Management skills communicating and ICT- C7

Question 1

What is communication?

Answer 1

Communication is the transferring of information from the sender to the receiver through a medium.

Question 2

What is internal communication?

Answer 2

this is the transfer of information between staff in a workplace.
Includes- emails, meetings, notice boards, intercoms, face to face conversations etc

Question 3

What is external communication?

Answer 3

This the transfer of information from the business to its stakeholders.
Include- telephone calls, social media, conferences, letters, advertisements, skype etc

Question 4

Who do stakeholders include

Answer 4

Stakeholders include: investors, suppliers, interest groups, customers, government and society.

Question 5

What are the differences between formal and information communication?

Answer 5

Formal (planned) such as a memo, report, formal meeting – this information is passed through approved channels of communication

Informal (grapevine) such as chats in the canteen, social networks – this information refers to the informal network that exists in every organisation

Question 6

What are the types of communication channels?

Answer 6

Horizontal, upwards and downwards

Question 7

Explain the three types of communication-
Horizontal, upwards and downwards

Answer 7

Upward communication – staff reporting up the chain of command to supervisor/manager.

Downward communication – messages sent from the chain of command e.g. manager to staff.

Horizontal communication – communication between people in the same rank and authority in the chain of command e.g. finance manager and HRM

Question 8

Who is involved in internal communication?

Answer 8

Employees – communication is vital here to ensure work is done on time and correctly

Managers – must be able to communicate relevant information to others to ensure good decision making, helping them work as a team

Investors – they must be supplied with accurate information about financial performance otherwise they will have no confidence in the management and be unwilling to invest

Question 9

Who is involved in external communication?

Answer 9

Customers – kept informed about new products

Suppliers – need to be aware of the firms needs, tell them company of any delays which could affect production

Government – business need communication with Gov’n for grants and lobbying for changes in the law etc.

Society – the reputation of a business affects the firms ability to win customers and recruit staff

Question 10

What is verbal communication?

Answer 10

The exchange of information and ideas in speech, e.g. asking and responding to questions and giving instructions.

Question 11

What are meetings?

Answer 11

A gathering of at least two people to discuss a topic or topics with the purpose of making a decision on matters discussed.

Question 12

What are the types of meeting?

Question 13

What is an AGM meeting?

Answer 13

AGM (Annual General Meeting). This is a meeting of the shareholders of a company. It is held once a year. At the AGM, shareholders can ask the directors questions, the chairperson gives an address, directors are elected, auditors are appointed and accounts are presented.

Question 14

What is an extraordinary general meeting?

Answer 14

EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting). This occurs when a matter of such importance arises that the business cannot wait until the next AGM to discuss the issue.

Question 15

What is a Board Meeting

Answer 15

Board Meeting. These are regular meetings held by the board of directors of the company. Tactical planning, strategic planning and review of company performance are often on the agenda of a board meeting. It is a meeting to solve problems and is focused on performance and direction of the business.

Question 16

What is an Ad-Hoc meeting?

Answer 16

Ad-hoc meeting. Meeting held by various managers in the business to deal with operational issues/immediate problems. They are one off meeting and are generally unplanned so discuses matters that suddenly arise.

Question 17

What type of communication is a meeting?

Answer 17

Formal – highly structured, planned and run according to agreed procedure, usually involve a chairperson and secretary to take minutes.

Question 18

What are the elements of a meeting?

Answer 18

Agenda-A list of items to be discussed at the meeting. Topics are listed in the order in which they will be discussed.

Notice- gives what, who, where and when the meeting will take place

Minutes-Minutes – written record of decisions made during the meeting (includes date location and names of who attended, purpose of meeting, main views & votes)

Quorum-The minimum number of people or members needed in order for a meeting to proceed

Question 19

What is a chairpersons role in a meeting/

Answer 19

-Sets the agenda – decide on the issues to be dealt with
-Open the meeting – ensure it was called in accordance with rules and insure quorum is present (minimum amount of people for official meeting)
-Follow agenda – anticipate possible problems
-Standing order must be agreed – the rules for running a meeting
-Facilitate contributions – allow everyone to express views
-Keep order
-Call for votes – e.g. AGMs chairperson can use their vote if tied

Question 20

What is a secretarys role in a meeting/

Answer 20

-Notice – invites people to attend. Date, time, place, may organise food.
-Agenda- they type agenda on behalf of chairperson.
-Arranges venue and resources
-During the meeting - secretary reads out minutes from last meeting (minutes are important because if there is a legal issue minutes can be used as evidence)
After the meeting – writes up minutes, arranges next meeting with chairperson.

Question 21

What is written communication?

Answer 21

Organisations use many forms of written communication, which can include: Memos, business letters and reports.

Question 22

What are methods of written communication?

Answer 22

Report- A report is a detailed document about a specific topic and is used for both internal and external communication.

Business letters- A business letter is a formal method of communication. It can be sent internally and externally.

Memo- A short-written message used by a business for internal communication

Question 23

What is visual communication?

Answer 23

Visual communication involves using images, graphs, photos, maps and symbols to communicate messages.

Question 24

What are methods of visual communication?

Answer 24

Pie chart- is when each segment of a circle is shaded and is proportional t the quantity of data it represents.
Bar chart- displays data either by comparing different pieces of data or by comparing trends over time
Line graph- This is used to show changes or patterns over a period of time.
Gannt chart- These are often used in project management, as they are useful for showing individual tasks and their completion against time
Pictogram- Pictures are used to represent the different categories.

Question 25

What are two types of charts?

Answer 25

Organisational Chart - shows who does what and how different people in org are connected

Break-Even Chart – shows what level of sales must be achieved before a product will break even.

Question 26

How can effective communication help a business?

Answer 26

-Improved employee morale- a manger should be clear in their message so employees are clear of their role. Managers should also provide clear and encourage feedback. Reduces conflict and disagreement’s.

-Improved accuracy- is the sender gives a clear instruction it reduces the risk of errors and they can also encourage feedback which means staff can ask questions if uncertain.

Low staff turnover- clear communication means employees understand their role better and are able to offer feedback so feel more involved in the business.

-Better decisions- if a manager gives clear and precise information in return they will get better relevant feedback which can help improve business decisions.

-Quicker decision making- a good communicator is able to analyse a message quickly and make decisions without delay.

Question 27

What is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018?

Answer 27

an EU-wide regulation that strengthens the rights of individuals and places more obligations in terms of data protection on organisations that hold data.

Question 28

What Helps to make communication effective

Answer 28

Accurate message
Appropriate language
Right duration
Visual aids
Feedback
A record
Confidentiality of information

Question 29

What is a data subject?

Answer 29

Data subject – anyone who has information about them held on someone else’s computer

Question 30

What is a data controller?

Answer 30

Data controller – people/organisation who keep the information of other people on their computers

Question 31

What is a data processor?

Answer 31

Data Processor- Either the organisation or the person who processes data on behalf of the data controller.

Question 32

What is the data protection commission DPC?

Answer 32

Data protection commission (DPC)- The supervisory authority responsible for monitoring the application of the GDPR.

Question 33

what ARE AN INDIVIDUALS RIGHTS UNDER THE GDPR?

Answer 33

Right of Correction- a person has the right to have inaccurate information corrected.

Copy of data- the right to have a copy of the data held on them. This must be provided in electronic format within one month of the written request.

Right of access- the right to obtain details on why and how their data is being processed by an organisation.

Erasure of data- to have their data erased if the organisation has no legitimate reason to keep it.

Data Protection Commission (DPC)- individuals who believe there has been a breach of the GDPR can lodge a complaint and file for compensation with the DPC.

Question 34

What does GDPR stand for?

Answer 34

General Data Protection Regulation

Question 35

What are the responsibilities of data controllers?

Answer 35

Provide copies- provide a copy of the requested data free of charge and within one month of a request from the data subject.

Keep data secure- use encryption, bac-up data and regularly review security measures.

Report data breaches- Notify the DPC of data breaches within 72 hours of a breach if the information could risk the rights and freedoms of data subjects.

Appoint data protection officers- DPO should be appointed in organisations that hold large volumes of personal data.

Data collection- collect only data that is needed for their purposes.

Question 36

What is the DPC and what is its function?

Answer 36

It is the national independent authority responsible for upholding the fundamental right in the EU to have personal data protected

Within its powers it can:
-Impose fines- Impose fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual turnover, whichever is larger, for very serious breaches of the GDPR.

-Conducts inquires and investigations into breaches of the data protection legislation

-Monitors and enforces GDPR- order data controllers to provide information to the data subject when requested.

-Promotes public awareness of GDPR- Informs the public about their rights under the GDPR through its website and publishes materials such as guidelines and infographics.

-Prohibits data transfer- Stop the transfer of data outside Ireland in certain circumstances.

Question 37

What are data controllers responsibilities under GDPR?

Answer 37

-Keep data safe and secure
-Provide requested data to individuals
-Delete data once no longer needed
-Use data for a specific purpose- should only collect data from an individual if it has a purpose for which it will be used
-Obtain data fairly- a controller should give notice of the data it is collecting and hat it will be used for

Question 38

What is ICT?

Answer 38

Information and communications technology (ICT) is the use of computers and other electronic technology to Store, Transfer, Access and Manipulate (STAM) information.

Question 39

what ARE TYPES OF ict IN BUSINESS?

Answer 39

The internet- The Internet is a global network of computers that enables people to share and transfer data, text, pictures and videos instantly anywhere in the world.

Email- Email is an abbreviation for electronic mail, which enables messages to be sent electronically around the world

Electronic Data Interchange- EDI is computer-to-computer communication. It enables businesses to communicate information such as invoices and payments electronically rather than using paper methods.

Cloud computing- This is the use of remote servers, hosted on the Internet, to store, manage and process data.

Video conferencing- This technology enables people in different locations to participate in a virtual face-to-face meetings.

Instant messaging- widespread use of mobile devices and improved widespread development of communication infrastructure means improved speed of communication

Social media- Social media consists of computer programs and websites that enable people to create and share content such as messages, marketing campaigns, images and videos around the world.

Question 40

what ARE THE ADVANATGES OF ict FOR A BUSINESS?

Answer 40

1 Faster Communication- Information can be communicated more quickly, e.g. through email.

2 Better Teamwork-ICT such as video conferencing enables employees to work together on team projects.

3 Cost Savings-ICT helps the business to reduce its costs, e.g. selling directly to customers online reduces the cost of renting shop space and employing staff.

4 Staff Morale- ICT can make workplace tasks easier for employees.

5 Improved Quality-computers are capable of producing consistently high-quality products.

Question 41

What are the disadvantages/challenges of ICT?

Answer 41

1 Security Issues- it can be difficult to keep electronic data safe, e.g. from hacking and computer viruses. cybercrime

2 System Breakdown -computers can break down and this can lead to a loss of productivity or loss of sales.

3 Cost- ICT systems are expensive to install and maintain. There are also training costs for employees.

4 Industrial Relations -employees may fear for their job security when new technology such as EDI is introduced.

5 Personal Touch- some of the personal touch that customers like can be removed with the introduction of ICT, e.g. automated checkouts at supermarkets.

6. Staff need to learn new skills- cost money and takes up time from the staff which they may be unwilling to do

Question 42

wHAT IS PHISING?

Answer 42

Phishing- is an attempt to illegally gain access to passwords and usernames for credit cards and bank account details with the intention of stealing money.

Question 43

What are the implications of GDPR for a business?

Answer 43

-New higher standards
Organisations and businesses collecting and processing data are required to meet very high standards
-Transparency and easy access
Organisations must be fully transparent with what they are using personal data for and must explain their intentions in a clear and concise way

Question 44

What are the barriers for effective communication?

Answer 44

-Noise
-Accuracy
-Clarity
-Language
-Technology
-Information overload
-timing