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Excessive Workload (excessive + workload)
Selected AbstractsAuditor Detected Misstatements and the Effect of Information TechnologyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 3 2004William F. Messier Jr. This paper presents information on the causes and detection of misstatements by auditors and the relationship of those misstatements with information technology (IT). The last major study of misstatements and IT used data that were gathered in 1988. In the intervening period, there have been significant changes in IT, possibly altering the error generation and detection process. Two research questions related to detected misstatements and the effect of IT are examined. The six largest public accounting firms in Norway provided data from 58 engagements. We find that (1) the major causes of misstatements were missing, poorly designed, and improperly applied controls; inadequate methods used to select, train and supervise accounting personnel; and an excessive workload for accounting personnel, (2) missing and poorly designed controls, and excessive workload for accounting personnel were more likely to be causes of misstatements in computerized business processes than those that were not computerized, and (3) the increased use of tests of details over attention directing procedures on audits appears to result from auditors deciding that it is more effective or efficient to conduct such tests than rely upon IT controls. These findings have important implications for both audit practitioners and researchers. [source] Burnout contagion among intensive care nursesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 3 2005Arnold B. Bakker PhD Aim., This paper reports a study investigating whether burnout is contagious. Background., Burnout has been recognized as a problem in intensive care units for a long time. Previous research has focused primarily on its organizational antecedents, such as excessive workload or high patient care demands, time pressure and intensive use of sophisticated technology. The present study took a totally different perspective by hypothesizing that , in intensive care units , burnout is communicated from one nurse to another. Methods., A questionnaire on work and well-being was completed by 1849 intensive care unit nurses working in one of 80 intensive care units in 12 different European countries in 1994. The results are being reported now because they formed part of a larger study that was only finally analysed recently. The questionnaire was translated from English to the language of each of these countries, and then back-translated to English. Respondents indicated the prevalence of burnout among their colleagues, and completed scales to assess working conditions and job burnout. Results., Analysis of variance indicated that the between-unit variance on a measure of perceived burnout complaints among colleagues was statistically significant and substantially larger than the within-unit variance. This implies that there is considerable agreement (consensus) within intensive care units regarding the prevalence of burnout. In addition, the results of multilevel analyses showed that burnout complaints among colleagues in intensive care units made a statistically significant and unique contribution to explaining variance in individual nurses' and whole units' experiences of burnout, i.e. emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Moreover, for both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, perceived burnout complaints among colleagues was the most important predictor of burnout at the individual and unit levels, even after controlling for the impact of well-known organizational stressors as conceptualized in the demand-control model. Conclusion., Burnout is contagious: it may cross over from one nurse to another. [source] Surgical safety and overworkBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 12 2004H. Pfaff The article by Holger Pfaff of Cologne, Germany that follows is the ninth and final paper of the BJS series of leading articles on patient safety; in it he considers the problem of surgeons' often excessive workload. Those who would like to read the series as a whole should start with the April 2004 issue of the Journal. A trainees' viewpoint of safety issues has been considered along with safety lessions from the airlines. Infections, patient volume, the nature of adverse events and information technology have been highlighted in separate papers, and the importance of an evidence-based approach has been recognized on both sides of the Atlantic. Copyright © 2004 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Stopping the Revolving Door: Increasing Teacher RetentionPOLITICS & POLICY, Issue 5 2008Sam Brill Schools around the nation are facing an alarming phenomenon: beginning teachers are leaving schools at a startling rate. Thirty-three percent of teachers leave their schools in the first three years, 46 percent after five years. These high attrition rates result in inexperienced teachers, high economic costs as teachers must be continually hired and trained, and a lack of continuity that makes institutional development and planning difficult. There is a plethora of causes for teacher attrition, although most involve nonsalary-related dissatisfaction, such as excessive workloads and high-stakes testing, disruptive student behavior, poor leadership and administration within schools, and views of teaching as a temporary profession. Likewise, the most successful remedies to increase teacher retention are not salary-based. Several studies have found that moderate salary increases are only marginally effective; raises of 20 percent would be needed to make a significant impact. Rather, improving teachers' work environment and professional development are more cost effective and influential in convincing teachers to remain. An induction and mentoring program in California, for example, reduced teacher attrition by 26 percent in just two years. We conclude, therefore, that well-operated induction and mentoring programs are the best method for increasing teacher retention. [source] | ||||||||||