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The abrupt emergence and spread of the COVID-19 virus compelled institutions worldwide to swiftly suspend face-to-face instruction in favor of a remote teaching mode. This extraordinary shift of instructional delivery created one of the biggest infrastructural, pedagogical and operational challenges for universities in recent history. As institutions that traditionally have been slow to respond to sudden external influences, universities struggled to respond effectively to COVID-19. Using the Human Systems Dynamics approach as conceptual framework, this paper retrospectively explores how academic staff adapted their Emergency Remote Teaching strategies and became more learning-agile to respond to such challenges in the future. This exploratory case-study article summarizes the results of a survey of teaching staff's readiness, experience and struggles with Emergency Remote Teaching during COVID-19 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, at the height of the pandemic. A total of 73 usable responses were received between July 17 and August 7, 2020. The results were classified into four categories: (1) Preparation and training; (2) Faculty impressions of own teaching; (3) Faculty experience; and (4) Faculty impressions of student experience.

The immediacy of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the sheer importance of internal and external communication with stakeholders. Universities had to rapidly grasp an unfolding and fast-changing crisis, gauge their level of preparedness, review decision and implementation processes, devise strategies, and adapt communication approaches. This exploratory study conducts a literature review in order to identify relevant studies that address how higher education institutions communicated to their stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review of the literature revealed that although many higher education institutions had disaster recovery plans in place, few were well-equipped for a disruption of global proportions. Using a grounded theory approach, five important themes emerged from the relevant studies.

The COVID-19 pandemic led hospitals to work differently regarding legal procedures and eHealth services and brought a changing and fluctuating healthcare environment that affected communication among clinicians, patients, and families. These organizations were forced to make their corporate communication initiatives more efficient and interact with stakeholders differently, especially with patients and media companies. This paper aims to understand better hospitals' main corporate communication initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic. We show that the most important communication initiatives implemented by hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak were related to the following main areas: a) professional management of corporate communication, b) transparency, c) human values, d) hospital's brand, and e) online corporate communication. During the pandemic, there was a lack of professional corporate communication in hospitals and the need to execute more than merely conservative communication strategies. There is a solid need to make hospitals' corporate communication initiatives more professional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global pandemic accelerated the adoption of online, blended, and Hybrid Flexible (HyFlex) teaching and learning modalities. The long-term impacts of these changes are still being assessed, but most research to date has focused on undergraduate students in an online setting. In contrast, this study reviews recent research pertaining to HyFlex engagement strategies used by academic staff and personnel with teaching responsibilities at the graduate level and considers how HyFlex courses, the combination of face-to-face instruction and online activities, may foster equivalent learning outcomes, as well as comparable emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement. Using a critical reflective approach, the study finds that graduate-level courses taught in a HyFlex mode can offer equivalent learning outcomes, but such outcomes require academic staff development and purposefully designed activities that directly promote emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement. Several practical strategies and suggestions to improve engagement are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opportunity to find employment is often a key push factor for students to study abroad. However, previous research has established that international graduates often face difficulties in securing employment in their host country and have a lower employment rate compared to local graduates. Although some research has been conducted on this topic in the Australian context, to date, the problem has been under-researched elsewhere. The aim of this scoping review of the literature is to address this gap and examine the challenges faced by international students when seeking employment in their host countries after graduation, as well as the potential opportunities offered to them. 18 articles were identified and were included in the review. Content analysis of the data was undertaken using NVivo 12.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evaluate how hospitals manage mobile applications to reinforce their relations with patients and promote their brands. To do that, we conducted a literature review about hospitals’ corporate communication, their branding initiatives, and their use of mobile apps for this purpose; then, we defined 36 indicators to quantitively analyze how the 150 best hospitals in Spain managed mobile apps to promote their brands: online integration, global app for patients, mobile apps for other targets, and mobile apps for patients facing non communicable diseases. We concluded that hospitals should follow a public health and branding logic to develop mobile apps that contribute to establish a new communication paradigm among these organizations and their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Promoting health education through different platforms (patient portals, social media, websites) has become a common practice in many countries. Recently, many hospitals have prioritized mobile apps as a health education tool. Objectives: This paper aims to analyze how hospitals should use mobile apps to promote health education efficiently and this way improve their relations with patients. Methodology: To answer this question, we carried out a literature review about health education, mobile apps, patients' empowerment, and noncommunicable diseases; and then, we resorted to 38 indicators to analyze how the top 150 hospitals in the world manage these platforms to promote health education. Conclusion: We concluded that the three main criteria that hospitals should consider when using mobile apps for health education purposes are: 1) respecting patients' needs in terms of information and emotional support; 2) evaluating health professionals' and patients' skills in mobile literacy; and 3) considering public health priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer hospitals enforce different initiatives to accelerate digital transformation, such as mobile health or artificial intelligence. Nevertheless, some health professionals are not willing to adopt these technologies. In order to change some employees' perspectives, these hospitals resort to social media platforms. This paper aims to evaluate how the worlds' best cancer hospitals manage social media platforms, as well as their corporate website, with the aim of disseminating brand-related content and reinforce their reputation. Therefore, we reviewed literature on cancer hospitals' corporate communication strategies, brand, social media platforms and online patient communities. We then resorted to 48 quantitative indicators to analyze how the 200 best cancer hospitals in the world managed Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as their corporate website, for branding purposes. In order to identify the 200 best hospitals, we explored the World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2021, an annual ranking published by Newsweek and Statista. The 48 indicators covered different elements concerning the hospitals' identity and communication activities, as well as patient engagement on social media platforms. Our quantitative analysis proved that most cancer hospitals had a corporate website (70.5%) as well as a profile on Facebook (74%), Twitter (74.5%) and YouTube (67.5%). Nevertheless, most of them did not respect the 48 key performance indicators. Finally, we proposed three main conclusions: a) cancer hospitals should establish a Corporate Communication Department employing different experts in communication, health and big data; b) they should promote an integrated corporate communication approach; and c) they should implement brand ambassador programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer patients face complicated situations from an emotional, social and physical perspective. Hospitals help them through implementing corporate communication initiatives based on social media platforms. This win-win relationship allows hospitals to reinforce their brand reputation. This paper aims to better understand how cancer hospitals manage social media platforms for enhancing their brand as well as their relationships with stakeholders. To do that, we carried out a literature review about corporate communication in health organizations, as well as a content analysis about how the top 100 American cancer hospitals managed their corporate website as well as their corporate profile on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for branding initiatives. Finally, we proposed the Reb Model for Branding Cancer Hospitals. We concluded that thanks to social media, cancer hospitals can reinforce their brand because these platforms allow them to promote human values, improve their internal processes and become a true source of scientific information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many higher education institutions to suddenly pause in-person teaching and learning in favor of Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL). Strict social distancing measures required institutions to offer courses, programs, and services without any direct contact between students, faculty, and staff; higher education created a contactless teaching and learning environment. This exploratory study analyses various applications of ERTL through a systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The results from the review of the literature are presented through a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for students, faculty, and the institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study analyses studies pertaining to the risk communication strategies adopted by Spanish public hospitals to inform their stakeholders during the first COVID-19 wave, in order to better understand effective communication of 'health messages' during a pandemic. After reviewing 155 academic works, 12 articles that were published between January 2020 and September 2020 met full inclusion criteria. Implementing a thematic synthesis approach yielded five themes: (1) transparency of crisis; (2) hospital health leadership crisis; (3) crisis management communication; (4) crisis management strategy; and (5) crisis management stakeholders. Based on these identified themes, 10 evidence-based recommendations for hospital communication preparedness and implementation during health crises are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: All health organizations face many managerial and economic challenges such as the consolidation of private and international hospitals, the increasingly interest of society for health education issues or the development of telemedicine. In this framework, many organizations prioritize social media as the main corporate communication tool for building a reputed brand in a collective way along with stakeholders. Objectives: This paper aims to identify a communication model allowing hospitals to efficiently apply branding initiatives on social media in order to build a brand in a collective way with stakeholders. Methodology: We carried out a literature review about corporate communication, health communication, branding and social media; and, then, we proposed the PET Model for Branding Hospitals on Social Media. Results and Conclusion: We conclude that hospitals should create a multidisciplinar corporate communication department, implement management initiatives for allowing health professionals have more time for using social media and integrate health education and patient's empowerment in every communication initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals are facing a constantly changing context in which patients are becoming more demanding, public health education initiatives are regarded as increasingly important and hospital business models have to take account of constantly developing medical technologies. In order to better interact with internal and external stakeholders, hospitals try to reinforce their corporate communication strategies as well as their brand reputation by means that include using social media platforms. This literature review paper aims to better understand why health professionals have the potential to play a key role in hospitals' branding initiatives through social media. First, I report the findings from studies of concepts related to corporate communication, branding and the connection between social media and personal branding; and, second, I propose a communication model - what I call the PMA branding model - to help hospitals build a brand reputation based on health professionals' participation in corporate communication initiatives led by hospitals on social media. The paper concludes by showing that the PMA branding model consists of organisational tools based on a rigorous methodology that will help health professionals participate in branding initiatives led by the hospital through these platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of communication technologies, patient demands and organizational changes require hospitals to build a renowned brand that help the organization to develop its strategic positioning. In this context, social media represent a strategic opportunity. This paper aims to analyse the real impact of social media in the branding communication of Canadian hospitals. To do this, we carried out a literature review about corporate communication; and, then we evaluated the use of social media as a corporate communication tool by the 100 best hospitals in Canada. This paper concludes that hospital communication on social media must respect three pillars: a) promote the audiovisual language, b) analyse the relations between publications and the increase of followers and c) work in a multidisciplinary way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of endemic diseases such as Ebola in developed societies has raised the review of modes and strategies of corporate communication as well as communications of mass media. The experience obtained in Spain can help to clarify the keys of the risk communication process. After a literature review and a study about the strategies of communication in Spain during the Ebola crisis, we propose a communication model to reduce risks in health workers and to improve the quality of corporate information. This research is part of the National Plan CSO2016-81882-REDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years an increasing number of users have gone to the Internet in search of health-related contents in online publications and platforms, especially in Europe and the US. Moreover, the one-way,sequential relationship these users once had with the Web has gradually become more multidirectional and instantaneous. But we can also distinguish more clearly between two kinds of user. On the one hand, the development of new media and the growth of platforms for the exchange of specialized information indicate that online multimedia resources and interactivity are being used to serve the purposes of specialist users in areas like biomedicine and health; and on the other, the general public's trend towards greater social awareness and mutually supportive behaviour means that scientific and health-related information of a more general nature is also prominent in the social networks. This paper examines how different sectors of the public negotiate scientific contents, especially healthrelated contents, by taking European and North American statistical data to illustrate typical user profiles and habits. It also maps out the current offering of online science and health-related media as this is found in general communication media, specialist media and Web 2.0-style products like blogs and co-creative projects. This can explain the different directions that general and specialist user groups are taking, even while they are now interconnected by the new technologies; and it can also illustrate the transformation of our Internet architecture and the functionality of its media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]