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Purpose - The primary objective of this article is to explore what senior managers think they should be doing to improve communication in their organization, what they actually do in communication terms, and the high work load which senior managers undertake. Design/methodology/approach - This understanding is advanced by using the results of a communication audit which was conducted in a major European health-care organization (HCO) undergoing significant internal re-organization. A communication audit can be defined as: "a comprehensive and thorough study of communication philosophy, concepts, structure, flow and practice within an organisation". It assists managers by "providing an objective picture of what is happening compared with what senior executives think (or have been told) is happening". Findings - First, senior managers who over-work are even less likely to have the time for reflection, followed by behaviour change. Second, the absence of adequate upward communication may blind managers to the full nature of their problems, which in turn guides the search for solutions. Research limitations/implications - Clearly there is a need to examine other types of organizations to establish the universality of the communication issues and problems that were found in a large HCO in Europe, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Practical implications - The data suggest that attempting to cover up communication weaknesses by managers working even longer hours only has the effect of further disempowering people, and so accentuating rather than alleviating the underlying difficulty. Originality/value - The article has value to fellow academics and managers in practice and contributes to the debate on upward communication and the workload of managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the Delphi research project, a part of the European Public Relations Body of Knowledge project, which questions the existence of a European authenticity of public relations. Description of the study design; Discussion on public relations as a professional management function; Conclusions.

Several reviews of organizational communication theory have been published recently in the Communication Yearbook and elsewhere (Richetto, 1977; Dennis. Goldhaber, & Yates, 1978; Redding, 1979; Jablin, I980). They give a detailed summary of North American research results and theory building. However, very little other than American research is discussed. Relevant research has also been done in the field in Europe for quite a long time. It would seem fruitful to try combining these results with the American research tradition to attempt at least some degree of synthesis in this unusually diversified branch of communication research. Organizational communication overviews have so far been very cautious in their interpretation of research results and with good reason. The reviewers very correctly point out that there is little integration in the various theoretical and methodological approaches. In the following we discuss some organizational communication research findings in different countries using the general frame of reference of the contingency approach. We shall mainly concentrate on our own research findings based on organizational climate studies using three different communication audit systems. Reference is made to other relevant research whenever possible and when known to us. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights importance of strategic management in a unified Europe. Emphasis on communication interfacing and style issues; Glimpse into a successful, post-1992 business organization; Absence of a common policy concerning training and development; Advantages of having a fine balance of both generalists and specialists in the top team.

This article studies management and communication styles in Europe for intercultural differences. The study of 15 European countries reported here brings many nuances to the usually-accepted cultural clusters of northern European, southern European, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Nordic, and Germanic countries. These categories have been shown to have numerous exceptions, thus presenting some contradictions and qualifications to simplistic arguments. Compared to the Scandinavian countries, a north European country such as Finland has a relatively hierarchical management style. Others, such as Austria, Belgium and Switzerland, also have a relatively centralized management style, although arguably being loosely connected with so-called northern Europe. Portugal presents non-Latin characteristics in southern Europe, while Ireland and Italian-speaking Switzerland present Latin characteristics in northern Europe. Some countries of rather Germanic culture try especially not to identify with Germany, a characteristic found with Austria, Luxembourg, and German-speaking Switzerland. The Netherlands does not really belong to any of these above-mentioned groups, demonstrating a particular uniqueness.

Assesses the different management styles and recruitment tools in Western Europe. Employee participation in the management of a company; Impact of the attitude toward risk on managerial communication; Degree of pragmatism of various managers; Impact of the value placed on performance on the style and content of corporate presentations; Influence of American management on the European management styles.

Discusses the issue of communication gap in the chemicals industry in Europe. Main reason the chemicals industry has poor reputation among the public; Objective of industry reputation programme of the British Chemical Industry Association; Outcome of the series of focus group studies conducted with the media by the Market Opinion Research Institute in order to assess how it views the chemical industry.

Presents Europe-based automobile maker VW Group's model for benefit communication. Benefits-related information retrieval; Total reward statement; Ownership of and engagement in brand.

The article provides information on the "Personal Characteristics of Successful Euromanagers" study conducted by the Assessment Circle Europe (ACE) members in 1994. The research has explored the criteria for successful cross-cultural managers by focusing on several issues including the abilities and the typical careers of the managers living in Europe. Based on the results, a new set of recommendations for effective cross-cultural working has been devised by the ACE which is in favor for the managers living among different cultures.