Language in Business & Science: Communication

Showing posts with label Communication. Show all posts

Do we have a primitive sense of justice?

Olympics: Child singer revealed as fake

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/12/olympics2008.china1

Tania Branigan in Beijing

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday August 12 2008 12:34 BST, © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008

Background

This is the tale of how Lin Miaoke replaced Yang Peiyi in singing "Ode to the Motherland" at the opening of the Olympics because Yang's face was not pretty enough. It now emerges that Lin mimed the song to the voice of Yang. A Politburo official did not like Yang's face.

The Guardian article also refers to Dr Hamermesh's studies on the "beauty premium." In Britain beautiful women enjoy a 1% premium, but in Shanghai this would be 10%.

Comments

We are all familiar with the genetic and evolutionary origins of beauty and the function beauty plays in biological communication. But does this form of discrimination betrays a lack of sensitivity and fairness in today's society? What has happened to our supposed belief in equal opportunities, political correctness, racial equality and tolerance? How can we still discriminate on such arbitrary factors as one's looks? After all, being born with a uneven set of teeth is no less a biological event than being born black or a woman.

Bottom Line

Biological communication can sometimes be in conflict with our rational idea of justice and fairness. Can it be that we still have a primitive sense of justice?

Tags: justice, beauty, beauty premium, Olympics, communication, justice

Communication is also part of the business

Today's Tip [Section]

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2008/08/think_easy_numb.html

Business Week

http://www.businessweek.com

August 07-08-11

Kevin Strehlo, Senior Vice President, Global Client Services

PowerMark, San Juan Capistrano, CA

Background:

Some very useful tips on communication appear in this section of Business Week:

Think Easy Number, Not Easy Phrase

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2008/08/think_easy_numb.html

Blog to the Bloggers

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2008/08/blog_to_the_blo.html

The Benefits of an Expert Newsletter

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2008/08/the_benefits_of_1.html

Comments

Communications are a changing and dynamic feature of business. Keeping up with new thinking and developments in business communication can be very useful. Sometimes the small things that seem insignificant might have a positive impact greater then what one might expect.

Bottom Line

Communications is also part of the business.

Tags: communication, blog, newsletter, telephone number, business

Verbal Apology and Physical Pain

Hospitals shine light on mistakes by publicly saying: "We're sorry"

American Medical News

By Kevin B. O'Reilly, AMNews staff. Aug. 11, 2008.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/08/11/prl10811.htm

[Note about link: AMNews only keep articles available free on line for 90 days, after that some articles have to be paid for.]

Intro From Article

Health care executives say the disclosures can solidify public trust and help improve patient safety. Some doctors worry about the public exposure.

Background

Some hospitals in the US are introducing a policy of publicly admitting any mistakes and errors their professional staff make. Advocates of patient care believe that this is a step forward in health care, but some professional thinks that this policy only helps lawyers and negative reporting. Not everyone agrees that such publicity helps.

Comments

The important aspect here is that some hospitals are officially admitting to mistakes and errors. Saying is sorry, must surely be an important act of communication. But this can only be the first step and an opportunity to really improve health care. In the article there are suggestions on how safety lessons can be passed on within the profession.

NOTE:
AHRQ WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web) is the online journal and forum on patient safety and health care quality. This Journal was mentioned in the article. ( http://www.webmm.ahrq.gov/ )

Bottom-Line

There is a clear distinction between a verbal apology and the physical distress and maybe pain of the patient. And although humans do make mistakes, this is not a justification for not introducing policies that try to prevent mistakes.

Tags: mistakes, medical errors, sorry, apology, communication

Speaking up during meetings

How can I make my voice heard at work?

Business English

von Lucy Kellaway

http://www.ftd.de/karriere_management/karriere/:Business%20English%20My/364886.html

Background

Kellaway gives some very good advice to her reader who has a problem communicating his ideas during meeting. One of this person's problem is that he is soft spoken. Two of Kellaway's ideas is to think of the competence of the other people and to practice before a meeting.

Comments

As an English teacher I usually have to help people with similar problems but with the big drawback that they have to speak in a foreign language (English). Like Kallaway I also advice practicing but not alone. Find someone who is prepared to listen to you and practice with them. That is, after you are clear about what you want to say. If you cannot find anyone borrow a dog and practice with the dog. Dogs get bored easily, your objective is to keep them awake with your speech/talk. Your dog might also appreciate your ideas, unlike your colleagues, but I am not an expert on what dogs think about banking.

When you practice make sure you are a few feet away from your listeners, at least eight feet away. this means you have to project your voice. And to make it difficult include some background music as a distraction and sound level. Make your self heard above the music.

But as Kellaway implies, practice makes perfect. And as my public speaking teacher always insisted: remember to breath.

Bottom Line

If you know what you are talking about, you will know how to say it.

Tags: communications, meetings, speaking,

20,000 Privileges: will this be an Olympic record for the wrong reasons?

China eases Internet restrictions for foreign journalists

By Andrew Jacobs, Published: August 1, 2008

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/01/asia/beijing.php

Background

Jacobs, of the International Herald Tribune, reports on the issue of access to the internet during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. It seems that the IOC were caught sleeping when the Chinese did not open access to the Internet. Pressure from various parties including journalists means that now the 20,000 journalists have the desired access to the internet.

But as T. Kumar, Asia advocacy director for Amnesty International, says in the article: "We urge the International Olympic Committee to exert pressure on China so that those attending the Games - and ordinary Chinese citizens - can enjoy freedom of expression and movement," he said.

Comments

Everyone could have told the IOC that China would not open access to the internet without a fuss or a push. And as Kumar says, what about Chinese citizens? Maybe the word "naive" has taken a new meaning.

But the issue goes beyond that, in my opinion, what have 20,000 people got that 1.3 billion haven't? Or to put it in a different way, why privilege 20,000 journalists and disadvantage 1.3 billion people?

The issue why privilege only journalists, begs the question: what have journalists got that other people interested in writing about society and events around them haven't got? The more people have access to information, the more we have to ask: why privilege journalists?

Maybe the time has come for journalists to specialise in bringing stories that people in power or authority want to hide from us. Or maybe specialise in communicating otherwise complex information in an easy and efficient manner. However, giving access to raw information only to journalists will sooner or later begin to look suspicious.

Bottom Line

Journalists shouldn't put themselves in a position where we might think they are being manipulated. Or worse, in concert with those who intend to manipulate people. By the end of the Olympics we would know whether 20,000 journalists were wittingly or unwittingly victims of manipulation or whether 20,000 journalists just enjoyed a good freebie. I have no problems with journalists enjoying a freebie. I hope they only got a freebie and not something more questionable.

Tags: communication, journalists, Olympics, china, information

Do we also need a common natural language for science?

Evidence-based medicine in Russia: the challenge and the hope

From: Scientific American Community » Blogs » Sciam Observations

by Merrill Goozner [SciAmEditors ]

Edited by Merrill Goozner at 06/16/2008 12:19 PM

http://science-community.sciam.com/blog-entry/Sciam-Observations/Evidence-Based-Medicine-Russia-Challenge/580001156

The author interviewed Prof. Vasiliy Vlassov, "professor of research methodology at the Moscow Medical Academy and head of the Society of Specialists in Evidence-Based Medicine," about the state of medicine in Russia today.

Prof. Vlassov introduced two language related issues in his interview:

Access to western medical literature is only available in English.
An attempt to make the Journal of the American Medical Association available in Russian failed because of poor quality translations.

My Comments:

This article makes it clear that by having access to western medical literature Russian health care services would improve.

The language factor in this story confirms once again that language can save lives. Moreover, this article clearly shows a need for scientists to have a common natural language to communicate with and not just a common mathematical language.

In the distant past this common natural language was once, Greek, Latin, and in the Soviet Union, it was Russian. Today that natural language is English.

Ought professional ethical duties take precedence over political or national considerations? Should Russian doctors, and their equivalent world wide, learn English or wait of a translation?

Tags: English, Langauge, Russian, Medicine, "evidence based medicine", communication, translation

Language, disuniting domains

Divided by a common language

The internet is a global revolution in communication - as long as you use letters from the western alphabet. Kieren McCarthy on the growing pressure for a net that recognises Asian, Arabic and Hindi characters, too

* Kieren McCarthy

* The Guardian,

* Thursday July 27 2006

Web page: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/jul/27/guardianweeklytechnologysection5

"Why the urgency? (to harmonise the internet domain system) Because a number of companies - and even countries - that are frustrated by years of delays have started offering the internet in their own languages by working outside the existing domain name system (DNS).

......The problem is that, at the moment, the DNS works only with western languages."

My Comments

The big issue here is that countries, or rather governments, want to exert their influence on the internet. And a consequence of this, as the article points out, is that some countries such as China, but not exclusively, threaten a chaotic internet if they do not follow the domain name structure.

At face value it is quite legitimate to complain that there should be provisions to accommodate all languages and not only western based languages. But we must also ask ourselves some objective and philosophical questions.

- Are all languages efficient when using digital technology? For example, I am using a Spanish style keyboard and have at least 3 keys (accents and special letter) which I hardly ever use. The article refers to the difficulties Chinese have typing in Latin based characters.

- Maybe the world-wide idea is just a myth as the article seems to suggest. Maybe the idea of a united human civilization is also a myth. The evidence does seem to point that way. Even in the twentieth century we have people without anything to eat, no help after natural disasters and so on.

- What we have to ask ourselves about these language issues is how much of this is concern for people and how is it state manipulation of people. Let us face it, people who write in western languages also happen to be democracies with all their flaws and drawbacks, not to mention such things as freedom of speech and political freedoms. Sure no state, country or government is perfect, but perfection is not what most us want. Fairness and respect can take most people a long way.

- Could it be that governments who complain too much about western languages are more concerned in making it difficult for their people to access western information and opinions and nothing to do with their language heritage? After all, why not let people decide what they want.

In a way this article confirms my belief that: language unites us, but languages keep us divided.

Communication is good for health

Communication is good for health

"The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners says it has real concerns about a lack of communication between hospitals and general practitioners."

Posted at 7:37am on 15 Feb 2008

Radio New Zealand News website reported that the Royal College chief executive Karen Thomas expressed concern about the lack of communication between hospitals and general practitioners. She gave as an example cases where GPs refer patients to hospitals, but they are "sent back home without being admitted."

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200802150736/not_enough_communication_between_hospitals_and_gps

Comment

The report does not say why there is this lack of communication between hospitals and GPs. What ever the reason, however, surely it is the duty of the overseers of the health service to make sure that there is such a communication channel with the profession.

On a wider scale, what is the point of governments spending huge sums of money on such health campaigns as anti smoking, environment and AIDS, not to mention the loads of regulations, if people cannot get medical treatment when they need it?

Hospitals, hospital, communications, communication, doctors, health, gp,

When People Feel Powerful, They Ignore New Opinions

Business News

Keywords: PERSUASION POWER MESSAGE

http://www.newswise.com/

Source: Ohio State University

The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Description

Don't bother trying to persuade your boss of a new idea while he's feeling the power of his position – new research suggests he's not listening to you. "Powerful people have confidence in what they are thinking. Whether their thoughts are positive or negative toward an idea, that position is going to be hard to change," said a co-author of the study.

Comments (Later)

PERSUASION, POWER MESSAGE, communications, boss, influence, power

unintended ads

Think Before You Speak

BuisnessWeek -
JANUARY 11, 2008 Sales & Marketing By Steve McKee Advertising: Think Before You Speak

"Just as your funny bumper sticker might offend the guy behind you, your ad may not be saying what you want the target audience to hear."

The main thesis of this article is that advertisers should think about how their target audiance will react to the content of their adverts. Your customers might not appreciate the funny side of your ad. Hence, the need to have effective advertising without the risk of antagonising or annoying your customers. McKee gives a few example companies who are good at avoiding this pitfall.

This topic ties well with Levitt and Debnam's law of unintended conseques which they write about in the New York Times (January 20, 2008, New York Times); these are the authors who also wrote Freakonomics. In other words, advertising campaignes can easily have unintended consequences.

From the language point of view, advertising also relies on language and therefore language can have unintended consequences as much as the other componrnts of communication; music, images, media used.

But if communication is to manipulate other systems /see Richard Dwakins on this/ surely there is an unpredictable element if the law of unintended consequences which applies to language. Does this also imply that the meaning of a language proposition has an unpredictable semantic element as well? Thus meaning = accepted meaning plus unintended consequences.

For more go to http://www.businessweek.com

Lawrence
Might edit this later

Eating your words

Chinese dishes get official English names

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-31 11:12
> http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-08/31/content_6071689.htm <

This is a report from Xinhua on how the government in China are trying to standardise the names of Chinese food and dishes for the Olympics. The report says that 2,753 dishes and drinks have been translated; a list which will be eventually used throughout the country.

COMMENTS:

As the article recognises, the translation of food and dishes could be a sorry, if not hilarious experience. One always expects a good laugh when reading foreign menus in English. This initiative makes sense since it shows responsibility by the authorities towards visiting tourists. Maybe all the relevant tourist authorities throughout the world could agree on a standard menu glossary and vocabulary. Of course, maybe this is not practical for all the various dishes, but certainly for the main ingredients and popular dishes.

This also makes sense in the context of business. It is good corporate responsibility to communicate well with one's clients. Unfortunately, sometimes a menu translated into English (badly or not) can also mean inflated prices if not more. Personally, I try to keep away from establishments with menus in English.

How about other authorities doing the same with their various jargon and instructions: health, police, road signs?

BOTTOM LINE

It's good to know what your eating.

Doctor communication is important

Doctor communication is important

Country:
US

Source:
Good communication leads to proper diagnoses, doctors say
CRAIG WIECZORKIEWICZ
June 16, 2006
Copyright © 2006 The Times, LLC,
http://mywebtimes.com/ottnews/archives/ottawa/
sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=262014
>Click to LINK<

Story:
Good communication with one’s doctor is key for proper diagnosis. This article identifies four issues that might discourage people from being open with their GP:
embarrassment, unfamiliarity with medical terms, assumptions about importance of symptoms and anxiety. (Please see articles for expanded information)

Facts:
- take notes during visits to GP and write down details before going to the GP.
- some patients think that over the counter medicines are not medicines.

Language Issues:
- emotional feeling and reactions can seriously affect how we communicate and what we communicate.
- as the article points out, patients might not know the medical terms and using common use terms might be considered unacceptable. A good option to solve this information problem is to have leaflets or posters giving the formal terms for certain sensitive terms.
- information is always key for effective communication.

Comments:
- showing the patient how to communicate with their GP can lead to important dividends, is this article shows..
- maybe some still have an antiquated view of doctor/patient relation; one where the doctor figure (medical professional) is considered a figure of absolute authority and our social training is never to question or communicate with authority.
- the GP should be aware that people might be embarrassed using certain terms or communicating certain symptoms; a GP ought to take an active role in identifying these awkward issues for patients.

Bottom-Line:
How much does lack of communication cost in lives, pain and money?

Communicating for Outcome

Communicating for Outcome

Country:

USA

Source:
Good communication habits are fundamental to ensuring a productive workplace, satisfied customers and career
Jun 14, 2006 By Deborah Gilberg
Dated: June 14, 2006
© 1994 - 2006 CXO Media Inc.
An International Data Group (IDG) Company
>LINK HERE 1< >LINK HERE 2<

Story:
If a doctor gives a patient a lot of information using technical terminology, would the doctor be communicating with the patient? Gilberg writes a very interesting and informative article on how doctors, or professional people for that matter, can communicate with patients or non professionals.

Gilberg’s bottom line is that “communication is only as good as its outcome.” She also gives four possible action points on how to achieve this:
1) close the gap between intentions and behaviour
2) learn to listen
3) know your audience
4) measure success with outcomes.

(I give the general idea here)

------- If you are a professional, you MUST read this article ----------

Facts:
- Good communication habits help leaders get the outcomes they desire.

Language Issues:
- A serious issue in language is how reliable can we translate one language into another. I submit that a similar problem exists when “translating” a scientific language, in the form of terminology and concepts, into everyday language.

Comments:
- Why is it sometimes difficult for professional service providers to communicate with people outside their profession?
- What are the human and economic costs for bad communication in the professions?

Bottom-Line:
Read Gilberg’s article.

Poor Communication with prospective employees

Poor Communication with prospective employees

Country:
UK

Source:
Recruiters risk losing staff to rival because of poor communication
05/06/2006
onrec.com news
Copyright © 2006 Online Recruitment
>LINK HERE<

Story:
Companies are losing prospective employees who are suitable for their company because they don’t communicate the whole value of their benefits package. And prospective employees are reluctant to ask for details about the benefits.

Facts:
- average non-cash benefits for employees can be 15% of their salary and 30% for senior executives.

Language Issues:
- language can only communicate what we want to say.
- inhibitions, a sense of intimidation or social norms can determine what we say.

Comments:
- is this failure by companies to fully inform job candidates about the value of the benefits intentional or a lack of professionalism?
- is the failure by prospective employees to ask about benefits due to interview norms or a feeling of intimidation? Could it be that candidates do not feel they are negotiating as equals and therefore do not ask about this sensitive subject. (Head in the sand syndrome.)

Bottom-Line:
How much does it cost a company not to recruit the right employee?

Knowing the language is not enough

Knowing the language is not enough

Country:
Scotland

Source:
A PRONOUNCED IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTH
By Samantha Booth
Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd
Mar 7 2006
LINK

Story:
Lubna’s father was diagnosed as suffering from stress on the assumption that being Asian he would work very hard. In effect he needed a bypass, but it was too late, he died soon after the right diagnosis was made. Lubna’s father had no language problems and was well educated.

Facts:
- Lubna’s father was 45
- The Ethnic Minority Diabetic Service was started by Lubna to help solve these problems with minority or ethnic groups.

Language Issues:
- It seems that knowing the language of your client is not enough in a professional setting.
- In this story cultural differences played an equally important part in the fate of the patient.

Comments:
- Is there a safety net that could be introduced to prevent these sort of breakdowns in the system?
- How can we know that we are making an assumption?

Bottom-Line:
Assumptions can be dangerous.

Keep it short and simple

Keep it short and simple

Country:

USA

Source:
How To Be an Ace Speaker
By Carmine Gallo
Copyright © 2006 Business Week Limited. All rights reserved.
LINK

Story:
Gallo gives some very good and useful advice on how to use the various tools of communication in business. The facts speak for themselves. Some are given below.

Facts:
- 15 – 20 minutes to say it in a meeting.
- 30 seconds to grab someone’s attention.
- 15 – 20 minutes for a presentation with 10 slides maximum.
- IDEAL presentation 3 slides with 3 lines each, 15 minutes maximum.
- 1 screen-full for an email.

Language Issues:
- These short time messages must surely imply that the language used has to be efficient and effective.
- The famous people who used these techniques and strategies were also good with language: Presidents Kennedy, Roosevelt, ex-CEO Welch and so on.

Comments:
- Read the article

Bottom-Line:
Less is More

Car Trouble

Car Trouble

Country:
USA

Source:
How to Communicate for Better Automotive Service
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
Link to ASE web site

== First saw the story in:
Good Communication Vital to Auto Repairs
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Courtesy of ARA Content
Copyright © 2006 The Morning Times, a Liberty Group Publishing paper

Story:
A poll of ASE certified car mechanics found that good communication between customer and mechanic can help the repair process go smoothly. Car repair is a two way communication process. ASE experts advice customers to read the car manual, follow service schedules and keep a log book of repairs. Once at the garage ask questions, prepare a list of problems and be prepared to describe symptom plus other advice.

Facts:
- The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) was founded in 1972 as a non profit organisation for improving quality service and repairs.
- According to the poll, people over 60 were amongst the most conscientious in car care.

Language Issues:
- Being informed (read the manual) is as important as being informative (describe the symptoms).
- Once again, this story reinforces the importance of questions as a tool of communication.
- How do we establish what questions to ask and what are the right questions to ask for our purpose?
- How do we know what information we need in order to make an informed decision?

Comments:
- The article says that sometimes customers have to speak to a service consultant rather than the mechanic themselves. How does this affect the channel of communication? How does this affect the information the customer receives and the mechanic receives?
- People over sixty, might have more time to do the homework, as the article suggest. However, how much of this is also due to the fact that some might have limited financial resources, which creates pressure in getting right the first time.

Bottom-Line:
How much is a good communication channel with customers worth for a service company, such as a car service company? Public Relations, loyalty, word of mouth referrals, good testimonials and so on.

We’re all B-Lingual

We’re all B-Lingual

Country:

USA

Source:
Corporal communication: Your posture and gestures speak volumes
By Janea Philip
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Posted on Tue, Jun. 13, 2006
© 2006 Macon Telegraph and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.macon.com

Story:
Non-verbal communication is not only more effective, but also it represents some 80% of our communication. Lillian Buchanan, who trains nurses, has some useful advice on body language especially during interviewing.

Eye contact is one of the most effective forms of non verbal communications. Mannerisms can also get in the way. Basically, think before you say anything.

Facts:
- some 80% of our communication is non verbal.

Language Issues:
- Can we separate the means of communication with the message we are trying to communicate?
- How much does the means of communication influence the meaning of what we’re trying to say?
- If we can control our natural body language, wouldn’t people pick up on this sooner or later? Wouldn’t we lose any advantage we might have had?
- How long does it take us to figure out that people are controlling their natural language?

Comments:
- No doubt that both natural language and body language are the product of evolution, however, why has natural language become so prominent in humans?
- Does gender and culture make a difference to the message we receive from body language?

Bottom-Line:
If we control our body language would that be the same as lying?

Vrbl Comm C'crn

Vrbl Comm C'crn
Verbal Communication Concern

Country:

USA

Source:
Texting surge raises communication worries
NEW YORK, May 30 (UPI)
Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Story:
There is concern that mobile phone texting will replace our verbal communication skills. This is believed to affect the younger generation even more. Verizon expects some 2.3 trillion messages will be sent worldwide in 2010.

Facts:
- 500 billion messages were sent in 2005 worldwide.
- Girls bond better than boys.

Language Issues:
- Texting or SMS, it can be argued, has evolved language to a more efficient means of communications. Having to write messages in 256 characters (at the beginning of the service) made people become creative with language.
- It seems that not only people can adapt to the channel of communication available to them, but also language itself; at least English. Some people can still remember the telegram service.

Comments:
- How much of this projected texting would be a waste of money and resources?
- Even if we allow for those messages that are a waste of time and money, that is still a lot of communication.
- What are the costs and profits of all this texting?

Bottom-Line:
How much can your business save by sending text messages to employees?

10 x 8 = probably dead

10 x 8 = probably dead

Country:

USA

Source:
The Killer Cure: ; A Deadly Dose; FDA-Approved Language Called "Extremely Dangerous"
By Scott Finn (sfinn@wvgazette.com ) andTara Tuckwiller (tara@wvgazette.com).
(c) 2006 Sunday Gazette
Published: 2006/06/06 00:00:20 CDT
Story from REDORBIT NEWS: http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=528473
© RedOrbit 2005
© 2002-2005 redOrbit.com. All rights reserved All other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners

Story:
The language approved for methadone packaging, by the FDA, could be misinterpreted with serious or dire consequences. The wording is: "The usual adult dosage is 2.5 mg to 10 mg every three or four hours as necessary," reads the drug's package insert under "For Relief of Pain." This could be interpreted to mean that an adult can take up to 80 milligrams of methadone in 24 hours (a day). Most people taking this dosage would die, according to experts.

The FDA said they will consider the matter, but it is not a priority. More modern drugs have stronger language (black-box warning.)

Please read the article for the medical aspect of the story. The article itself is quite detailed and informative.

Facts:
- 50mg could kill someone not used to strong pain killers.
- 80mg would kill most people.
- The drug is cheap and an effective painkiller.
- Doctors who prescribe the drug also tell patients what dosage to take.

Language Issues:
- The message, as reported, is open to misinterpretation. The language is not precise, especially for such a product. It does not give time limits.
- The use of the word ‘usual’ is very ambiguous; usual to what standard? To the pain killer one takes for a headache?
- If ‘usual’ is ambiguous, the numbers, 2.5 and 10 as a range is also wide. Surely, words cannot have meaning outside a context.
- I have a theory, and although I have not had the opportunity to read it elsewhere I am sure it is not original, which says that in our Western society we depend more on the written word for information than verbal instructions. If this is the case, then the message on the packaging becomes even more important. What if one forgot/lost the instructions of the GP?
- A message can also be communicated with icons; maybe the pharmaceutical and health care industries can develop a labelling system for drugs on the same lines as the textile industry has.

Comments:
- The industry can have a free phone number or even a web site for people to consult if they have a doubt about the use of a particular drug.
- Would a reasonable patient misinterpret the message? Or is it impossible for a patient, who is suffering serious pain, to be reasonable, both in the legal and intellectual sense?

Bottom-Line:
Is drug packaging an ethical issue, a medical issue or a business issue?