Diversity of human capital attributes and diversity of remunerations

The purpose is to provide some empirical evidence for promoting new insights into the economics of education. Particular attention is paid to the concept of competence and its influence on employee reward. The paper aims at comparing the impact on fixed earnings and flexible pay of the traditional human capital theory variables (education and experience) on the one hand and of specifically identified and assessed competences, on the other hand. The objective is to test if the HCV (years of schooling, years of labour market experience) and competences substitute or complement each other in the definition of earnings.Human Capital ; Remunerations ; Fixed earnings ; Flexible pay ; Education ; Professional Experience ; Competencies

Diversity of human capital attributes and diversity of remunerating systems

This paper aims at comparing the respective impact of the traditional Human Capital Variables (HCV) and of competences explicitly assessed on employees' remuneration. The data are derived from an original survey conducted in five large banking companies in Portugal. Six hundred clerks were interviewed regarding their individual characteristics (age, gender, education, experience in the labour market, experience in the company). Their respective supervisors were asked to assess their competences using a list of thirty skills. Complementary models are used in this research, relating to earnings and the distribution of profit shares to employees. Analyses take the specific structure of the multilevel data into account. These different dimensions show that traditional human capital variables are important determinants for earnings, whereas competences explain the profit shares distributed to employees.Earnings ; Human capital ; Competences ; Profit sharing ; Banking sector ; Portugal

Profile of sickness absenteeism at the Consul Glass factory, Clayville, Midrand, 2004.

Thesis (M.Med.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.INTRODUCTION Sick leave absenteeism is a recognized problem in all work sectors. The financial impact of sick leave has been well-documented. A profile of sick leave records can establish the extent of the sick leave problem in a workplace, the associated and predisposing factors for sick leave and the patterns of sick leave amongst workers. A baseline profile of the sick leave patterns in a workplace should be a preliminary step toward developing a programme aimed at the improvement of workers' health and attendance at work. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this study was to profile recorded sick leave for 2004 amongst permanent workers at the Consul Factory in Olifantsfontein, Midrand, Johannesburg in order to make recommendations to management. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study using a retrospective review of sick leave records of permanent workers at the Consul Glass factory for 2004. Information gathered included the demographic profile of workers who recorded sick leave, the frequency of sick leave, associated factors for sick leave, health care choices of workers with sick leave and the reasons for sick leave. Descriptive and analytic statistics have been presented. RESULTS • Workers over the age of fifty years had sick leave of longer duration compared to those younger than 50 years old (p<0.05). The median hours taken off for sick leave was higher in the male subgroup compared to the female subgroup of workers in the study population (p<0.05); • Workers from the production areas had more sick leave episodes for the year than workers from the non-production areas (p<0.05). Workers with bronchitis working in the production areas of the factory, had longer duration of sick leave compared to workers with bronchitis working in the nonproduction areas of the factory (p<0.05); • Workers on a variable shift schedule took more sick leave on days of the week that were unlinked to weekends and public holidays (p<0.05).A longer duration of sick leave occurred with certified sick leave compared with self reported sick leave (p<0.05); • In the study population, the majority were not medical aid members. Medical aid members had a longer duration of sick leave per episode compared to non-medical aid members (P<0.05); • Respiratory tract infection was the most common reason for sick leave. Of the ten most common reasons for sick leave, there was a significant difference in the mean number of hours of sick leave taken per episode for dental treatment and backache (p<0.05); • There was a significant difference in the mean number of hours of sick leave recommended by the four different sources of sick notes (p<0.05); • There was a significant association for worker interviews/counselling by the Human Resources' Department official and the worker having had four or more episodes of sick leave for the year (p<0.05). CONCLUSION The profile of sick leave at this company identified important associations with sick leave patterns. These significant findings provide management with baseline information, which can be used for the development of workplace interventions to address the taking of sick leave at the Consul Glass factory

Patients’ perceptions of a rural decentralised anti-retroviral therapy management and its impact on direct out-of-pocket spending

Background: Geographical and financial barriers hamper accessibility to HIV services for rural communities. The government has introduced the nurse initiated management of anti-retroviral therapy at primary health care level, in an effort to improve patient access and reduce patient loads on facilities further up the system.Objectives: To ascertain the perceptions and satisfaction of patients in terms of the decentralised anti-retroviral policy and the direct out-of-pocket expenses of patients accessing this care in a rural setting.Method: Using a cross-sectional study design, 117 patients from five different primary health care collection points and a hospital anti-retroviral clinic were interviewed using a standard questionnaire.Results: More clinic patients walked to their clinic to collect their medicines as compared to hospital patients (71.2% versus 14.6%). Hospital patients spent more than clinic patients on monthly transport costs (ZAR71.92 versus ZAR25.81, Anova F=12.42, p=0.0009). All clinic patients listed their respective clinic as their preferred medicine collection point despite recording lower levels of satisfaction with anti-retroviral services (89% compared to 95.5%).Conclusion: Patients seem to indicate that they preferred decentralisation of HIV care to PHC level and that this might minimise out-of-pocket spending. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.Keywords: HIV, patients perception, decentralised care, South Afric

Impact of International Trade and Trade Duties on Current Account Balance of the Balance of Payment: A study of N-11 Countries

This study is aimed to investigate the impact of international trade and trade duties upon the current account balance of the balance of payment of N-11 countries. Two constituents of each factor have been considered for the purpose of analysis. For International trade, import (IMPT) and export (EXPT) of goods and services have been considered whereas, for trade duties, taxes on international trade (TOIT) and customs and other import duties (CID) have been taken as the research variables whereas, current account balance (CAB) has been taken as the dependent variable. For the purpose of analysis panel data of N-11 countries for 27 years from 1990 to 2016 has been tested using different econometric technique such as Panel unit root test, Panel co-integration test, Hausman test, Panel regression analysis and Panel causality analysis. The results demonstrate that overall research variables are co-integrated and having long term relationship and affecting each other in the conventional manner. Notably, it is observed via results that in case of N-11 countries the CAB itself is the regulating factor and all other factors are adjusted according to the movement of CAB. The study provides recommendations for the rectification of current account deficit position and also provides scope for future research as well

Patients\u2019 perceptions of a rural decentralised anti-retroviral therapy management and its impact on direct out-of-pocket spending.

Background: Geographical and financial barriers hamper accessibility to HIV services for rural communities. The government has introduced the nurse initiated management of anti-retroviral therapy at primary health care level, in an effort to improve patient access and reduce patient loads on facilities further up the system. Objectives: To ascertain the perceptions and satisfaction of patients in terms of the decentralised anti-retroviral policy and the direct out-of-pocket expenses of patients accessing this care in a rural setting. Method: Using a cross-sectional study design, 117 patients from five different primary health care collection points and a hospital anti-retroviral clinic were interviewed using a standard questionnaire. Results: More clinic patients walked to their clinic to collect their medicines as compared to hospital patients (71.2% versus 14.6%). Hospital patients spent more than clinic patients on monthly transport costs (ZAR71.92 versus ZAR25.81, Anova F=12.42, p=0.0009). All clinic patients listed their respective clinic as their preferred medicine collection point despite recording lower levels of satisfaction with anti-retroviral services (89% compared to 95.5%). Conclusion: Patients seem to indicate that they preferred decentralisation of HIV care to PHC level and that this might minimise out-of-pocket spending. Further studies are required to confirm these findings

Integrated education practice in an accelerated world

This practice work in progress presents the perception of employers regarding the skills graduates bring to the labor market and the strategies they implement to cope with soft skill problems. It draws on an original qualitative data gathered from interviews with human resources managers of 20 firms located in the North of Portugal, a region that has been engaged in a public initiative that attempts to solve skill gaps and deficits. The findings show that employers complain about soft skills and blame higher education institutions for their skill problems. The type of soft skills required by employers reveals different strategies. The employers sampled implement remedial strategies and turn to the expertise of consultancy and other specialized services to provide training for their recent graduates. Sometimes, higher education appears as a partner for critical knowledge development. Insisting on the need to strengthening the links between different institutions in Portugal, the text underlines the assumption that a multidisciplinary approach joining social sciences and humanities with technical fields of education should be fostered as one of the solutions to cope with soft skills gaps.We acknowledge the collaboration of Famalicao Made In. This work was financed by Portuguese funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology in the framework of the project no. 030016, "BRIGHET- Bringing Together Higher Education, Training, and Job Quality". Reference: PTDC/SOC-SOC/30016/2017. It counts also with the funding from the UID/CTM/002642C2T – Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia Têxtil and the Project UIDB/00736/2020) - Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Sociedade

Serum lactate dehydrogenase to albumin ratio as a predictor of severity in COVID-19 patients

Background: COVID-19 infection, discovered in Wuhan, China, engulfed vast population in most of the countries in a very short span, ranging from aymptomatic infection to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiorgan failures and death. Individual studies on serum lactate dehydrogenase and albumin showed association with severity of disease. The purpose of present study is intended to predict the association of combined lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to Albumin ratio with severity of COVID-19.Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried on already confirmed cases of covid 19 infection from July, 2021 to December, 2021 in Gandhi hospital, Secunderabad. History, clinical features and laboratory findings including LDH: Alb ratio was noted. Cases with known history of carcinomas, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver/lung disease, coronary artery disease, alcoholics were not included. Cases were divided into mild, moderate and severe based on National clinical management protocol for COVID-19. Data was analyzed using SPSS/Medcalc software.Results: LDH and LDH: Alb ratio was significantly raised with the severity of the disease. The AUC in ROC analysis of LDH: Alb ratio was 0.75 compared to 0.71 and 0.62 individually for LDH &amp; Alb respectively; indicating ratio was superior to that of individual parameters.Conclusion: The present study shows significant correlation between LDH: Alb ratio with severity of COVID-19 infection. LDH: Alb ratio could be an easily available tool to predict COVID-19 severity

Indução, fortificação e primazia do inglês como meio de instrução na primária

Having influenced by the British linguistic superiority, English bequeathed to people of India. Consequently, it got into some of the elite class. Due to the frequent use of English in science and technology and military elites it ran into higher education first then it was considered as medium of instruction at school level too. The current study investigated into the perceptions of the primary school teachers about induction, fortification and primacy of the English language as a medium of instruction in Vehari district. The population of the study were all the primary school teachers of Vehari region while sample of the study selected from all the city schools as well as from surrounding villages. Now a days, English is one of the main and compulsory subjects in Pakistan and was declared as a medium of instruction at school level officially in 2009 and college levels. But teachers at most of the schools practice code-switching while teaching English in the classrooms. For the last five years, English medium of instruction is now in practice, so keeping all the reviewed in the literature ahead, the current study attempted to examine the teachers’ reflections about effects of English language as a medium of instruction at elementary level by surveying about the use of English language as medium of instruction at primary level. The earlier studies reviewed mostly about the implementation of English as a medium of instruction particularly regarding the hurdles and obstacles. As linguists working in&nbsp;language teaching in the classroom setting have meaningfully extended the scope of their research to redress the fundamental areas of classroom practices connected with teaching/learning of English as a medium of instruction. Moreover, the current study has significant suggestions for educational research for pointing out the loopholes and drawbacks in terms of English language implementation as instructional goal. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. The study concluded with some suggestions and pedagogical implication to the Policy makers, higher authorities and National accreditation for teacher education in Vehari and Pakistan.Habiendo influido por la superioridad lingüística británica, el inglés legó a la gente de la India. En consecuencia, entró en parte de la clase de élite. Debido al uso frecuente del inglés en la ciencia y la tecnología y en las élites militares, primero se introdujo en la educación superior y luego se consideró también como medio de instrucción en el nivel escolar. El estudio actual investigó las percepciones de los maestros de escuelas primarias sobre la inducción, el enriquecimiento y la primacía del idioma inglés como medio de instrucción en el distrito de Vehari. La población del estudio fueron todos los maestros de escuela primaria de la región de Vehari, mientras que la muestra del estudio se seleccionó de todas las escuelas de la ciudad, así como de las aldeas vecinas. Hoy en día, el inglés es una de las materias principales y obligatorias en Pakistán y se declaró oficialmente como un medio de instrucción en el nivel escolar en 2009 y en el nivel universitario. Pero los maestros en la mayoría de las escuelas practican el cambio de código mientras enseñan inglés en las aulas. Durante los últimos cinco años, el medio de instrucción en inglés está ahora en práctica, por lo que manteniendo todo lo revisado en la literatura a continuación, el estudio actual intentó examinar las reflexiones de los maestros sobre los efectos del idioma inglés como medio de instrucción a nivel elemental mediante una encuesta sobre el uso del idioma inglés como medio de instrucción en el nivel primario. Los&nbsp;estudios anteriores revisaron principalmente sobre la implementación del inglés como medio de instrucción, particularmente en relación con los obstáculos y obstáculos. A medida que los lingüistas que trabajan en la enseñanza de idiomas en el aula, han ampliado significativamente el alcance de su investigación para corregir las áreas fundamentales de las prácticas en el aula relacionadas con la enseñanza / aprendizaje del inglés como medio de instrucción. Además, el estudio actual tiene sugerencias importantes para la investigación educativa para señalar las lagunas e inconvenientes en términos de la implementación del idioma inglés como objetivo educativo. Los datos se analizaron utilizando la versión 21 de SPSS. El estudio concluyó con algunas sugerencias e implicaciones pedagógicas para los responsables de las políticas, las autoridades superiores y la acreditación nacional para la formación docente en Vehari y Pakistán.Tendo influenciado pela superioridade lingüística britânica, o inglês legou a pessoas da Índia. Consequentemente, entrou em algumas das classes de elite. Devido ao uso frequente de inglês em ciência e tecnologia e elites militares, o ensino superior foi o primeiro a ser considerado como meio de instrução também na escola. O presente estudo investigou as percepções dos professores do ensino fundamental sobre indução, fortalecimento e primazia do idioma inglês como meio de instrução no distrito de Vehari. A população do estudo foram todos os professores primários da região de Vehari, enquanto a amostra do estudo foi selecionada de todas as escolas da cidade, bem como das aldeias vizinhas. Hoje em dia, o inglês é um dos assuntos principais e obrigatórios no Paquistão e foi declarado oficialmente como meio de instrução a nível escolar em 2009 e nos níveis universitários. Mas os professores na maioria das escolas praticam a troca de código enquanto ensinam inglês nas salas de aula. Nos últimos cinco anos, o meio inglês de instrução está agora em prática, então mantendo todos os revisados na literatura, o presente estudo tentou examinar as reflexões dos professores sobre os efeitos da língua inglesa como um meio de instrução em nível elementar sobre o uso da língua inglesa como meio de instrução no nível primário. Os estudos anteriores revisaram principalmente sobre a implementação do inglês como meio de instrução, particularmente em relação aos obstáculos e obstáculos. Como linguistas que trabalham no ensino de línguas em sala de aula, ampliaram significativamente o escopo de suas pesquisas para corrigir as áreas fundamentais das práticas de sala de aula ligadas ao ensino / aprendizagem do inglês como meio de instrução. Além disso, o presente estudo tem sugestões significativas para a pesquisa educacional para apontar as lacunas e desvantagens em termos de implementação da língua inglesa como meta instrucional. Os dados foram analisados usando SPSS versão 21. O estudo concluiu com algumas sugestões e implicações pedagógicas para os decisores políticos, autoridades superiores e acreditação nacional para a formação de professores em Vehari e no Paquistão

Influence of Emojis and Emoticons in Enhancing Digital Interpersonal Communication: A Study of WhatsApp Application Users

This research intends to focus on the influence of emojis and emoticons in enhancing digital interpersonal communication of WhatsApp application users. The study is supported in the light of Media Richness Theory and survey method has also conducted as part of quantitative research design. A total of 200 students from different universities of Lahore have been selected to understand the impact of emojis and emoticons in their interpersonal communication on daily basis. The findings show&nbsp; that emojis and emoticons enhance digital interpersonal communication as it fulfills the criteria of conveying facial expressions, personal emotions and variety of sign languages. Findings of the survey illustrated that an emoji helps in supporting a message's meaning. Sometimes, emojis and emoticons seem more effective and easy to respond on a matter instead of writing long texts. The study also demonstrated that emojis and emoticons also help in understanding other person's mood and the level of interest during digital interpersonal communication