with vaccine-associated protection. Methods: In this post-hoc cross-protocol analysis of the Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, we allocated participants into four groups based on previous-infection status at enrolment and treatment: no previous infection/placebo; previous infection/placebo; no previous infection/vaccine; and previous infection/vaccine. The main outcome was RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 >7–15 days (per original protocols) after final study injection. We calculated crude and adjusted efficacy measures. Findings: Previous infection/placebo participants had a 92% decreased risk of future COVID-19 compared to no previous infection/placebo participants (overall hazard ratio [HR] ratio: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05–0.13). Among single-dose Janssen participants, hybrid immunity conferred greater protection than vaccine alone (HR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.10). Too few infections were observed to draw statistical inferences comparing hybrid immunity to vaccine alone for other trials. Vaccination, previous infection, and hybrid immunity all provided near-complete protection against severe disease. Interpretation: Previous infection, any hybrid immunity, and two-dose vaccination all provided substantial protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 through the early Delta period. Thus, as a surrogate for natural infection, vaccination remains the safest approach to protection. Funding: National Institutes of Health