3.3 Communication in a business

Question 1

what is communication?

Answer 1

the transmission of a message from a sender to receiver

Question 2

what is internal communication?

Answer 2

takes place between people who work in the same organisation can be horizontal or vertical

Question 3

what is horizontal communication?

Answer 3

takes place when 2 people at the same level within the organisation communicate with each-other

Question 4

what is vertical communication?

Answer 4

takes place between people on different levels in the hierarchy. It can be upwards on downwards

Question 5

what is the importance of communication in marketing?

Answer 5

informative and persuasive communication is needed to encourage sales

Question 6

what is the importance of communication in finance ?

Answer 6

persuasive and informative communication is needed to obtain loans from banks

Question 7

what is the importance of communication in HR?

Answer 7

•external communication is needed to encourage applicants for jobs and to obtain information from applicants
•internal communication is needed to ensure staff are properly trained

Question 8

what is the importance of communication in operations?

Answer 8

•to avoid wastage, ongoing communication about quality is crucial
•numbers of goods ordered must be communicated accurately from the sales department

Question 9

what is formal communication?

Answer 9

•takes place when communication is via official channels e.g. letters,meetings and reports

Question 10

what is informal communication?

Answer 10

takes place outside the official channels e.g. over lunch

Question 11

what is social media?

Answer 11

social media is an online platform that allows people to create and share communication and participate in social networking.

Question 12

what are advantages of communicating via social media?

Answer 12

•you can upload visual images of ur product to enhance communications
•information on your products can be updated regularly and customers can give feedback
•there are a large number of users world wide

Question 13

what are disadvantages of communicating via social media?

Answer 13

•it may be difficult to measure the effectiveness of your business with social media
•information would need to be updated and feeding back regularly leaving a cost

Question 14

what is verbal communication?

Answer 14

telephones, meetings or presentations

Question 15

what are some advantages of verbal communication?

Answer 15

•the person giving a message can emphasise point’s through body language
•the person can check that the message has been understood by asking for feedback
•the speaker in a meeting can use slides and pictures to help explain

Question 16

what are some disadvantages of verbal communication?

Answer 16

•if there are a lot of people listening to a message it may not be clear that they have all heard and understood
•people may disrupt messages
•some forms of verbal communication can be expensive e.g. workers from different countries need to meet together
•there are no permanent records of the meetings (unless minutes are taken or a recording is made)

Question 17

what is written communication?

Answer 17

letters, emails, texts

Question 18

what are the advantages of written communication?

Answer 18

•there is a record if the messages
•the receiver can re read messages for clarity and understanding
•can be sent to more than one person at a time

Question 19

what are the disadvantages of written communication ?

Answer 19

•the success of the message depends on how clearly it has been written
•some people can get overwhelmed with emails and some may get lost in spam
•it is not possible to check that the receiver had understood the message clearly
•if sent by mail letters are a slow way to communicate

Question 20

how does digital communication impact marketing?

Answer 20

•businesses now promote goods and services online so larger number of potential customers can be targeted increasing chance of growth
•more businesses sell their products online and store them in warehouses

Question 21

how does digital communication impact HR?

Answer 21

•the recruitment and selection of staff now involve digital communication for many businesses e.g. people can be interviewed on skype
•jobs have been lost as productivity had increased and have been refraining to learn skills needed in digital age

Question 22

how does digital communication impact operations ?

Answer 22

•production is now highly automated as computers communicate digitally with robots to control production processes
•quality has improved as machines can inspect and spot problems earlier meaning problems can be dealt with earlier reducing waste
•technology means production can be changed more quickly in response to changes in demand

Question 23

how does digital communication impact finance ?

Answer 23

•digital technology means accounting information such as invoices and records of payments can be communicated more quickly and easily stored and then processed to prepare documentation

Question 24

how does digital communication impact employee productivity and performance ?

Answer 24

•digital communication has improved employee performance increasing the productivity of workers and in return decreasing costs of production
•more clearly presented financial information can improve decision making, reduce costs and give better predictions of cashflow

Question 25

how does digital communication impact competition ?

Answer 25

digital communication has led to an increase in competition and has helped with the process of globalisation

Question 26

how does digital communication impact business opportunities ?

Answer 26

•programmers are needed to install and maintain hardware
•ICT trainers are needed to train staff