Business Communication and Marketing

This report examines the role of business communication in an organization, using Tesco as a case study. It highlights the effective use of communication methods such as email, messages, and leaflets to stay connected with clients and share product information. The report also emphasizes the need for legal and ethical considerations in business communication.

BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Different types of business information, information origination and purpose of
information..................................................................................................................................1
P2 Internal business information of Tesco..................................................................................2
P3 Corporate communication for Tesco (leaflet)........................................................................3
P4 External corporate communication for existing product.......................................................5
TASK 5............................................................................................................................................6
P5 Legal and ethical issues in relation to the use of business information.................................6
P6 Operational issues in relation to the use of business information..........................................7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
P7 Electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information...............8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Business communication is information sharing between people within and outside an
organization that is performed for the commercial benefit of the organization. Tesco PLC is a
British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer. The report discusses different
types of business information. It also focuses on aims and objective of Tesco. Further, it ponders
on external communication strategy adopted by the company.
TASK 1
P1 Different types of business information, information origination and purpose of information
Types of business information
 Verbal information: Individuals working within a business need to effectively use
verbal communication that employs readily understood spoken words, as well as ensuring
that the enunciation, stress and tone of voice with which the words are expressed is
appropriate (Ang, 2014).
 Non verbal information: It includes pitch, speed, tone and volume of voice, gestures
and facial expressions, body posture, stance, and proximity to the listener, eye
movements and contact, and dress and appearance while sharing information.
 Multimedia information: This means multiple forms of media integrated together.
Media can be text, graphics, audio, animation, video, data etc. An example could be a
web page with interactive guide and narration.
 Web based in formation: This displays many benefits of multimedia technology.
Today's fast broadband speeds allow you to stream sophisticated content to a computer
anywhere in the world. This allows somebody to access this information wherever they
are. This can also be accessed by smartphones (Cerne, 2012).
Management is getting the things done through others. The people working in the
organisation should therefore be informed how to do the work assigned to them in the best
possible manner. The information is essential in any organisation. Also in order to communicate
important facts to the other stakeholders it plays an important role. Tesco uses these methods to
communicate about its latest stock, discount offers, etc.
TASK 2
1

P2 Internal business information of Tesco
Mission
'We make what matters better, together.' ... Whilst a vision outlines the aspirations of
senior managers, a mission statement is a general expression of the overall purpose of the
business. It communicates the goals of a company to all stakeholders.
Aim
Tesco aim to become/stay there leading retail supermarket and provide good quality
services and products at a low cost so that they are cheaper than their competitors (Chitty and
et.al., 2011).
Objectives
 Objective one - to maximise sales and with doing so increase their profits. If Tesco to
maximise their sales the second half of the aim (increase their profits) will happen on its
own. Tesco may try to maximise their sales by cutting prices, more in store deals, expand
existing stores sell more stock can be held and build new stores to attract more customers.
 Objective two – Decrease their prices. Tesco aim to make shopping cheaper for the
average household. They aim to do this by cutting prices and offering more in store deals.
They may have many objectives in order to reach this aim. One objective they may use is
offering customers bargains, like to buy one get one free, by two and get the third free
and a percentage off the original price.
 Objective three – Introduce more healthy eating products into the wide range of
groceries they supply. The advantage of introducing more healthy living products is that
Tesco will; attract many more customers that are interested in healthy eating products,
make Tesco an established business four providing healthy eating products. Tesco aim to
create a wide range of healthy eating products from organic turkeys to healthy living
ready meals.
 Objective four – Tesco aim to develop a large Internet shopping site. Tesco aim to
provide groceries, electronics and clothing goods as well as a number of their services
online. Tesco are aiming to develop the online shopping experience, if they are successful
in doing so they may attract many more customers which will help them achieve
objective one. This will help them achieve objective one because by attracting new
2

customers that are unable to shop in store they will gain more sales which means they
will maximise profit.
 Objective five – to provide jobs to their local community. Tesco aim to reduce the
unemployment in local areas where Tesco Stores are built.
Goals and objectives:
The smart objectives chosen for the retail marketing plan for Tesco are:
The primary aim of retail marketing plan is to make sure that the chosen brand is
represented visually to the target audience, hence investing in designing the store or creative
magazines, giveaways, etc will be the focus of this marketing plan. Furthermore, the marketing
will be far more focused with this approach (Cochoy, 2014).
Another aim would be to make sure that the retailing allows the customers to 'discover'
the product as a must-have which will deflect their attention from the pricing criteria. This can be
done through focusing primarily on the product and its quality - making the customers believe
that they are investing in a product that is worth the price tag.
P3 Corporate communication for Tesco (leaflet)
3

 Big price drop on the products offered
 Shop some of the finest artisans, ethnic and organic brands
 Fruits and vegetables at cheapest price possible
 Products available at nearly half prices
 Valid only for a week
P4 External corporate communication for existing product
External business communication is any information the company distributes to the
public, either about the organization itself or their products and services. A well-thought out
communications plan not only defines the target audience, but also focuses on how to reach it
effectively. Because the goal of external communications is to promote the company and
increase revenue, external communications are an important part of an overall marketing plan.
External communication is any communicative effort specifically for people and
organizations operating outside of the business (Dahlen, Lange and Smith, 2010.). While internal
communications are specifically for employees and management, external communications focus
on spreading news and information about the corporation to the public, customers, and company
4

stakeholders. Common examples of external business communications include direct mailings,
financial records, press releases, and newsletters. Tesco uses these methods to connects with the
customers in order to inform them about availability of new products, upcoming sale and
discount etc.
Although many companies focus on sales as a measure of business success, public
perception is just as important to the organization's bottom line. Communications are one way to
shape and define a corporation's image to the community, clients, and potential investors. Tesco
have been very actively participating in these activities in order to stay connected with its
shareholders. External communications such as newsletters, media stories and press releases let
the public know about Tesco's workplace, philanthropic and environmental efforts, and other
image-related activities, all of which serve to strengthen the public relations efforts of a
company. The promotional offers are attractive enough to grab various eyes. It will help the
company to maximize profits and generate higher revenues. Also, the company keep giving
promotional discounts to increase its customers base.
TASK 5
P5 Legal and ethical issues in relation to the use of business information
Data Protection Act 1998
Many businesses store and use information about people. The Data Protection Act
protects information held about people from being misused. The information stored by
businesses on databases must be:
 Obtained fairly and lawfully
 Used only for the purposes stated during collection
 Adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the intended use (Danaher and
Rossiter, 2011)
 Accurate and up to date
 Not kept for longer than necessary
 Processed in line with your rights
 Subject to procedures to prevent unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction and
damage to personal data
 Protected from transfer to an area outside the European Economic Area (EEA) unless
adequate protection exists for that data (Finne and Strandvik, 2012)
5

Freedom of Information Act 2000
This Act provides individuals or organisations with the right to request information held
by a public authority. The public authority must tell the applicant whether it holds the
information, which it must supply within 20 working days, in the requested format.
There are some exemptions to this Act. E.g. if the cost of a request for info exceeds the
appropriate limit, the public authority may decide whether a greater public interest is being
served by denying a request or supplying the info (Eagle, 2014).
Computer Misuse Act 1990
This is a law in the UK that legislates against certain activities using computers, such as
hacking into other people's systems, misusing software or helping a person to gain access to
protected files on someone else's computer. It is split into 3 sections and makes illegal:
 Unauthorised access to computer material
 Unauthorised access to computer systems with intent to commit another offence
 Unauthorised modification of computer material
Ethical issues
Business ethics are moral principles concerning acceptable and unacceptable behaviour
by businesses. Codes of practice exist in organisations to maintain business ethics on:
 Use of email: Tesco have a code of practice on the correct use of email.
 Internet: Tesco also have a code of practice on the use of the internet and what their
employees can and cannot use the internet for. There are also codes of practice which
govern selling on the internet, which it adheres to (Fill and Hughes, 2013).
 Whistle- blowing: This is an employee who raises a concern about a business practice -
either to management within the company or to an outside organisation (e.g. the press)
The concern may relate to fraud, crime, danger or any other serious risk that could impact
on customers, colleagues or any other stakeholder or the organisation's reputation.
P6 Operational issues in relation to the use of business information
Tesco have to store and manage countless pieces of information, with some being far
more important than others. Lying at the heart of any information system are two fundamental
issues of ensuring that:
 The organisation receives the information it requires
 The appropriate member of staff receives the information
6

To make sure that information is managed appropriately, a number of policies and
procedures have to be put in place, concerning:
 Security of information: Information security management deals with maintaining the
integrity and availability of organisational information and knowledge.
 Backups: Tesco have a back up system in place in order to cope up with uncertainty.
 Health and safety: To take all the health and safety measures for the employees at
workplace.
 Organizational policies: Policies help make sure that staff have guidance to help them
comply with legislation (Gabrielli and Balboni, 2010)
 Business continuance plans: These are the steps put in place to make sure a company is
capable of surviving a worst-case scenario.
TASK 4
P7 Electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information
Non- electronic communication involves the distribution of a message usually in the form
of: Reports, Letters, Flow Charts, Invoices and even Verbal Communication amongst employees.
This form of communicating is not as popular as it once was, but it provides businesses with
other avenues to communicate instead of electronic communication. Furthermore, different types
of communication suit contrasting businesses in addition to, the preference of people involved
within a business (Holliman and Rowley, 2014).
Sources of business information can come in a variety of different forms which include:
Newspapers, Websites, Books, Posters, Directories, Databases, Government Statistics and so
forth. Business information is basically information gathered of relevance to a business and its
environment. Businesses use different sources of information as a way of understanding the
markets they entering into, their competitors and how the company can grow. Moreover,
different sources of business information serve contrasting purposes.
Firstly, electronic communication involves the use of technology to distribute a particular
message across. Examples of electronic communication include: the use of Mobile Devices,
Video conferencing, Twitter, Facebook and other Social Media Websites, as well as, Electronic
Mail (Illia and Balmer, 2012). This is an effective way of communicating in a business
environment as it is cost effective, whilst also, an easy way to obtain information quickly.
7

CONCLUSION
Based on the above report, it can be inferred that business communication is an important
aspect of an organization (Kachersky and Lerman, 2013). Tesco uses an effective
communication method in order to stay connected with its client. It shares various information
related to products and discount offers to its potential customers through e mails, messages,
leaflets etc. Tesco also have to take care of legal and ethical issues that can emerge in the
organization.
8

REFERENCES
Ang, L., 2014. Integrated Marketing Communications A focus on new technologies and
advanced theories. Cambridge University Press.
Cerne, A., 2012. Market Communication as Socio-Political Activity in Emerging Markets
Business Society and Politics. International Business and Management. 28. pp.85 – 103
Chitty,W. and et.al., 2011. Integrated Marketing Communications. Cengage Learning.
Cochoy, F., 2014. The American Marketing Association: A handrail for marketers and marketing
history. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing. 6(4). pp.538 – 547
Dahlen, M., Lange, F. and Smith, T., 2010. Marketing Communications: A Brand Narrative
Approach. John Wiley and Sons.
Danaher, P. and Rossiter, P., 2011. Comparing perceptions of marketing communication
channels. European Journal of Marketing. 45(12). pp.6 - 42
Eagle, L., 2014.Marketing Communications. Routledge
Fill, C. and Hughes, G., 2013. CIM Coursebook Marketing Communications. 3rd ed. Routledge.
Finne, A. and Strandvik, T., 2012. Invisible communication: a challenge to established marketing
communication. European Business Review. 24(2). pp.120 - 133
Gabrielli, V. and Balboni, B., 2010. SME practice towards integrated marketing
communications. Marketing Intelligence and Planning. 28(3). pp.275 – 290
Holliman, G. and Rowley, J., 2014. Business to business digital content marketing: marketers
perceptions of best practice. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing. 8(4). pp.269 –
293
Illia, L. and Balmer, J., 2012. Corporate communication and corporate marketing: Their nature
histories differences and similarities. Corporate Communications An International
Journal. 17(4). pp.415 – 433
Kachersky, L. and Lerman, D., 2013. Bridging marketing's intentions and consumer perceptions.
Journal of Consumer Marketing. 30(7). pp.544 – 552
9