Arbeitszufriedenheit im internationalen Vergleich
The purpose of this paper is to compare the extent and determinants of employees’ job satisfaction on a European level. The underlying data originate from the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) 2005 covering 31 European countries. Beside detailed information about type of work and working conditions the data account for personal and household characteristics including objective and subjective income measures. The result from Ordered-probit regressions for all 31 countries as well as separate regressions for five groups of countries (clustered with respect to level of welfare and type of welfare state) indicate a diversified pattern of explanation of job satisfaction. For all analyzed countries except for countries in Scandinavia and continental Europe the employees’ subjective evaluation of income appears to have the strongest effect on job satisfaction. Considering the conflict of working hours with private life, the negative effect on job satisfaction is less distinctive in countries with a lower welfare level. Job security is found to have a stronger impact for UK and Ireland, whereas work autonomy is only found to be among the top ten influences for high level welfare states (UK, Ireland, continental Europe, and Scandinavia).
Wer arbeitet wann? Arbeitszeitarrangements von Selbständigen und abhängig Beschäftigten: Eine mikroökonometrische Analyse deutscher Zeitbudgetdaten
Mit der zeitlichen Flexibilisierung der Arbeitsmarkte und dem damit verbundenen Ruckzug des Normalarbeitstages treten neue Muster von Arbeitszeit auf. Auf Basis der deutschen Zeitbudgeterhebung 1991/92 sollen Arbeitszeiten von Selbstandigen und abhangig Beschaftigten untersucht werden. Zunachst systematisiert der vorliegende Beitrag verschiedene Verlaufe des Arbeitstages. Dabei werden bilden sich vier Kategorien von Arbeitszeitmustern heraus. Danach stellt sich die Frage, ob sich zwischen Selbstandigen und abhangig Beschaftigten Unterschiede in der Gestaltung des Arbeitstages feststellen lassen. Nach einer deskriptiven Analyse der Kategorien, wird in einem Multinomialen Logit Modell neben dem Berufsstatus der Einfluss sozio-okonomischer Hintergrundvariablen auf die Entscheidung fur eine der Kategorien von Arbeitszeit geschatzt. Wir kontrollieren dabei u. a. fur Variablen, die der Humankapitaltheorie, den ‚new home economics’ und der Zeitverwendungsforschung entliehen sind. Es zeigt sich, dass insbesondere Selbstandige ohne Angestellte zu einem atypischen Verhalten am neigen, das durch Arbeitszeiten am fruhen Morgen und spaten Abend sowie Unterbrechungen kennzeichnet.
CLINICAL TRIALS OF THE ABDOMINAL LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE (ALVAD): PROGRESS REPORT.
An abdominal left ventricular assist device (ALVAD) is undergoing controlled clinical trials in our institution. The ALVAD is pneumatically-actuated, synchronously or asynchronously with an external console and is interposed between the apex of the left ventricle and the infrarenal abdominal aorta. It is an order of magnitude more effective than conventional intraaortic balloon pumping. Thus far, we have implanted this pump in 21 patients (15 males and six females). The average age has been 50. The duration of cardiopulmonary bypass with intensive pharmacologic support and IABP until ALVAD implantation has been nearly 4 hours. The plasma hemoglobins prior to ALVAD implantation have averaged 168 mg%. The platelet counts at implantation have averaged 68,000 mm(3). The average duration of ALVAD support has been in excess of one day and the longest trial extended for one week. We have been able to remove the pump after ventricular recovery in two instances and effected cardiac allografting in one instance of ALVAD dependency. We have found that (1) the profoundly depressed left (and right) ventricles can recover if totally supported with this device; (2) the device can function in the presence of ventricular fibrillation and/or standstill; (3) the device can effectively replace both left and right ventricular function in the presence of normal pulmonary vascular resistance and microcirculatory hemodynamics; and (4) in the presence of impending multiple organ failure, procrastination in use is to be avoided.