The influence of job satisfaction and affective commitment on turnover intention among senior professionals in public hospitals: an empirical study in Guagdong province, China

JEL: M54; M12Chinese public hospitals have been plagued by insufficient investment from government and by the need to generate enough revenue to guarantee their survival and development needs, which requires hospitals to strengthen their core competences and gain competitive advantage. This depends not only on the technical level and service ability of medical staff, but mainly on their talented senior professionals who are specialists in various subjects. Their achievements determine the clinical level of a hospital and represent its technical and scientific advantage thus guaranteeing the hospital quality and attraction. However these professionals are scarce resources in high demand by the huge medical market and competing hospitals in China. In these circumstances, how to improve job satisfaction and develop affective commitment so as to retain these highly demanded senior professionals is a human resource management problem worthy of study and it is the topic of this thesis. For this research 33 representative hospitals (Third level Class-A hospitals) in the largest cities of Guangdong province were selected and 1,500 questionnaires were distributed among senior professionals according to specific criteria. Finally, 508 responses have been considered valid and data were processed. Results show that, in this sample, (i) there is no correlation between job satisfaction and turnover intention; (ii) there is a negative correlation between affective commitment and turnover intention; (iii) there is a positive correlation between job satisfaction and affective commitment; and (iv) affective commitment is a mediator through which job satisfaction affects the turnover intention of the senior professionals surveyed. The research also found that the size of the hospital, job tenure and job position are valid predictors of turnover intention. According to the research results, the thesis puts forward suggestions on improving the management of senior professionals in public hospitals and sheds light for future studies.Os hospitais públicos na China têm vindo a ser afetados por um investimento governamental insuficiente. Forçados a gerar receitas próprias para garantir a sua sobrevivência e desenvolvimento, muitos hospitais têm procurado reforçar as suas competências chave como forma de obter vantagens competitivas. Para tal, o nível técnico e as capacidades do seu pessoal médico e, em particular, dos profissionais especializados em várias disciplinas são fatores fundamentais pois os seus êxitos determinam o nível clínico e científico do hospital, a sua qualidade e atratividade. Estes profissionais são porém recursos escassos e objeto de uma grande procura devido à enorme dimensão do mercado e ao elevado número de hospitais existentes na China. Nestas circunstâncias, como melhorar o seu nível de satisfação, desenvolver o seu compromisso afetivo para com a organização e aumentar a sua retenção é um assunto de grande interesse para a gestão e é este precisamente o tema desta tese. Para este estudo selecionaram-se 33 hospitais de nível 3A nas principais cidades da província de Cantão tendo sido distribuídos 1.500 questionários aos profissionais com as características requeridas. Destes foram consideradas válidas 508 respostas que foram objeto de tratamento estatístico. Os resultados desta amostra revelam que (i) nãoexiste correlaçãodireta entre a satisfação no trabalho e a intenção de deixar a organização; (ii) existe uma correlação negativa entre o compromisso afetivo para com a organização e a intenção de a deixar; (iii) existe uma correlação positiva entre a satisfação no trabalho e o compromisso afetivo; e (iv) o compromisso afetivo é uma variável mediadora através da qual a satisfação no trabalho afeta a intenção de rotatividade por parte dos profissionais inquiridos. Os resultados mostram também que a dimensão do hospital e a posição ocupada pelos respondentes influenciam significativamente a intenção de rotatividade. Com base nos resultados da investigação, a tese apresenta sugestões sobre a forma de gestão destes profissionais especializados bem como sobre investigação futura

A Note on Almost Stochastic Dominance

To satisfy the property of expected-utility maximization, Tzeng et al. (2012) modify the almost second-degree stochastic dominance proposed by Leshno and Levy (2002) and define almost higher-degree stochastic dominance. In this note, we further investigate the relevant properties. We define an almost third-degree stochastic dominance in the same way that Leshno and Levy (2002) define second-degree stochastic dominance and show that Leshno and Levy's (2002) almost stochastic dominance has the hierarchy property but not expected-utility maximization. In contrast, Tzeng et al.'s (2012) definition has the property of expected-utility maximization but not the hierarchy property. This phenomenon also holds for higher-degree stochastic dominance for these two concepts. Thus, the findings in this paper suggest that Leshno and Levy's (2002) definitions of ASSD and ATSD might be better than those defined by Tzeng et al. (2012) if the hierarchy property is considered to be an important issue

A Note on Almost Stochastic Dominance

To satisfy the property of expected-utility maximization, Tzeng et al. (2012) modify the almost second-degree stochastic dominance proposed by Leshno and Levy (2002) and define almost higher-degree stochastic dominance. In this note, we further investigate the relevant properties. We define an almost third-degree stochastic dominance in the same way that Leshno and Levy (2002) define second-degree stochastic dominance and show that Leshno and Levy's (2002) almost stochastic dominance has the hierarchy property but not expected-utility maximization. In contrast, Tzeng et al.'s (2012) definition has the property of expected-utility maximization but not the hierarchy property. This phenomenon also holds for higher-degree stochastic dominance for these two concepts. Thus, the findings in this paper suggest that Leshno and Levy's (2002) definitions of ASSD and ATSD might be better than those defined by Tzeng et al. (2012) if the hierarchy property is considered to be an important issue

(Z)-3-Chloro-N-[(Z)-3-(3-chloro-2-methyl­phenyl­imino)­butan-2-yl­idene]-2-methyl­aniline

In the title compound, C18H18Cl2N2, the complete molecule is generated by the application of C 2 symmetry. The C=N bond has an E configuration. The dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the 1,4-diaza­butadiene plane is 66.81 (9)°

Experimental analysis of rotating bridge structural responses to existing railway train loads via time–frequency and Hilbert–Huang transform energy spectral analysis

Abstract With the rapid development of national infrastructure projects, there has been a significant increase in intersecting lines in transportation construction. As a result, rotating bridges are increasingly used in engineering projects that span existing railway lines. In order to study the spatial response characteristics and vibration wave transmission mechanisms of the rotating bridge structure under the loading of existing railway trains, field experiments and numerical analyses were conducted. The response characteristics of these bridges were investigated under different types and speeds of adjacent existing lines. A comprehensive methodology has been proposed, integrating the time domain spectrum and the Hilbert–Huang Transform (HHT) energy spectrum for signal processing and vibration analysis. The analysis was carried out using MATLAB 2018a software. This methodology was applied to analyze the test data. The results show that significant resonance phenomenon occurs in the girders of the rotating bridge under the loading of trains on the existing line. The low-frequency component f 1 (2–5 Hz) is the primary factor contributing to the amplification of the acceleration response in the rotating bridge, while f 3 (10–13 Hz) plays a secondary role. The frequency distribution characteristics of vibration waves caused by train loads on the existing line have a significant influence on the acceleration response of the rotating bridge's girders. The predominant frequency of vibration waves at each measuring point along the transmission path shows a trend of decreasing → increasing → decreasing. The impact on the rotating bridge structure of vibration waves generated by low-speed freight trains on existing railways is greater. The research findings are of great importance for studying the dynamic response of rotating bridges adjacent to existing railway lines

CryoLetters

The objective of this study is to compare the effects of different well defined freezing solutions with a reduced concentration of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) combined with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and/or trehalose on cryopreservation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from mice, rats and calves. Post-thaw cell viability, proliferation capacity and differentiation potential of MSCs from different species were assessed after cryopreservation with the conventional slow freezing method. Although the post-thaw viabilities and metabolic activities varied among the different species, satisfactory results were obtained with 5% (v/v) DMSO, 2% (w/v) PEG, 3% (w/v) trehalose and 2% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the freezing solution. Our results showed that mouse MSCs were more robust to cryopreservation compared with rat and bovine MSCs.The objective of this study is to compare the effects of different well defined freezing solutions with a reduced concentration of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) combined with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and/or trehalose on cryopreservation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from mice, rats and calves. Post-thaw cell viability, proliferation capacity and differentiation potential of MSCs from different species were assessed after cryopreservation with the conventional slow freezing method. Although the post-thaw viabilities and metabolic activities varied among the different species, satisfactory results were obtained with 5% (v/v) DMSO, 2% (w/v) PEG, 3% (w/v) trehalose and 2% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the freezing solution. Our results showed that mouse MSCs were more robust to cryopreservation compared with rat and bovine MSCs