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The term topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) refers to a condition widely discussed on social media, but rarely mentioned in the medical literature. It typically involves a patient with chronic eczema who abruptly discontinues topical corticosteroids (TCS) believing they are ineffective and damaging. Symptoms include an acute eruption, worse than the previous eczema, of painful erythema followed by oozing, crusting, desquamation and sometimes prolonged systemic weakness. Patients self-diagnose and often avoid healthcare professionals who dismiss the diagnosis and persist in offering TCS, leaving them unsupported. We analysed 121 responses to a survey of UK dermatologists' attitudes to TSW. Views on aetiology included relapsed eczema, erythroderma and a social construct. A total of 88.4% (107/121) agreed that TSW needs better understanding and more research. Respondents earlier in their careers are more cautious than senior respondents about prescribing TCS long term because of TSW, suggesting a trend that might lead to better understanding, communication and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Governments around the world have shown poor capabilities in responding effectively to the COVID-19 health emergency outbreaks. After the declaration of COVID-19 as an international pandemic by the World Health Organization on January 31, 2020, three countries experienced the greatest initial impact in Europe. Sequentially Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK) were hit by the highest numbers of contagion and death in the first few months in Europe. The aim of this paper is to assess how information channels and sources influenced the public's evaluation of the three government's communication response strategies. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was conducted between March 14 and April 14, 2020, during the first wave of lockdowns and declarations of States of Emergency in the three countries. Findings: Findings show particularities for the different countries, but also similarities in response and reactions of the public in the three scenarios. The response strategy of the UK Government was the most untrusted and criticized by citizens. In contrast, the Italian and Spanish Governments, which both chose to respond with the severest restrictions, attracted more support from citizens, especially in Italy, which was the first to close borders and impose lockdowns for the population. Research limitations/implications: Despite the national differences in the preference of information channels and sources, overall, an empirical relationship between government communication assessment and media use were found in all the scenarios. Practical implications: This empirical study has theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, findings will add evidence of implications of the Channel Complementary Theory to the field of risk, crisis and emergency communication. The results also provide insights for communication practitioners in the public sector on how forms of information and trust in sources influence the public's assessment of authorities' communication. Originality/value: Implications for theory and empirical research about communication during a health pandemic are identified and discussed. Highlights: Citizens engage at a high level and synchronize their use of multiple media and platforms in all the three national scenarios. Stronger criticism is provided by online media, especially social media and online press in the different national contexts. Results corroborate that factors related to media choice need to be operationalized for risk and crisis communication research. When public health depends on people understanding the actions they need to take, the possibility of disobedience is highly dependent on trust. Compared with Spain and the United Kingdom (UK), trust in government institutions in Italy was stronger and could be explained by the higher use of owned media for information-seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ward round is an integral part of everyday surgical practice. It is a complex clinical activity that requires both sound clinical management and communication skills. This study reports the results of a consensus-building exercise on the common aspects of the general surgical ward rounds. Methods: The consensus-building committee involving a range of stakeholders from 16 United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service trusts took part in this consensus exercise. The members discussed and suggested a series of statements concerning surgical ward round. An agreement of ≥ 70% among members was regarded as a consensus. Results: Thirty-two members voted on 60 statements. There was a consensus on fifty-nine statements after the first round of voting, and one statement was modified before it reached consensus in the second round. The statements covered nine sections: a preparation phase, team allocation, multidisciplinary approach to the ward round, structure of the round, teaching considerations, confidentiality and privacy, documentation, post-round arrangements, and weekend round. There was a consensus on spending time to prepare for the round, a consultant-led round, involvement of the nursing staff, an MDT round at the beginning and end of the week, a minimum of 5 min allocated to each patient, utilisation of a round checklist, afternoon virtual round, and a clear handover and plan for the weekend. Conclusion: The consensus committee achieved agreement on several aspects concerning the surgical ward rounds in the UK NHS. This should help improve the care of surgical patients in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the interwar period (1919–1939), protagonists of the early New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) worked to renegotiate and improve the country's international sporting participation and involvement in the International Olympic Committee. To this end, NZOC effectively used its locally based administrators and well-placed expatriates in Britain to variously assert the organization's nascent autonomy, independence and political power, progress Antipodean athlete's causes and counter any potential doubt about the nation's peripheral position in imperial sporting dialogues. Adding to the corpus of scholarship on New Zealand's ties and tribulations with imperial Britain, both in and beyond sport (e.g. Beilharz and Cox, 2007, “Settler Capitalism Revisited,”Thesis Eleven88: 112–124; Belich, 2001,Paradise Reforged: A History of the New Zealanders from the 1880s to the Year 2000, Auckland: Allen Lane; Belich, 2007,Making Peoples: A History of the New Zealanders from Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century, Auckland: The Penguin Group; Coombes, 2006,Rethinking Settler Colonialism: History and Memory in Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and South Africa, Manchester: Manchester University Press; MacLean, 2010, “New Zealand (Aotearoa),” InRoutledge Companion to Sports History, edited by Steve W. Pope and John Nauright, 510–525, London: Routledge; Phillips, 1984, “Rugby, War and the Mythology of the New Zealand Male,”The New Zealand Journal of History18 (1): 83–103; Phillips, 1987,A Man's Country: The Image of the Pakeha Male, Auckland: Penguin Books; Ryan, 2004,The Making of New Zealand Cricket, 1832–1914, London: Frank Cass; Ryan, 2005,Tackling Rugby Myths: Rugby and New Zealand Society 1854–2004, Dunedin: University of Otago Press; Ryan, 2007, “Sport in 19th-Century Aotearoa/New Zealand: Opportunities and Constraints,” InSport in Aotearoa/New Zealand Society, edited by Chris Collins and Steve Jackson, 96–111, Auckland: Thomson), I will examine how the political actions and strategic location of three key NZOC agents (specifically, administrator Harry Amos and expatriates Arthur Porritt and Jack Lovelock) worked in their own particular ways to assert the position of the organization within the global Olympic fraternity. I argue that the efforts of Amos, Porritt and Lovelock also concomitantly served to remind Commonwealth sporting colleagues (namely Britain and Australia) that New Zealand could not be characterized as, or relegated to being, a distal, subdued or subservient colonial sporting partner. Subsequently, I contend that NZOC's development during the interwar period, and particularly the utility of expatriate agents, can be contextualized against historiographical shifts that encourage us to rethink, reimagine and rework narratives of empire, colonization, national identity, commonwealth and belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial relations scholars have long been interested in notions of employee involvement, participation, voice, and industrial democracy but the terminology is so elastic that the types of practices covered are extremely broad. In this article, following a brief discussion that categorizes employee involvement and participation (EIP) in terms of degree, level, and scope, we focus on the relatively dilute formal and informal practices which operate at workplace level in non-union firms. Although researchers now examine direct--as well as representative-- forms of EIP, we argue the focus is still on formal systems. This finding is understandable both from a methodological and a theoretical angle, but it leaves a gap in our awareness of how EIP functions at workplace level, and in particular, the role played by line managers in developing informal communication and consultation in non-union firms. In this article, we examine formal and informal EIP within a large non-union firm in the UK hospitality sector; a context characterized by intense product and labor market pressures and limited union presence. Our principal conclusion is that informality takes centre stage in this organization, driven by managerial and worker preferences for informal EIP in the context of close working relations at the customer interface. Moreover, customer pressures and flexible working patterns make it difficult to sustain formal EIP in the context of a capability framework that puts a primacy on managers using informal approaches. However, it is argued that informal EIP needs to be combined with the formal system to operate effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate whether the adoption by workplaces of human resources management (HRM) practices that enhance face-to-face communication (FTFC) among employees is associated with productivity gains. The analysis is based on a nationally representative sample of over 500 British trading establishments drawn from the linked 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey and Annual Business Inquiry, for which objective measures of labour productivity (value added per employee) are available. We find a positive association between productivity and FTFC in problem-solving groups, teams and meetings of senior or line managers and employees, provided that FTFC is adopted on a continuous basis. Our finding suggests that British workplaces in the trading sector could increase their productivity by implementing HRM practices in such a way as to enhance knowledge sharing through employees' personal interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the complex relationship between English rugby union and coaching since the formation of the Rugby Football Union in 1871. Using archival sources, handbooks, manuals and a wide range of other sources, it traces the evolution of attitudes to coaching, from open opposition to the concept for most of the game's history through to its unashamed embrace of managerialism in the 1990s. It argues that the changes in these attitudes were driven in large part by the changing nature and values of the English public-school- and university-educated middle classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The potential impact of employee benefits on individuals and their dependants is significant and growing as new products and solutions come on to the market. The aim of this paper is to investigate how benefits impact on employees and the organization as a whole, and how organizations are choosing to inform their people about the type of benefits on offer Design/methodology/approach - Research conducted by AIG UK Benefits seeks to provide an insight into the current employee benefits environment and in particular to the areas highlighted above. The research consisted of a two-stage study undertaken by the AIG UK corporate research and development team between November 2007 and January 2008. Findings - The study highlights the differences between the perceptions of employers/HR professionals and employees when it comes to the awareness and understanding of the benefits on offer and asks whether employees are really to blame if they fail to appreciate the true value of their employers voluntary employee benefits. Originality/value - There is an opportunity for HR to improve benefits communications. The study looks at how one UK retailer has successfully implemented a strong communications program and presents steps that employers and reward professionals can take to improve their own benefits communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadband technology has been introduced to the business community and the public as a rapid way of exploiting the Internet. The benefits of its use (fast reliable connections, and always on) have been widely realised and broadband diffusion is one of the items at the top of the agenda for technology related polices of governments worldwide. In this paper an examination of the impact of the UK government’s polices upon broadband adoption is undertaken. Based on institutional theory a consideration of the manipulation of supply push and demand pull forces in the diffusion of broadband is offered. Using primary and secondary data sources, an analysis of the specific institutional actions related to IT diffusion as pursued by the UK government in the case of broadband is provided. Bringing the time dimension into consideration it is revealed that the UK government has shifted its attention from supply push-only strategies to more interventional ones where the demand pull forces are also mobilised. It is believed that this research will assist in the extraction of the “success factors” in government intervention that support the diffusion of technology with a view to render favourable results if applied to other national settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose--To investigate the influence of participating in an upward feedback program on leadership behaviour, both as indicated be self-ratings and subordinates' ratings. Design/methodology/approach--The research design consisted of two measurement points within six months. The program included managers receiving an upward feedback report and a short workshop to facilitate interpretation. A sample of 45 managers and 308 staff members of a community health care organization took part. Findings--The study showed three results. First, managers lack insight into the real impact of their behavior. Second, only a small positive effect was found of the upward feedback program on the leadership behaviour as rated by their staff in terms of valuing diversity. Third, the managers' self-ratings of Presenting feedback, Fairness and Integrity & respect decreased between Time 1 and Time 2. Originality/value--The study points towards the need for HRM professionals to carefully implement upward feedback programs in order to have a real impact on the development of managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most research into the early telephone system has focused on telephone providers rather than users, and this article begins to address that imbalance. The telephone was initially used to improve internal communications within firms, by connecting offices with warehouses, or by enabling staff working away from the office to report back. With the expansion of exchange networks, the commercial, intermediary and brokering sectors became heavy users of the technology for routine information transfer within business districts. Business elites continued to favour face-to-face contact for strategic business negotiations, however, and delegated telephone use to their employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses large-scale survey data to examine the influences on private-sector managers' propensity to communicate directly to employees in Britain and Denmark. In both countries, this propensity is shaped by two factors: whether the senior HR manager is involved in strategy formation, and the degree of unionization. The findings are not consistent with Brewster's argument that European HR managers are constrained in applying American versions of HAM, or with ‘varieties of capitalism’ theories which imply that companies in the two countries would have different systemic drivers of their communications practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This empirical study of major UK firms and organizations focuses on the role of internal communications within the total communications strategy and on the management of relationships between the organization and its employees: the internal audience. It examines the organizational role of internal communications in building and nourishing employee relations, establishing trust, providing timely and reliable information and thereby contributing to general motivation, particularly in times of change and stress. The conclusion is that communication with the internal audience makes a significant contribution to a fully developed corporate communications strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nationally representative data on family businesses are available in the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey, alongside comparable information for other types of firms. We use these data to compare differences in the use of different consultation and communication procedures. We cover such practices as the use of direct communication schemes (e.g. briefings: the provision of information on financial performance to the workforce) as opposed to indirect methods such as the use of joint consultative committees. There is an a priori expectation in the literature that family-owned businesses are either more likely to use direct forms of communication (vis-à-vis indirect forms) or that they will not be involved in direct communication or consultation with their employees, and we test this using multivariate techniques. Finally, we consider whether the type of consultation/communication structure matters in terms of establishment performance, and what differences exist with respect to family-owned businesses. In particular, this paper tests if those firms that consult directly with staff, as opposed to those that consult through joint consultative committees or trade unions, have higher productivity and/or other measures of performance. Cocurrently we test whether there are separate 'family business' effects or whether it is generally establishment size that 'matters', by estimating a model for family-owned and non-family-owned establishments. In general, our results show that not only do family-owned establishments have lower levels of communication and consultation, but, when the latter is present, this does not generally translate into greater economic benefits (as is the case in non-family-owned firms). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This guest editorial article considers the extent to which the corporate communication function in the UK context is adequately funded. It concentrates on what appears to be the entirely neglected research area of whether or not organizations consider that the competitive advantage that successful communications can bring is worthy of the financial investment on which such success may well depend crucially. The article concludes that a sizeable minority receives little or no investment in the communication function. It notes that a large majority of communication executives feel that they are adequately resourced; but it questions whether their competitive advantage would be enhanced through more substantial funding. It also suggests that substantial resourcing may well go hand in hand with the controversial nature of the organization itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the growth of the public relations (PR) discipline in the UK with reference to some of the possible business drivers behind growth and the changing strategic role of communications in companies. Some of the factors at play are discussed, with particular reference to corporate social responsibility, transparency, stakeholder relationships and reputation management and the role of PR in creating the 'employer brand' for those companies competing for the scare resource of new corporate talent. The paper also discusses the role of PR education in the UK in preparing aspirants to the profession for the working life of a PR practitioner and considers the expectations of companies for strategic PR management and whether the supply of practitioners meets the need and demand. Finally, the author draws upon experience in having undertaken a course of further formal PR education at Masters degree level and comments on the practical and strategic communications benefits to be gained from framing experience of PR in action within the growing body of PR and communications theory encountered during academic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasingly competitive financial service environment has recently forced organizations to consider the role that their employees might play in the attainment of a genuinely sustainable source of competitive advantage. The role of internal communication has thus acquired particular significance as organizations strive to communicate customer needs, organizational values etc. to staff working at every level and, moreover, to encourage staff to maintain a two-way dialogue with management It is the purpose of this article to model this communications process, examining the nature of the process, the outcomes thereof and those variables that have the capacity to moderate outcomes, in the context of two UK Clearing Banks. A qualitative approach based on grounded theory has been adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the role of human resource management (HRM) in mergers and acquisitions in Great Britain during the 1980s. The involvement of the HRM function is a matter of a humanitarian concern for absorbing grief among personnel that were acquired. Some financial reasons for HRM assistance in the integration process and transference of the acquired personnel's commitment to the new owners of the firm are examined. Several conditions for effective communication in successful acquisitions are discussed.

Examines the current state of communication within Great Britain's National Health Service (NHS) and the implications which this poses for the overall functioning of the organization. Communication's link with the motivation of the staff; Problems in information flow; Use of information sources and channels; Timeliness of information changed; Profit-sharing; Professional firms.

In May 1976 the CBI produced its report on the highlights of its survey on Attitudes and Communications. The full report is due out at the end of September, 1976. A careful examination of the findings of this report will provide trainers and educationists with some interesting evidence on what they ought to be doing. It will also show some problem areas which need to be tackled. The key findings of the report are that 86 per cent of employees felt it was important to live in a free society, 98 per cent agree that companies need to plough back profits into the company and 86 per cent said it was fair to pay dividends to shareholders so the profit motive is not in doubt. So may be there is not the problem of attitudes that we are often led to believe exists between management employees and other employees. Another key factor related to the question of attitudes was the difference between what employees regard as most important and what managers thought would be regarded as important. These replies show that managers may have devoted too little effort to establishing a real understanding of employees' views; there is a training need to establish proper understanding in a company of real attitudes compared to apparent attitudes as communicated by national leaders or the media by which we are all influenced.

+The article analyzes corporate communication and its two-way process. In a sense, what is proposed here is quite similar to the usual survey communication survey loop, with the communication plan addition. What has changed, however, is the value we are setting on both the survey and the communication. One might imagine, for example, that the employee who thought that investment was just boring old stocks and shares would either be categorized as one who did not know the meaning of the word `investment'; or receive an explanation of what investment actually is, although the interviewer would presumably stop short of giving him a lecture on the economics of companies. The implication surely is that they are both communication, and if people regard them as such there is no longer any excuse for communicating badly in one's survey in the hope of achieving good communication later. It would be truer to say that two-way communication is the only kind there is anything else is defective communication.

The article focuses on the efficiency of the Nexus project, a training program created by Compass Group PLC, one of the leading food service companies in Great Britain. With 4,400 staff to be trained, the project focuses on introducing a single unit-based computerized book-keeping and HR payroll and communication system to replace five legacy systems. The project is considered a management challenge to implement Nexus with an error-free transition from the companies previous systems.

Describes the 'team briefings' concept that is improving communications in British firms. Key characteristics; Matters generally communicated; Involvement of trade unions.

The article reports that the public sector bosses have a poor relations with their workforce in Great Britain, according to a survey by Vista Communications Inc. The company circulated senior management in central government, the national health service, local authorities and the nationalized industries. It turned out that the local and health authorities are the poorest communicators. Health authorities seemed least inclined to do any briefing of junior management and employees. None of the respondents claimed that communication between employees and management were non-existent.