Showing papers on "Remuneration published in 2022"

Enhancing the Activity of Employees of the Communication Department of an Energy Sector Company

Abstract: Currently, companies in the energy sector are focus on sustainable growth, although they face many challenges, including the peculiarities of their operations. One of the features of companies in the energy sector is the need for effective communication with the media and the public. This is of paramount importance due to the current trends and challenges in the energy sector, the market requirements and the low level of development in such companies. The object of this study invovles the employees of the communication departments of energy sector companies, while the subject is the intensification of their activities based on the use of motivational tools. The authors chose the tools of the game theory, which is a game that the company and employees of the project team engage in when implementing information and communication projects. The study developed a method for motivating the employees of communication departments, which based on the game theory, allows the formation of many possible parameters of the optimal structure of fixed and commission remuneration payments for the employees to maximize their utility, depending on the propensity or unwillingness of these employees to take risks, which contributes to the development of staff motivation tools. This method was applied to the activities of several Ukrainian energy companies. The proposed approach differs from the existing ones based on the opportunity to intensify the activity of the employees of the communication departments, taking into account their willingness to take risks in each case, and will increase the interest of such personnel in the effective implementation of each stage of the information and communication project, better meet the needs of the end-users and ultimately affect the sustainable growth of energy companies.

The relationship between corporate governance and financial reporting transparency

Abstract: Purpose The present study aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance factors and financial reporting transparency pre and post of ISIS. Design/methodology/approach A multivariate regression model was used to test the hypotheses for this purpose. The research hypotheses were tested on a sample of 35 companies listed on the Iraqi Stock Exchange from 2012 to 2018 using a multivariate regression model based on panel data technique. Findings The results indicate a negative and significant correlation between the board independence, audit committee independence, management team stability and remuneration of the board of directors and financial reporting transparency. In contrast, there is a positive and significant correlation between the board expertise, audit committee expertise and managerial ownership, with financial reporting transparency. Moreover, ISIS has had a direct and significant impact on the correlation between the board of directors’ independence and remuneration with financial reporting transparency. The present study also tested research models using additional methods (such as feasible generalised least squares, ordinary least squares, random effects and T + 1) to obtain better results. The results of these different methods were entirely in line with the main results of the research. Originality/value The political and economic instability resulting from the entry of ISIS into Iraq has created severe problems for society’s economic, political, security and performance dimensions. Macroeconomic uncertainty driven by terrorist activities can negatively affect managers’ perceptions of firms’ future performance and result in poor judgments and estimations, significantly impacting business units' financial reporting transparency. Because no study has examined the relationship between corporate governance and financial reporting transparency on the Iraq stock exchange before and after the presence of ISIS, this study examines such a relationship. Although the economic and political situation in Iraq may not be identical to that in other nations, much of the experience in Iraq is anticipated to apply to other countries in the region.

A global study on job and career satisfaction of early-career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists

Abstract: Job and career satisfaction of early-career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists is imperative to ensure a motivated and effective workforce, and a secure future for pharmacy practice. In turn, this enables planning, deployment and long term implementation of global imperatives, through universal pharmacy coverage.This study used data from a global survey to determine the level of job and career satisfaction and identify factors that are most significant in determining satisfaction in early-career professionals.A cross-sectional survey was distributed to members of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Young Pharmacists Group (YPG) via email and social media platforms from November 2019 to May 2020. A previously validated questionnaire using 5-point Likert scales was used. Data were analysed by exploratory factor analysis, using principal component analysis, oblique rotation, and reliability testing of identified components, followed by a comparative statistical analysis.A total of 1014 respondents from 92 countries participated in this study. Regions of domicile significantly affected job satisfaction (p = 0.004) and career satisfaction (p < 0.0001) scores. Pharmacists working in community pharmacies perceived lower job satisfaction measures compared to those who work in academic institutions (p < 0.0001) and industry sector (p = 0.012). There is a negative association between career expectations and job satisfaction and career satisfaction scores. The workplace climate is related to education and training opportunities, lower reported workloads, greater autonomy, and more remuneration.This was an international study of early-career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. Enhancing factors associated with job and career satisfaction is essential to support early-career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists in obtaining fulfilment and esteem in their chosen careers. Developing and implementing a well-framed system that provides a conducive working environment, remuneration, and greater autonomy could improve job and career satisfaction. This study provides evidence to support investment in early-career training, stated in the FIP Development Goal 2.

The role of sustainable corporate governance in mandatory sustainability reporting quality

Abstract: Abstract This study analyzes the association between various sustainable corporate governance (SCG) mechanisms and mandatory sustainability reporting quality (MSRQ). To this end, we construct a novel MSRQ measure based on manually collected data from 220 German firms in their first year of mandatory sustainability reporting according to the European CSR Directive (2014/95/EU). Descriptive findings show a heterogeneous reporting quality for our sample. The regression analyses suggest an important role of SCG in ensuring high MSRQ. MSRQ increases with the number of SCG mechanisms employed. Regarding the individual mechanisms, we find that MSRQ is positively associated with a sustainable remuneration of the executive board, gender diversity at the supervisory board level, the existence of a CSR committee, engagement in CSR initiatives, and external assurance. However, we do not find any association between gender diversity at the executive board level and MSRQ, contradicting research on voluntary sustainability reporting. Finally, we derive several implications for preparers, auditors, stakeholders, and regulators.

Board Characteristics and Integrated Reporting Strategy: Does Sustainability Committee Matter?

Abstract: Integrated reporting (IR) is the latest topic in corporate reporting that has raised interest in the disclosure literature. Although the board’s role in IR practice has received significant attention in developed countries, this effect is still unexamined in an emerging market like Malaysia. Thus, this study sought to fill this gap in the IR literature by investigating the impact of the board of directors’ characteristics on the quantity and quality of IR disclosure. The study also examined whether the existence of a sustainability committee affects the board-IR relationship. The study used all listed companies in Bursa Malaysia that applied IR strategy from 2017 to 2020 to test the hypotheses. It employed a content analysis technique to measure the quantity and quality of IR using an index with 100 items based on the International Integrated Reporting Council guidelines. Multivariate ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was applied to examine these relationships. The analysis showed that board size, independence, gender diversity, and non-executive remuneration were positively and significantly related to greater IR disclosure, suggesting that the board of directors has a monitoring role in reducing agency problems and protecting stakeholders’ interests. However, multiple directorships did not affect IR disclosure. The analysis also showed that the presence of a sustainability committee positively affected IR disclosure, and had a moderating effect on the board-IR disclosure relationship. Our result was robust to alternative measures of the corporate board and an alternative regression model. This study is among the first to provide empirical evidence of the board and sustainability committee’s significant role in enhancing IR strategy. The findings may benefit regulatory bodies, policymakers, company managers, investors, and researchers in better understanding how directors’ characteristics influence companies’ IR practices.

Contested notions of challenges affecting Community Health Workers in low- and middle-income countries informed by the Silences Framework

Abstract: Despite increasing evidence of the challenges affecting Community Health Workers (CHWs) such as those related to training, supportive supervision and remuneration, there is a need to explore concerns and challenges from the perspective of CHWs themselves. This commentary highlights some of the contested and unexplored notions of challenges affecting CHWs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) informed by the Silences Framework. This framework defines experiences that are under-explored, misunderstood or difficult to share because of the often invisible power relations within communities, but also in setting the research agenda. These challenges include the heavy workload imposed by several stakeholders, dealing with religious and cultural practices, and gendered barriers of care. The workload of CHWs is a major source of stress and anxiety as they have to balance both government and other stakeholders' agendas to deliver interventions with their own need to provide for their families for those whose work is unpaid. The tensions of CHWs carrying out their work among members of the community whose religious or cultural beliefs are different from theirs also needs to be considered. Gender issues are an impediment to the work of CHWs, particularly with community members of the opposite sex around sensitive health issues. Lastly, CHWs have found themselves victims of domestic suspicion while fulfilling their duties in communities, such as when seen having conversations with spouses of other individuals in the community. Solutions to these challenges need to be co-produced with CHWs to both to strengthen their relationship with the communities they serve and shape more sustainable interventions for delivery of healthcare in LMICs.

Survey-Based Assessment of the Preferences in Residential Demand Response on the Island of Mayotte

Abstract: As on many other European islands, the energy system of Mayotte suffers from low reliability of supply, low share of renewable energies, and high costs of supply. Residential Demand Response (DR) schemes can significantly increase the flexibility of the inherent weak power grid, increasing the potential for renewable energy integration. Given that active involvement of the population is required to unlock the potential of DR, pre-assessing the population’s preferences in DR is vital to tailor favorable schemes and assure long-term uptake of the solution. As a fundamental study, this paper assesses the population’s preferences on direct load control (DLC), electricity tariffs, major motivation, and remuneration goods by processing findings from a survey of 146 residents on Mayotte. Advanced k-means cluster analysis, multinomial logistic regression, one-way analysis of variance, and Chi-square tests were applied to the survey responses to identify socio-demographic influencers. The results indicate four distinct groups of people concerning their interest in DR schemes, with increasing age being a significant predictor for higher interest. Interest in DLC varies with the device/appliance controlled and socio-demographic characteristics. The preferred tariffs correspond to the results of previous literature. Financial incentives play a subordinate role in the main motivation for participation compared to social and environmental attractions as well as non-monetary remuneration goods, supporting the impression of a high sense of community and suitability of islands as laboratories for energy innovations. Follow-up studies must reflect on the ability/willingness to pay as well as the current state of awareness and knowledge of electricity supply to validate speculations on underlying reasons for DR preferences and flag constraints for the DR scheme implementation.

Keeping nurses in nursing: a qualitative study of German nurses’ perceptions of push and pull factors to leave or stay in the profession

Abstract: The increasing nursing shortages worldwide has focused attention on the need to find more effective ways to recruit and retain nurses. The aim of this study was to gain understanding of factors that keep German nurses in nursing and explore their perceptions of factors that contribute to nurses leaving or staying in the profession.An explorative qualitative study was undertaken at four different hospitals (two university hospitals and two public hospitals) in Baden-Wuerttemberg, a state in South Germany. Semi-structured face-to-face or telephone interviews were conducted with 21 state-qualified nurses who had graduated from a German nursing program. Each interview was pseudonymized and transcribed. Transcripts were coded according to Qualitative Content Analysis with data structured into themes and subthemes. The study was reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) checklist for qualitative research.Two themes emerged from the analysis and each theme had several subthemes: a) PUSH FACTORS i.e. factors that may push nurses to consider leaving the profession included limited career prospects, generational barriers, poor public image of nursing, and workplace pressures; b) PULL FACTORS i.e. factors that nurses wished for and could keep them in the profession included professional pride, improved remuneration, recognition of nursing, professionalisation, and improving the image of nursing as a profession.The decision to leave or stay in nursing is influenced by a complex range of dynamic push and pull factors. Nurse Managers responsible for stabilizing the workforce and maintaining their health system will continue to have to navigate challenges until working conditions, appropriate wages and career development opportunities are addressed. A key to tackling nursing shortages may be focusing on pull factors and nurse managers listening in particular to the perspectives of junior nurses directly involved in patient care, as giving them opportunity to further develop professionally, reinforcing a strong and supportive workplace relationships, paying an appropriate salary, and improving the public image of nursing profession.The study has been prospectively registered (27 June 2019) at the German Clinical Trial Register ( DRKS00017465 ).

Corporate governance and financial performance in the emerging economy: The case of Ethiopian insurance companies

Abstract: Abstract The function of the board in financial institutions differs from that of non-financial institutions because the board of directors’ discretionary power would be limited, particularly in regulated financial systems where financial institutions must operate under legislative and prescriptive procedures, policies, rules, and regulations. As a result, the goal of this research was to look into the effect of corporate governance on the financial performance of Ethiopian insurance companies that are heavily regulated. The study used an explanatory research design with econometric panel data from nine insurance companies from 2012 to 2020. Random effect estimation technique was used to find out the most significant variable. Return on asset and equity were used to measure the financial performance and board size, management soundness, board remuneration, financial disclosure, debt and dividend policy as explanatory variables. The result revealed that board size, management soundness, board remuneration, and financial disclosure have a positive and significant effect on insurance company financial performance, whereas debt and dividend payout have a negative and significant impact on insurance company financial performance. Thus, the study concludes that all corporate governance measures have a significant impact on insurance companies' financial performance in Ethiopia as measured both by return on asset and equity. The study contributes to managers and stakeholders to improve the financial performance. Therefore, directors and other stakeholders should put in place proper governance frameworks to improve financial performance and regulators and policymakers develop policies and regulations to guarantee that businesses adopt proper governance structures in order to improve performance.

The distributional outcomes of rights-based management in fisheries

Abstract: Significance Rights-based management reforms in fisheries have attracted controversy regarding the unequal distribution of their economic benefits, but systematic quantitative evidence has been lacking due to data limitations. Our research leverages a longitudinal dataset to compare payments to captains, crew, vessel owners, and owners of harvest quota in the Bering Sea crab fisheries both before and after implementing individual transferable quotas (ITQs). This paper provides a fishery-wide accounting of returns to these diverse stakeholder groups at the vessel level. The results underscore the importance of considering the distribution of payments to different stakeholders within each vessel as well as heterogeneity in payments across vessels. Our approach provides a model for collecting and analyzing data on distributional outcomes for other fisheries. Fisheries managers have increasingly adopted rights-based management (i.e., “catch shares” or “individual transferable quotas” [ITQs]) to address economic and biological management challenges under prior governance regimes. Despite their ability to resolve some of the symptoms of the tragedy of the commons and improve economic efficiency, catch shares remain controversial for their potentially disruptive social effects. One criticism is that the benefits of rights-based reforms are unequally distributed across vessels and between fishery participants (e.g., crew and hired captains) and that stakeholders that do not receive an allocation of harvest rights may see their remuneration decrease. Yet, empirically assessing these claims is difficult in almost all ITQs due to poor availability of longitudinal cost, earnings, and employment data. This paper evaluates these claims using vessel-level data to characterize impacts of a long-established ITQ program for Alaskan crab fisheries on the level and distribution of payments to claimant groups. We find that the share of vessel proceeds accruing to captains, crew, and vessel owners declined under the catch-share regime to make room for new payments to quota owners. Average daily payments to captains, crew, and vessel owners declined, albeit slightly, yet retained their pre-ITQ premia relative to compensation in other sectors. However, inequality in payments to workers and vessel owners declined after ITQs, as did the interseasonal volatility in compensation to workers, a measure of financial risk. Finally, we find that consolidation-induced increases in leasing costs have had little effect on workers’ remuneration, but have reduced returns to vessel ownership.

Benefit Assessment and Reimbursement of Digital Health Applications: Concepts for Setting Up a New System for Public Coverage

Abstract: In Germany, some digital health applications (DiHA) became reimbursable through the statutory health insurance system with the adoption of the Digital Healthcare Act in 2019. Approaches and concepts for the German care context were developed in an iterative process, based on existing concepts from international experience. A DiHA categorization was developed that could be used as a basis to enable the creation of a reimbursed DiHA repository, and to derive evidence requirements for coverage and reimbursement for each DiHA. The results provide an overview of a possible classification of DiHA as well as approaches to assessment and evaluation. The structure of remuneration and pricing in connection with the formation of groups is demonstrated.

Determinants of CEO compensation: evidence from Pakistan

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of firm-specific (i.e. firm size, profitability, leverage, dividend, growth opportunities, management quality and firm age) and country-specific (i.e., gross domestic product [GDP] growth) variables on compensation/remuneration offered to chief executive officers (CEOs) working in different industries of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Panel data techniques, namely, pooled ordinary least squares, fixed effects and random effects methods are used to estimate the results. Moreover, Hausman test is used to choose which estimation method, either fixed effects or random effects, is better to explain the results. Findings Firm size, profitability, leverage, growth opportunities and age are some important firm-specific factors that have mixed (i.e. positive/negative) impact on CEO compensation in different industries. Variations in results are due to industry dynamics. However, it is important to mention that three key variables, namely, dividend, management quality and GDP growth have shown consistent positive impact on CEO compensation in most of the industries. In sum, results show that firm-specific and country-specific variables have material effects on CEO compensation. Moreover, results are found consistent with the predictions of agency theory and human capital theory. Practical implications The authors are sure that findings of this study provide some support to the board of directors to determine the pay slice for CEOs. Moreover, findings provide support to the regulatory authorities in formulating mechanisms to determine the compensation package for CEOs working in different industries and to improve the Code of Corporate Governance. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no empirical study in Pakistan has yet estimated the effects of firm-specific and country-specific variables on compensation offered to CEOs working in different industries. Thus, industry-wise analysis provides some new insights to the decision-makers and lays some foundation upon which a more detail analysis could be based.

Insights on designing effective and efficient frequency control arrangements from the Australian National Electricity Market

Abstract: For restructured electricity industries undergoing energy transition, designing effective and efficient frequency control arrangements is a complex and ongoing task that requires appropriate configuration of controllers, generator technical connection requirements, market arrangements and wider policy settings. In this paper, we provide an overview and assessment of these arrangements in Australia’s National Electricity Market - a useful case study given its long-standing frequency control ancillary services markets, yet recent challenges in maintaining secure frequency control. We assess the performance of these evolving arrangements in delivering improved frequency control outcomes, with particular regard to growing renewable penetrations and evident tensions between mandatory requirements and market-based incentives. Based on this assessment, we draw out four key insights on designing frequency control arrangements as power system capabilities and needs change: (1) Understanding control action interactions, (2) Implementing efficient price formation and cost-allocation mechanisms, (3) Monitoring and assessing service provision to better align participant remuneration with service quality, and (4) Considering both regulatory and market mechanisms and their consequences and interactions. In particular, we discuss the trade-offs between effective and efficient outcomes, and provide arguments for more robust and forward-looking frequency control arrangements during energy transition.

Work-Related Intervention Needs of Medical Assistants and How to Potentially Address Them according to Supervising General Practitioners: A Qualitative Study

Abstract: Work stress is common among health care professionals and this observation also holds true for general practitioners (GPs) and their medical assistance staff in Germany. Therefore, prior studies have examined the work-related intervention needs of medical assistants (MAs). We sought to explore potential interventions that may help to address these needs according to GPs’ views. Between December 2018 and April 2019 GPs were recruited via physician networks and through personal visits in general practices. Information on the nature and prevalence of 20 work-related intervention needs of MAs was presented to GPs. GPs then participated in a qualitative interview to reflect on the MAs’ needs. Qualitative content analysis according to Mayring was carried out using MAXQDA. A total of 21 GPs participated and perceived many of the needs as justified. The least understanding was expressed for requests of MA related to occupational aspects that were already known prior to hiring. The responsibility to address needs was often assigned to the German health policy. GPs expressed though that they considered addressing the need for better leadership style as their own responsibility as supervisors. Furthermore, professional training was discussed as one opportunity to raise the recognition and remuneration of MAs. Measures to address the work-related intervention needs of MAs and to thereby improve the working conditions of MAs were discussed with GPs.

Risk Management in Company Providing Services on the International Market

Abstract: Effective and integrated risk management requires integrating the risk management process into the enterprise management process. Each enterprise takes risks to achieve the planned results. The market economy creates both opportunities to achieve the planned profits and the risk of losses as a result of unfavorable changes in the company's environment and errors within the organization. At the time of making a decision, it is never certain how the conditions for the implementation of the planned project will develop in the future. Accounting, which is the most important element of the system, plays an important role in the risk management process information business unit. Nowadays, all business decisions are burdened with risk, which is why organizations more and more often decide to implement a risk management system.

Stress-Inducing Factors vs. the Risk of Occupational Burnout in the Work of Nurses and Paramedics

Abstract: Introduction: Contemporary healthcare faces new challenges and expectations from society. The profession of a nurse, as well as a paramedic, is essential for the efficient functioning of healthcare. It has its importance not only in promoting and preserving health but also in prevention. With the increasing importance of providing medical care at the highest level, it is expected of these two professional groups to have more knowledge and skills than a few years earlier. The daily contact with patients and their families, the low level of control of the environment, the hierarchical system of professional dependence, and the dissatisfaction with remuneration are becoming extremely burdensome aspects of the nursing and paramedic professions. Long-term exposure to stressors associated with these medical professions may, in the long term, lead to the emergence of occupational burnout syndrome. The aim of this study is an attempt to answer the question of whether and how stress factors affect the occurrence of occupational burnout in the work of nurses and paramedics working in various medical entities. Material and Methods: The study covered a group of 434 respondents, including 220 nurses and 214 paramedics, working professionally in hospital departments and care and treatment facilities as well as in hospital emergency departments and ambulance services. The study was carried out using a diagnostic survey based on the questionnaire technique using the authors’ questionnaire and the standardized MBI Ch. Maslach. Two statistical values were used to statistically analyze the research results and verify the adopted hypotheses: the chi-square test and the Student’s t-test. Results and Conclusions: The current study showed that the phenomenon of occupational burnout among the studied group affects only nurses, while this problem does not apply to the studied paramedics. The main stressor among the nurses and paramedics is, above all, a very high level of responsibility. Nurses are overburdened by excessive demands and shift work, while paramedics are mostly burdened by an excess of duties. Both nurses and paramedics claim that their work is often stressful, which leads to physical and mental exhaustion.

Experiences of precariousness and exploitation of Romanian transnational live-in care workers in Austria

Abstract: Based on conceptualizations of a continuum of exploitation to examine phenomena related to precariousness and modern slavery, this article examined Romanian transnational live-in care workers’ job perceptions based on thematic analysis of qualitative interviews. As a framework, we adopted a five-dimensional concept of work-related precariousness, comprising (1) reproductive–material, (2) social–communicative, (3) legal–institutional (participation), (4) status and recognition, and (5) meaningful–subject-related aspects. While interviewees reported job satisfaction, they gave many accounts of unfair or exploitative treatment. Prime aspects of exploitation included low wages, extensive working hours and insecure self-employment, being tricked to work without remuneration, being urged to engage in work beyond care, being withheld food and sanitation, inadequate training, low status and recognition, and fulfilling excessive demands due to a strong sense of commitment. We align our findings with the literature to identify urgent fields of action for improving working conditions in live-in care.

Incentivizing Federated Learning Under Long-Term Energy Constraint via Online Randomized Auctions

Abstract: Mobile users are often reluctant to participate in federated learning to train models, due to the excessive consumption of the limited resources such as the mobile devices’ energy. We propose an auction-based online incentive mechanism, FLORA, which allows users to submit bids dynamically and repetitively and compensates such bids subject to each user’s long-term battery capacity. We formulate a nonlinear mixed-integer program to capture the social cost minimization in the federated learning system. Then we design multiple polynomial-time online algorithms, including a fractional online algorithm and a randomized rounding algorithm to select winning bids and control training accuracy, as well as a payment allocation algorithm to calculate the remuneration based on the bid-winning probabilities. Maintaining the satisfiable quality of the global model that is trained, our approach works on the fly without relying on the unknown future inputs, and achieves provably a sublinear regret and a sublinear fit over time while attaining the economic properties of truthfulness and individual rationality in expectation. Extensive trace-driven evaluations have confirmed the practical superiority of FLORA over existing alternatives.

Impact of CEO attributes on corporate reputation, financial performance, and corporate sustainable growth: evidence from India

Abstract: Abstract This article investigates the impact of CEO attributes on corporate reputation, financial performance, and corporate sustainable growth in India. Using static panel data methodology for a sample of NSE listed leading 138 non-financial companies over the time-frame 2011 to 2018, we find that CEO remuneration and tenure maintains significant positive associations with corporate reputation, while duality and CEO busyness are found to be associated with corporate reputation negatively. The results also show that female CEOs and CEO remuneration are associated with corporate financial performance positively, whereas CEO busyness, as expected, holds a significant negative relationship with corporate financial performance. Moreover, the results demonstrate that CEO age is associated with corporate sustainable growth negatively, while tenure appears to have a significant and positive association with corporate sustainable growth. The results are robust to various tests and suggest that in the Indian context, demographic and job-specific attributes of CEOs exert significant influence on corporate reputation, financial performance, and corporate sustainable growth. The empirical findings would provide a basis for the shareholders and companies to identify areas of consideration when appointing CEOs and determining their roles and responsibilities.

Babel Fees via Limited Liabilities

Abstract: AbstractCustom currencies (ERC-20) on Ethereum are wildly popular, but they are second class to the primary currency Ether. Custom currencies are more complex and more expensive to handle than the primary currency as their accounting is not natively performed by the underlying ledger, but instead in user-defined contract code. Furthermore, and quite importantly, transaction fees can only be paid in Ether. In this paper, we focus on being able to pay transaction fees in custom currencies. We achieve this by way of a mechanism permitting short term liabilities to pay transaction fees in conjunction with offers of custom currencies to compensate for those liabilities. This enables block producers to accept custom currencies in exchange for settling liabilities of transactions that they process.We present formal ledger rules to handle liabilities together with the concept of babel fees to pay transaction fees in custom currencies. We also discuss how clients can determine what fees they have to pay, and we present a solution to the knapsack problem variant that block producers have to solve in the presence of babel fees to optimise their profits.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Environments of Professional Nursing Practice and Nurses’ Job Satisfaction

Abstract: (1) Background: The repercussions of work environments were widely studied before the pandemic. However, there are still many difficulties to be discovered considering the impact generated by it. Thus, this study aimed to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on nursing practice environments and nurses’ job satisfaction. (2) Methods: A correlational study was conducted in a hospital in northern Portugal, with the participation of 416 registered nurses. Data were collected in June 2021 through questionnaires. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. (3) Results: COVID-19 had a favourable impact on the structure component of the practice environments; the process component decreased compared to the pre-pandemic period; the outcome component remained moderately favourable to the quality of care. Nurses were not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with their valuation and remuneration; moderately satisfied with the leadership and staffing; and satisfied with the organisation and resources, co-workers and valuation by patients and families. In more favourable environments, nurses’ job satisfactions were higher. (4) Conclusions: Identifying the dimensions with the best and worst scores allowed the institution’s managers to concentrate efforts on where improvements were needed, thus preparing professional contexts for the recovery of care activities.