Research on Voluntary Carbon Information Disclosure Mechanism of Enterprises from the Perspective of Stakeholders-A Case Study on the Automobile Manufacturing Industry

As the primary source of carbon emissions, enterprises must work hard to save energy, reduce emissions, and disclose timely carbon information to the public. As a key means of communicating carbon management performance to stakeholders, carbon information disclosure is directly tied to the future sustainability of enterprises. Based on panel data of 118 listed firms in the automotive manufacturing industry from 2017 to 2021, this study rates the sample companies' quality of carbon information disclosure. The impact of the government, creditors, media, employees, and suppliers on such disclosure is also examined from the stakeholders' standpoint. The findings reveal that: (1) Although there has been a gradual increase in the degree of disclosure, overall levels are still low, and the willingness to voluntarily disclose is insufficient. (2) When other variables are neglected, the government, creditors, media, and employees all assist enterprises in disclosing carbon information, but the influence of suppliers will inhibit such disclosure. In the context of a complex economic system, the level of carbon disclosure is positively correlated with the government, the media, and employees, while negatively correlated with creditors. The influence of suppliers is not significant. These findings may aid in formulating related policies from different dimensions, directing enterprises to publish carbon information actively and strengthening carbon management.

Exploring factors affecting registered nurses' pursuit of postgraduate education in Australia

The aim of this study was to explore the factors influencing registered nurses' pursuit of postgraduate education in specialty nursing practice in Australia. Despite the increased requirement for postgraduate education for advanced practice, little has been reported on the contributory factors involved in the decision to undertake further education. The Nurses' Attitudes Towards Postgraduate Education instrument was administered to 1632 registered nurses from the Nurses and Midwives e-Cohort Study across Australia, with a response rate of 35.9% (n = 568). Data reduction techniques using principal component analysis with varimax rotation were used. The analysis identified a three-factor solution for 14 items, accounting for 52.5% of the variance of the scale: "facilitators," "professional recognition," and "inhibiting factors." Facilitators of postgraduate education accounted for 28.5% of the variance, including: (i) improves knowledge; (ii) increases nurses' confidence in clinical decision-making; (iii) enhances nurses' careers; (iv) improves critical thinking; (v) improves nurses' clinical skill; and (vi) increased job satisfaction. This new instrument has potential clinical and research applications to support registered nurses' pursuit of postgraduate education.

Determinants of physician empathy during medical education: hypothetical conclusions from an exploratory qualitative survey of practicing physicians

BACKGROUND

Empathy is an outcome-relevant physician characteristic and thus a crucial component of high-quality communication in health care. However, the factors that promote and inhibit the development of empathy during medical education have not been extensively researched. Also, currently there is no explicit research on the perspective of practicing physicians on the subject. Therefore the aim of our study was to explore physicians' views of the positive and negative influences on the development of empathy during their medical education, as well as in their everyday work as physicians.

METHOD

We administered a written Qualitative Short Survey to 63 physicians in seven specialties. They were able to respond anonymously. Our open-ended question was: "What educational content in the course of your studies and/or your specialist training had a positive or negative effect on your empathy?" We analyzed the data using thematic content analysis following Mayring's approach.

RESULTS

Forty-two physicians took part in our survey. All together, they mentioned 68 specific factors (37 positive, 29 negative, 2 neutral) from which six themes emerged: 1. In general, medical education does not promote the development of empathy. 2. Recognizing the psycho-social dimensions of care fosters empathy. 3. Interactions with patients in medical practice promote empathy. 4. Physicians' active self-development through reflective practice helps the development of empathy. 5. Interactions with colleagues can both promote and inhibit empathy through their role modeling of empathic and non-empathic behavior. 6. Stress, time pressure, and adverse working conditions are detrimental to empathy development.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide an overview of what might influence the development of clinical empathy, as well as hypothetical conclusions about how to promote it. Reflective practice seems to be lacking in current medical curricula and could be incorporated. Raising physicians' awareness of the psycho-social dimension of disease, and of the impact of peer influence and role modeling, seems promising in this regard, too. Stress and well-being seem to be closely related to physician empathy, and their modulation must take into account individual, social, and organizational factors. Further research should investigate whether or how these hypothetical conclusions can deepen our understanding of the determinants of physician empathy in order to help its promotion.