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Globally, people have been subjected to enormous changes as a result of several unexpected crises. Recent research has shown that external threats have an impact on the customer experience as they influence consumers' emotions, which in turn affect their attitudes and shopping practices. For better understanding of the perceived future, this study explores customer experiences by focusing on Finnish consumers' adaptability to disruptions caused by threats and uncertainty within the retail context. Using an electronic questionnaire, qualitative data were collected from Finnish consumers (N = 995) on their retail shopping experiences during the latest global crisis, COVID-19. The study applies a conceptual framework of consumers' adaptive responses to ontological insecurity as affective, behavioral, or cognitive in the retail shopping context due to threat and uncertainty. As a contribution to existing research, our findings enable us to identify four distinct types of consumer 'adaptive' responses: the adjustable consumer type, the interaction-seeking consumer type, the suspicious consumer type, and the prohibiting consumer type. In terms of managerial implications, the findings will help retailers understand customer experiences of threats and create better customer experiences by considering the diversity of those experiences in the four consumer types identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general direction in higher education has been to move away from lecture-based instruction toward more active and student-centered learning. Even though much research has been done regarding digitalization in instructional contexts, there is not much research on applying a flipped classroom (FC) approach to teaching cross-cultural communication in the international business field. Therefore, this study applies an FC pedagogical approach and the principles of sales communication education (SCE) to teaching cross-cultural communication to millennial international business and sales management students. Data regarding student satisfaction, students' perceptions of elements of an FC course, as well as learning outcomes and meaningful learning experiences were collected using a mixed methods approach. The results show that overall student satisfaction with the FC course was very high. The millennials found the FC course to be a highly enjoyable way of learning cross-cultural communication. They particularly valued the pre-learning materials (video lectures), interactive in-class meetings and the teacher's supportive actions. The learning outcomes included cognitive, behavioral and affective learning. Meaningful learning experiences included interviewing a CEO or international seller and engaging in practical negotiation exercises. Pedagogical improvements, theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Courses: Business Communication, Intercultural Communication Objectives: Students will demonstrate understanding of some of the effects of culture on business communication. Students will explore cultural diversity in customer–seller relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Despite numerous studies exploring medical students' attitudes to communication skills learning (CSL), there are apparently no studies comparing different experiential learning methods and their influence on students' attitudes. Aims: We compared medical students' attitudes to learning communication skills before and after a communication course in the data as a whole, by gender and when divided into three groups using different methods. Method: Second-year medical students (n = 129) were randomly assigned to three groups. In group A (n = 42) the theatre in education method, in group B (n = 44) simulated patients and in group C (n = 43) role-play were used. The data were gathered before and after the course using Communication Skills Attitude Scale. Results: Students' positive attitudes to learning communication skills (PAS; positive attitude scale) increased significantly and their negative attitudes (NAS; negative attitude scale) decreased significantly between the beginning and end of the course. Female students had more positive attitudes than the male students. There were no significant differences in the three groups in the mean scores for PAS or NAS measured before or after the course. Conclusions: The use of experiential methods and integrating communication skills training with visits to health centres may help medical students to appreciate the importance of CSL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Course: Health Communication (doctor-patient communication) Objectives: Students analyze doctor-patient communication and practice interpersonal communication to understand effective communication in a patient-physician relationship [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several letters to the editor are presented offering views of medical students on medical education including one student commenting on the role of theatre in education method in learning interpersonal communication competence, another student emphasizing on teaching future health care professionals about the concept of essential medicines, and one student commenting on the Generational influences on workforce patterns in medical care professions.