Sunshine 100: Social Media Impact and Communication Strategies

This report, addressed to the CEO of Sunshine 100 by the Director of Social Media, examines the challenges and impacts of social media in a business context. It contrasts the advantages and disadvantages of social media tools versus traditional communication methods, highlighting issues such as time management, audience reach, and the potential for employee behavior to affect brand identity. The report analyzes the impact of employee behavior on the company's image and proposes a social media policy to ensure a productive workforce and protect data privacy. It also provides a communication plan template, including considerations for timing, audience, key messages, and desired outcomes to facilitate effective social media management within the organization. The report concludes with a list of relevant references.

Running head: IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA
IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Authors note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Challenges of social media tools and traditional communication channels...............................2
Impact of employee behaviour...................................................................................................3
Social Media Policy...................................................................................................................4
Communication plan template...................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................7

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To: The CEO
From: Jane Wilson (Director of Social Media)
Subject: Social Media Communication Management
Date: (Author Note)
Introduction
As described by the viewpoint of Hill (2017), management in any business firm is the
set of principles relating to the functions of planning, organizing, directing, staffing and
controlling the aspects and prospects of the same. In this concern, the report presents the
challenges the management of Sunshine 100 has to face in consideration with the
implementation of the social media and its policies in the working organisation of the same.
Challenges of social media tools and traditional communication channels
In consideration with implementing the methodology of social media into the working
structure of the business as compared to that of conventional means of communication is
recorded to be complicated and critical. In regards to this, the report concentrates on
comparing and contrasting the challenges of the two communication tools in the context of
the food company Sunshine 100. As stated by Abu-Salma et al., (2017), the adoption of
traditional means of communication needs a lot of resources to be reached to the target
market and also involves a high amount of time to be executed. Whereas, as opined by
Morrison et al., (2019), the usage of social media tools becomes useful for a food industry
organisation as because the same helps in gaining a large amount of audience in a small time
and also in a cost-effective way. However, also stated by Knoke (2018), that the major
problem in managing social media tool in the concerned organisation is the management of
the media campaigns that can, in turn, drain out the time and distract the employees from the

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main work and agendas of the working organisation. As stated by Sajid (2016), usage of
social media enables the company to connect to people all across the globe and remain
connective to them and gain an advantage for the economic condition of the business. In
contrast to this, as opined by Neuendorf, (2016), the major challenge posed by traditional
communication channels is that there is very less time to think about the message,
misinterpreted body language, interruptions as well as less formal communication. As opined
by Tuten & Solomon, (2017), traditional media communication tools can be useful for the
purpose of fulfilling the communication of a food-based company in the case that the same is
less complicated and risky as compared to that of the social media tools. In lieu of this, social
media communication requires a lot of planning and proceedings and while performing the
same the issues in the flexibility of the interface arises which creates misconceptions in the
communication process.
In this connection, on the basis of the above pieces of evidence, the food company of
Sunshine 100 needs to understand the best method of implementing the communication tool
to their working structure. This is because both the media tools have their benefits and
disadvantages that may impact the working of the business.
Impact of employee behaviour
The behaviour of employee impacts and influences every single process of a business
organisation (Noe et al., 2017). The same goes for the company of Sunshine 100. The
behaviour of its employees in the platform of social media communication impacts the
complete work scenario of the Sunshine 100. This is because the employees are the pillars of
the company and examining the nature of the employees concerned with the food company of
Sunshine 100, the report came to investigate the specified impact of the same in the
organisation.

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The individual employees’ comments and behaviour on social media affect the
organization identity in a broader sense and in both a positive as well a negative way. If the
comments are given regarding customer service by acknowledging the issues, then it can
attract more customers. Suppose in facebook if the employees comment some irrelevant
thought regarding anything about the company whether it is about the company or the top
level management, it severely affects the organization name and identity. Employees are the
core part of the company and their comments and behaviour in social media matters in the
determination of the company’s goodwill and branding. The social media is a platform which
is open to all and where broader and unintended audiences all across the globe see the
feedbacks and the comments. Thus, the comments made by the employees’ on social media
have a strong potential to create a devastating effect on an organization. The negative
comments bring the organization into dispute, and positive comments can also lead to the
success of the same.
Social Media Policy
As specified by Fuchs (2017), the social media policy is a crucial part to be
implemented in a company while using social media tools for communication process in the
same. The social media policy also ensures a productive workforce in the organisation. It also
helps in maintaining an effective and efficient relationship with the customers, protect the
data privacy and avoid liability. The organization can develop a social media policy by
establishing where the company stands on social media. Respecting the privacy rights
because in social media the private messages are not always secured. Thus, the media policy
would ensure that the employees must not share any confidential or proprietary information
through social media. The organization is held accountable for managing the participation of
their employees in social media. The best way for the Sunshine 100 Company is to find a

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social media advocate by seeking the person or team who are more passionate about
communicating with consumers in social media (Obar, & Wildman, 2015).
Communication plan template
Timing
To communicate with the employees regarding the social media policy the management
should plan and fix particular date and time to discuss the same with the employees and let
them know about the newly implemented plans.
Audience
The second step in the communication plan template is the audience of the
communication that is the people are to be communicated about the media policy.
Sender
The sender is the individual of the company who initiates the message and is often called
as a source of communicator or source of communication. The director must tell the manager
explaining the social media policy to the employees and clear each point related to media
policy.
Key messages
The main messages that are to be delivered to all the level of employees that are
concerned with the usage of social media in both their personal and professional life. The
critical messages regarding the media policy are to be set by the top level management in
order to adhere to strict rules and regulations that would keep the employees under strong
considerations.

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Desired outcome
The communication plan should be based on a clear goal and according to the desired
result. Polite behaviour should be enforced while communicating the social media policy to
the employees so that they feel positive in listening to the conversations as well as in
communicating.
Medium
The communication channels that need to be used is the face-to-face communication
are required in order to be effectively implemented because this channel of communication
will ensure the smooth flow of the media policy. Through the effectiveness and measurement
of the channel, the management can analyze whether the employees have received the
messages if there is any doubt they can clarify immediately.
Materials
The materials that are required to be communicated and left behind as a trace in the mind
of the employees should be done with the effective use of the native language, and no
occurrence of rudeness and ego should conflict the communication in between.
Frequency
The last mode of the communication plan turns to be the frequency level of the
messages that are to be communicated to the employees. Specifically, the number of times
the messages needs to be communicated to the employees.

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References
Abu-Salma, R., Sasse, M. A., Bonneau, J., Danilova, A., Naiakshina, A., & Smith, M. (2017,
May). Obstacles to the adoption of secure communication tools. In 2017 IEEE
Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP) (pp. 137-153). IEEE.
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concept or a management buzzword?. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(2), 231-267.
E. Carroll, C., C. Huang-Horowitz, N., Weberling McKeever, B., & Williams, N. (2014).
Key messages and message integrity as concepts and metrics in communication
evaluation. Journal of Communication Management, 18(4), 386-401.
Fuchs, C. (2017). Social media: A critical introduction. Sage.
Fuduric, M., & Mandelli, A. (2014). Communicating social media policies: evaluation of
current practices. Journal of Communication Management, 18(2), 158-175.
Hill, T. (2017). Manufacturing strategy: the strategic management of the manufacturing
function. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Knoke, D. (2018). Changing organizations: Business networks in the new political economy.
Routledge.
Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. J., Morrison, J. R., & Kalman, H. K. (2019). Designing effective
instruction. Wiley.
Neuendorf, K. A. (2016). The content analysis guidebook. Sage.
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.

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Obar, J. A., & Wildman, S. S. (2015). Social media definition and the governance challenge-
an introduction to the special issue. Obar, JA and Wildman, S.(2015). Social media
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Sajid, S. I. (2016). Social media and its role in marketing.
Schultz, D. E., & Peltier, J. (2013). Social media's slippery slope: challenges, opportunities
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Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2017). Social media marketing. Sage.
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Communications Magazine, 52(6), 90-96.