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Due to lack of sources, SMEs face certain problems when applying innovative activities. Since marketing communication tools enable to perform innovative actions, SMEs’ usage of such channels might provide solutions for them to overcome the barriers of making innovation. Thus, this paper investigates whether the usage of marketing communication tools by SMEs enables them to be innovative in marketing or not, and the research question is “Does the usage of marketing communication tools by SMEs improve their innovativeness in marketing?” This paper focuses on traditional and technology-enabled marketing communication tools, such as direct marketing, personal selling, online marketing, and advertising in social media. The researchers employ a random sampling method and then create an online internet-mediated questionnaire to collect data from 812 SMEs in Slovakia. The researchers have also performed Ordinal Logistic Regression analyses to fulfill the research aim. The results show that the usage of marketing communication tools by SMEs improves their innovative posture in marketing. The education level of firm executives and cultural factors in a specific nation might be the reasons for the findings of this research. Thus, the trainings and financial support provided by policymakers and collaboration of other institutions are beneficial for the growth of SMEs. This research analyzes traditional and technology-enabled marketing tools, and areas of marketing innovation in a broad perspective, including innovations in products/services, prices, distribution, promotion, people, processes, and visualization. Therefore, it differs from other studies and fills the research gap by making a significant value addition in related literature.

Innovative marketing has given rise to practitioners’ and scholars’ attention in the 21st-century market. Given this, social media marketing has become the order of the day when accessing modern tools for marketing communication. However, the adoption of this innovation comes with its associated challenges, particularly, from a developing country perspective. Against this background, this study sought to examine the inhibitors characterized in the application of social media channels as an innovative tool for advertising and communication among SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in Ghana. For study results to be achieved, a quantitative research approach with a questionnaire of 650 was distributed among managerial staff of the fashion industry in the central part of Ghana of which 512 respondents were duly received and correctly filled for data processing and analysis. Results from the partial least square structural equation method (PLS-SEM), showed that despite the importance of innovation, lack of managerial skills/marketing expertise, perceived cost, regular systems/links upgrade, and financial constraints are significant inhibiting factors affecting the application of social media as advertising and communication tools among SMEs in developing economy. Interestingly, the findings further showed that ’company’s size’ as well as ’availability of social media channel/tool’ significantly control for the outcome variable (internet/social media) as a marketing communication tool. AcknowledgmentThis work is supported by Tomas Bata University in Zlin through; IGA/FaME/2019/002: The role of the institutional environment in fostering entrepreneurship, and further supported by IGA/FaME/2020/002 and IGA/FaME/2019/008. The authors are thankful to Prof. Jaroslav Belás, Prof. Boris Popesko, and Prof. Miloslava Chovancová for their guidance towards developing this manuscript.

Aims and Scope Patients are more empowered to shape their own health care today than ever before. Health information technologies are creating new opportunities for patients and families to participate actively in their care, manage their medical problems and improve communication with their healthcare providers. Moreover, health information technologies are enabling healthcare providers to partner with their patients in a bold effort to optimize quality of care, improve health outcomes and transform the healthcare system on the macro-level. In this book, leading figures discuss the existing needs, challenges and opportunities for improving patient engagement and empowerment through health information technology, mapping out what has been accomplished and what work remains to truly transform the care we deliver and engage patients in their care. Policymakers, healthcare providers and administrators, consultants and industry managers, researchers and students and, not least, patients and their family members should all find value in this book. \"In the exciting period that lies just ahead, more will be needed than simply connecting patients to clinicians, and clinicians to each other. The health care systems that will be most effective in meeting patients' needs will be those that can actually design their 'human wares' around that purpose. This book provides deep insight into how information technology can and will support that redesign.\" Thomas H. Lee, MD, MSc, Chief Medical Officer, Press Ganey Associates; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health The Editors: Drs. Maria Adela Grando, Ronen Rozenblum and David W. Bates are widely recognized professors, researchers and experts in the domain of health information technology, patient engagement and empowerment. Their research, lectures and contributions in these domains have been recognized nationally and internationally. Dr. Grando is affiliated with Arizona State University and the Mayo Clinic, and Drs. Rozenblum and Bates are affiliated with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University.

This paper is dedicated to the higher education institutions shifting towards distance learning processes due to the global pandemic situation caused by COVID-19 in 2020. The paper covers the pandemic situation in Poland generally, analyzing governmental ordinances and tracking the gradual extension of restrictions for educational institutions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of Experience, Enjoyment, Computer Anxiety, and Self-Efficacy on students’ acceptance of shifting education to distance learning. The study tested and used the adapted General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for E-Learning (GETAMEL) in the context of coronavirus pandemic. The partial least squares method of structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed research model. The study utilizes an online survey to obtain data from 1692 Polish undergraduate and graduate students in both full- and part-time study. The dataset was analyzed using SmartPLS 3 software. Results showed that the best predictor of student’s acceptance of shifting education to distance learning is Enjoyment, followed by Self-Efficacy. Both Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness predict student’s Attitude Towards Using and Intention to Use the distance learning. The findings improve understanding regarding the acceptance of distance learning and this work is therefore of particular interest to teachers and practitioners of education.

Background Ventilator-dependent patients in the ICU often experience difficulties with one of the most basic human functions, namely communication, due to intubation. Although various assistive communication tools exist, these are infrequently used in ICU patients. We summarized the current evidence on communication methods with mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU. Secondly, we developed an algorithm for communication with these patients based on current evidence. Methods We performed a systematic review. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Cinahl, PsychInfo, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched to November 2015. Studies that reported a communication intervention with conscious nonverbal mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU aged 18 years or older were included. The methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool. Results The search yielded 9883 publications, of which 31 articles, representing 29 different studies, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The overall methodological quality varied from poor to moderate. We identified four communication intervention types: (1) communication boards were studied in three studies—they improved communication and increased patient satisfaction, but they can be time-consuming and limit the ability to produce novel utterances; (2) two types of specialized talking tracheostomy tubes were assessed in eight studies—audible voicing was achieved in the majority of patients (range 74–100 %), but more studies are needed to facilitate safe and effective use; (3) an electrolarynx improved communication in seven studies—its effectiveness was mainly demonstrated with tracheostomized patients; and (4) “high-tech” augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices in nine studies with diverse computerized AAC devices proved to be beneficial communication methods—two studies investigated multiple AAC interventions, and different control devices (e.g., touch-sensitive or eye/blink detection) can be used to ensure that physical limitations do not prevent use of the devices. We developed an algorithm for the assessment and selection of a communication intervention with nonverbal and conscious mechanically intubated patients in the ICU. Conclusions Although evidence is limited, results suggest that most communication methods may be effective in improving patient–healthcare professional communication with mechanically ventilated patients. A combination of methods is advised. We developed an algorithm to standardize the approach for selection of communication techniques.

During the COVID pandemic, many companies, schools, and public organizations all around the world asked their employees to work from home i.e. to adopt what are called “smart working” modalities. This has and will presumably have a serious impact on both employees and employers, which still needs to be clarified and investigated: indeed, if smart working becomes a common working modality, this may have a significant impact on both organizations and employees. This paper reports the results of an online survey of “smart workers” in Italy during the COVID pandemic, when a great number of employees suddenly moved to working from home with no or little preparation. The study offers interesting indications about the involvement and usefulness perception of smart working by the sampled people and makes it possible to single out different categories of employees based on their attitude towards this modality. Also, it points out the potential impact on socialization among colleagues, and the consequent implications for knowledge sharing and knowledge management. From the collected responses, a fully positive or negative conclusion about working from home was not possible, nor a clear indication about the efficiency and effectiveness of this working modality. The analysis, instead, highlighted the presence of different but numerically similar groups of people, i.e. those who were not satisfied at all with the experience, those who were very satisfied, and those who were “undecided”. Furthermore, respondents underlined the importance and the difficulty to maintain working contacts and the intense use of communication systems made for this purpose. Lastly, collected opinions on positive and negative aspects of working from home provided some practical suggestions about how to successfully implement this solution.

This article presents the results of a research project on the teaching and learning of English through the use of Skype(TM) conference calls. The research was carried out with a group of 12 English as a foreign language adult learners in the language institute of Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia. The findings of this study suggest that Skype(TM) conference calls might be considered as an influential computer-mediated communication tool in order to promote English as a foreign language adult A1 learners' speaking skill, especially for social interaction purposes and oral reinforcement of both language fluency and course contents outside of classroom settings.

As the population ages, morbidity and mortality associated with chronic disease will increase. Some patient-centered improvements have been made in health care services, but optimal health has not been fully realized. Only when pharmacists have a holistic understanding of an individual patient, including their experience of illness and medication, can they effectively assess appropriateness, safety, efficacy, and adherence to medications and develop realistic treatment plans. When patients are involved in their care, they are better able to manage complex chronic conditions by understanding and adhering to their plan of care. Pharmacists can enable patients to participate fully using patient-centered communication. There are relatively few published articles on patient-centered communication specific to pharmacists, but the Calgary-Cambridge guide and Four Habits model have applicability to pharmacy practice. The Patient-Centered Communication Tools (PaCT), created for use in pharmacy education and loosely based on the Four Habits model, can assist pharmacists in developing their patient-centered communication skills. Lastly, best practices for patient-centered communication in pharmacy practice are described.

Creating brand awareness is the first and most important stage of marketing communication. Many types of marketing communication tools have been used to do this in business processes. Digital marketing tools are actually a deconstruction of traditional marketing tools and have become more important by providing interactivity to both consumers and producers in the marketing process. These tools incorporate consumers into the marketing process as an active, rather than passive, player. For housing companies, systematic and strategic use of digital marketing tools is an important resource in gaining competitive advantage, yet there is limited research on this topic in the literature. In this context, this study made use of the Delphi Method to investigate the impact of digital marketing tools on brand awareness generation among housing companies. Normative inferences were made through interviews with panel participants working in large-scale housing companies, and a theoretical framework was drawn up for usage trends among digital marketing tools. The Delphi results indicated that, in housing companies, marketing tools that create 'paid digital content' (corporate web site, search engine pages, e-mail communication, etc.) currently have a greater impact than those which create 'proactive content' (social media, etc.). However, another significant finding on which there was consensus among the panel participants is that in the creation of brand awareness, digital marketing tools such as Facebook or Twitter which create the latter content will become more important in the future.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about a shift in the way businesses operate, accelerating the adoption of digital communication tools. The study examines the effectiveness of communication tools in Slovak enterprises, comparing the dynamics before and during the pandemic. The study highlights the need for businesses to address communication-related issues.An electronic questionnaire was used to collect the data. The representative survey sample consisted of 555 respondents. The results of the research were processed using the statistical tools McNemar Test, Pearsons Chi square test and Cramer’s V.Before the pandemic, Slovak enterprises relied on traditional means of communication, with face-to-face meetings, phone calls and emails being the primary means of interaction. However, when the pandemic forced people to work from home, dependence on digital communication tools such as video conferencing and collaboration platforms increased significantly.The research findings indicate that during the pandemic, businesses recognized the importance of digital communication tools for sustaining business operations and employee collaboration. In conclusion, the Covid-19 pandemic was a catalyst for the transformation of communication practices in Slovak enterprises. The findings emphasise the continued importance of digital communication tools in the post-pandemic era and the need for businesses to strike a balance between traditional and digital communication methods in order to optimise overall effectiveness.