Contemporary Developments in Business and Management Assessment

This assessment explores the contemporary developments in business and management, focusing on the primary external influences and the relevance of marketing communication mix. It analyzes the impact of these influences on policies and decision making, with a specific focus on BBC. The assessment also provides insights into BBC's strategies and areas for improvement.

Contemporary
Developments in Business
and Management
Assessment

Table of Contents
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................2
Brief overview of primary external influences along with importance of each that are
subjected with company...............................................................................................................2
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
Analysis of relevance of theme to company and the ways it influences policies as well as
decision making ..........................................................................................................................6
Critical evaluation related to effectiveness of organisational response.......................................9
Areas of improvement................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

ABSTRACT
The project is enclosed with two parts wherein first part is concerned with primary
influences and second part is related to selection of particular theme that is marketing
communication mix. Within the report, external influences are analysed by using suitable
frameworks. For this, PESTLE analysis and Porter's five force analysis are used with brief
explanation of particular importance of each for the entity. Moreover, marketing communication
mix theme is chosen for analysing relevance with the company, influences on policies and
decisions. It also evaluates effectiveness of business response along with demonstration few
improvement areas in context to BBC.
1

INTRODUCTION
Contemporary development is mentioned to enhancements within trends together with
techniques in all business units. In other words, it is one of procedure that alleviate management
in analysing that integration of human life within organisational levels are in systematic manner
or not (Dave, 2017). When business managers plan effective execution of operations, it is crucial
for them to consider contemporary development aspects for accomplishing objectives on time.
The project assessment is based on BBC which is British Broadcasting Corporation that provides
public broadcasting services which was established by John Reith. The considered company
have largest addition to lost varied portfolio of services, channels, programmes and networks
through which it provide its services worldwide by using television, magazines, radio and online
mediums. The headquarters of the considered entity are situated in London, UK. The project
covers overview about primary external analysis that are subjected to company and the theme
that is chosen for the assessment is Marketing Communication Mix. Further, the theme relevance
to selected organisation and the ways they influences policies as well as decision making are
analysed. In addition, evaluation of response of company and areas for improvement are
demonstrated within the assessment.
TASK 1
Brief overview of primary external influences along with importance of each that are subjected
with company
The British reputed public service broadcaster named as BBC is headquartered at
Westminster, UK which performs activities worldwide so to serve mass population with
provisions of high quality, distinctive addition to impartial outputs that improves awareness,
educate and entertain (De Roo and Miller, 2019). Primary external influences are said the factors
that impact or influences business and its operations. For executing all broadcasting activities, it
is essential for administrative team to properly analyse external environment addition to
surroundings. Through it, the elements, dimensions or factors that impacts unfavourable can be
analysed, identifies and effective strategies are framed to deal with all. For the purpose of
analysing external influences, PESTLE analysis additions to Porters’ five force analysis are
conducted in context to BBC.
PESTLE Analysis
2

It is one of effective technique that helps in understanding impacts of external dimensions
on location, organisation and various other aspects. In other words, PESTLE analysis is defined
as a framework for analysing key elements influencing business concern from outside as well as
is used by senior organisational authorities for guiding strategic decisions making (Epstein,
Verbeeten and Widener, 2016). Since, BBC operates actions to serve diverse nations, it can be
said that it needs to manage its entire working, efficiency and performances through emphasising
on all small or large areas. Moreover, it is found that external environment encompasses wide
range of opportunities but at same time, all carries high risk range. With it, it could be stated that
effective analysis related to external analysis cay encourage administration team of company
such as BBC to sustain in competition by easily pulling out. The below is PESTLE analysis of
BBC that assist people at authoritative position to administer different risk types and analyse
influences. In regards to this, dimensions of PESTLE analysis are beneath:
Political: Within external environment, Political factor is considered as essential one as it
impacts entire enterprise operations and practices. It is mainly linked with trade restrictions,
governmental federal legislations, political system stability and taxation provisions. For example,
BBC executes business activities for serving entire world, it is mandatory for them to follow
governed regulations which are imposed by nation’s government entire world. Due to stability of
political system in UK, BBC enjoys working as per unchanged regulation within the sector that
influences its decisions for broadcasting contents in positive manner. The factor is important for
respective entity as it operates within public sector which offers expansion opportunities to
business just like others are performing (Graetz and Franks, 2016).
Economic: Another factor that plays significant function for an organisation for its
development addition to expansion at global level. It is analysed that good economic status of
nation offers ample benefits to company in terms to revenue margins to volume of sales. It is
basically concerned with exchange rates, economic cycle stages and gross domestic product. For
example, within UK, BBC do not manage operations within commercial ground which
influences its content demands. Being a national institution addition to non profit organisation, it
gains funding from UK government and in current scenario, it is analysed that the government
has cut costs in their spending that influences its daily operations. In addition, growth in GDP as
well as fluctuations within rates related to exchange or interest also influences efficiency of
BBC.
3

Social: It involves ample number of dimensions associated with human perceptions,
dislikes, culture, demographic alterations and attitudes that influences sales figures of business
concerns (Gregory, 2019). For example, BBC telecast news content which are generally
associated with society along with many more similar things which influence its practices. The
social factor such as population demographics, class distribution and educational background
majorly influences BBC. Within UK, the company maintain its connection with interest addition
to priorities with targeted market that influences its efficiency positively. The factor is important
for BBC as it assist the company about health standards, prevailing environmental protections
and reactions of its clients for the telecasted content.
Technological: This factor is utilised for estimating available alternatives related to
technological capabilities. Business concerns consider technological factor as one of dimension
which influence functions and parathions at great extent. In present era, entire world is pursuing
towards digitalisation that helps organisations to expand themselves in those locations where not
been reached. Technological factors including recent technological developments, technological
breakthrough by competitors, diffusion or obsolete of techniques and improvements within them
influences BBC negatively. For example, when there are some new technologies available and
business needs to implement them then it requires huge investments that reduces margins of
revenue reserves that further shows negative impacts for other things. In UK nation, because of
increasing internet coverage in entire world, BBC has improved and enhanced its number of
websites that around 25 million people uses to get updated news on daily basis that has resulted
in positive influences on the company.
Legal: Dimensions concerned with standards of advertising, health and safety of
personnel, intellectual property legislations, rights together with authorities of customers are part
of legal factors that have potentiality for influencing company workings (He and Et. Al., 2018).
The government institutions additions to frameworks of UK are responsible for governing
legislation related factors within the nation. For example, intellectual property laws protect
patents together with ideas of firm such as BBC that achieves profits because of them. But when
some data is stolen or shared with competitors then it influences competitive edge of company
negatively. Moreover, selected business concern treats its people fairly by implemented all
related legislations that results in profitable situations which influences its sustainability in
positive manner.
4

Environmental: The environmental conditions of nations are different and according to
it companies executes their activities by considering environmental protections as norms
(Petkova-Georgieva, 2018). Existing weather situations and climatic changes are some
environmental factors that exist within external business environmental. For example, changes
inn weather conditions in UK in frequent manner may influence BBC to arrange and manage
availability of its content till distant locations. When updated broadcasting content is not
available on time, then it influences customer base of company in negative manner.
Porter's five force Analysis
The analysis is a framework that provides information about competition within the
industry (Herriott, 2016). By using the framework, BBC managers analyses competitiveness
within external business environment together with assist in identifying its strategy’s potential
profitability. The framework includes five forces that are illustrated in relevance with BBC as
under:
New entrant Threat: in context to the industry in which BBC works, economies of scale
are very difficult to accomplish for new entrants. In addition, capital requirements to enter in
such industry is also high that creates difficulty for new companies to set up business and operate
in the sector. Thus, new entrant threat is low for BBC which influences its potentials for making
significant position in the sector through following restricts licensing requirements and accessing
distribution networks.
Bargaining power of supplier: Suppliers in the sector where BBC operates are large in
number. The products delivered by suppliers are generally less differentiated, low switching cost
addition to fairly standardised due to which suppliers have less control on their prices (De Roo
and Miller, 2019). Hence, suppliers bargaining power are low which influence BBC to switch to
other supplier for getting standardised and differentiated broadcasting contents to achieve unique
position.
Bargaining power of buyers: Buyers have low powers in the sector wherein BBC
operates due to high product differentiations by distinct companies. They face difficulty in
searching alternative entity that produce specific content that influences BBC to provide them
demanded content at low costs and at high quality so to retain them for long durations.
Threat of substitute: Within the industry at which workings are performed BBC, social
websites, magazines, internet and huge mobile applications are some identified substitutes. The
5

broadcasting content delivered by BBC is similar with the content that other sources deliver but
BBC delivers at low cost then others which influence its position in positive manner. Thus, there
is high threat of substitute content for BBC that influences it to attract more audiences and
sustain position.
Competitive rivalry: Various companies provide weather, news addition to sports
related content in the UK (Huggins, 2018). Turner Broadcasting System, Channel 4, Sky PLC,
AMC Networks and FOX news are some of competitors of BBC. But being a public
broadcasting entity, respective firm is in leading position that covers more than 40 per cent
market share in UK through providing suitable and quality broadcasting content. Thus, there is
high competing rivalry for BBC that influences it to word hard for sustaining competing edge.
TASK 2
Analysis of relevance of theme to company and the ways it influences policies as well as
decision making
Marketing Communication mix:
The theme is one of crucial approach that is a combination of five tools that are used in
diverse combinations for communicating with prospective audiences (Huzzard, Benner and
Kärreman, 2017). Marketing communication mix is defined as business function that comprises
multiple components related to advertising, sales promotion and many more for communicate the
value of brand to consumer addition to build long lasting and strong customer relationships. It
describes blends of variables that are chosen by organisational marketers to reach the objectives.
The tool combination helps firms to raise awareness, driving sustained purchases of offerings
and reaching customer base. In relevance with BBC, marketing communication assist in
communicating detailed messages, promoting brand value and raising awareness among targeted
customers. The marketing communication tools are advertising, direct marketing, public
relations, personal selling and sales promotion. All these are some of elements that hugely
impacts decision making together with policies of company to great extent. The discussion of
various marketing communication mix tools in relevance with BBC are as follows:
6

Figure 1: Marketing Communication Mix. 2020
(Source: Marketing Communication Mix, 2020)
Advertising: It is an effective tool which generally grabs attention of potential customers
through usage of mass media platforms in order to deliver messages (Johnson, 2018). It is said to
any unpaid form to promote ideas or organisational offerings through identifiable sponsor. It
basically includes messages which a company pays for delivering by suitable mediums in order
to reach besieged audience. At the time of planning what to advertise or advertising content, it is
essential to ensure that the message is effective enough to target as many as possible customers
otherwise it will impact on existing policies addition to decisions that were made by
organisational managers. In context to BBC, the company puts advertising in its official websites
for distinct users. Along with this, various ads are uploaded by the entity managers in terms of
rich media ads, social network advertising, ads on search engine result pages and banner ads.
Managers of BBC uses advertising tool to boost its reach, communicate with different people
7

and offering them suitable content about the news that are to be provided in upcoming telecasts.
If some wrong content is delivered through advertisement them it influences the policies as well
as the decisions that are made by managers in collaboration to marketers in negative manner.
Public relation: The tool of marketing communication mix that encompasses building
good relations with the interested people media (Schaltegger and Burritt, 2017). Companies
make different departments in order to improve goodwill of business through successfully
implementing techniques of promotion. BBC uses public relation tool for making its image better
among public. Being a broadcasting company, it is important for it to make strong public
relation. The role of the public relation tool at respective firm is to achieve high credibility
through broadcasting trusting published news as well as articles that are catchy in nature that
leads in improving its customer base proportion. When the chosen company fails to make
effective relations with public then it influences the policies in negative manner as ineffective
relations leads to decline in customer base and poor image of entity in market.
Personal selling: It is another tool through which benefits of commodities are
communicated to end consumers as well as converting them into lead to ultimate together with
prospect customer (Junginger and Faust, 2016). Various top entities emphasis on delivering the
products through personal selling tool. In context to broadcasting sector, to deliver appropriate
content to the right audience, personal selling is mostly preferred so that they can gain insights
for solving their specific needs. It stresses on building relationships and turning leads for
improving content sales. The managing team of selected broadcasting entity identifies needs
together with preferences about content that customers prefers the most so which influences the
decisions as well as framed policies positively.
Direct marketing: It is highly personalised marketing communication mix tool that
emphasis on particular customers as well as approached through messages, emails addition to
social (White, 2016). It is an interactive way of communication with external people in which the
business seeks as well as implores suitable responses from potential customers. Moreover, direct
marketing includes consumer interaction. The direct marketing channels that are mostly used by
institutions includes online tools, direct selling, voicemail marketing, telemarketing, mobile and
community marketing. It is a form of communication within which business concerns
communicate with pre-selected population and offers framework for direct response. With direct
marketing campaigns, BBC reaches potential customers quickly and measures its efficiency. It
8

benefits in improving customer loyalty, helps pushing business and allows in measuring
performances of content. The company promotes its magazines and other products through direct
marketing strategies and modify its decisions as per customer responses and success of strategy
implementation.
Sales promotion: It is another valuable marketing communication mix element that
persuades potential population to purchase organisation offerings (Kearney, 2018). It is mainly
designed for used as tactic that boosts sales volume. Sales promotion is handy technique for
attaining goals such as stimulating demand, spreading brand information addition to stabilising
sales volume through persuading people to make product purchase. In context too BBC,
marketers uses the tool for remaining in competition, gaining trust and increasing awareness
about the brand. As BBC has most varied as well as largest portfolio of channels, services along
with networks of UK broadcaster which offer services through radio, social media addition to
television, needs to promote sales of its programmes and services for reaching audiences with
maximum values that influences its strategies and decisions in positive aspects.
Critical evaluation related to effectiveness of organisational response.
In present era, all business concerns uses suitable marketing communication mix element
or tool for improving its brand awareness among diverse number of people (Khojasteh, 2017).
The thought of marketing communication mix is generally a vast concept which supports
practices of business to grab attention of diverse customers towards the offerings. Through
implementing proper combination of communication mix tool, institutions are able the find out
actual desires of targeted people which help them to deliver appropriate commodities within
specific time frame which provides more satisfaction to consumers, BBC is broadcasting
company that provides local, regional together with national services by using online sources,
television, radio and so on so to retain scale as well as viewers impact. There are ample benefits
concerned with marketing communication mix and some are as discussed in response to BBC:
Assist internal management: marketing communication mix is vast concept which
supports together with helps managers to analyse and capture pertaining or emerging trends in
order to attract more proportion of audience. At BBC, suitable content are used by internal
managers for preparing advertisement scripts which assist them to deliver clear knowledge for
organisational programmes and services to large size audiences. When customers are aware
about channels, programmes and other related aspects about the respective entity they prefers to
9

use that so to get relevant updates about what is happening. This benefits the company to
improve its customer base and enhances efficiencies within particular duration.
Helps in modifying policies and strategies: Marketing communication mix helps
organisational members to modify policies as well as strategies through understanding the needs
of market (Masocha, 2018). It is possible when organisational members determine appropriate
customer group along with their desires and needs. Through the marketing communication mix
tools, BBC telecasts information on various channels that helps in understanding what audiences
want so that they can modify their ways of existing programmes in such manner that deliver
content as per the needs of audiences. Thus, for fulfilling the population needs and wants,
management brings various changes within their channels, programmes addition to services.
With this, respective entity accomplishes success within short time span as large population
watches its broadcasted content that improves its brand image in international market.
From the discussed information it can be stated that all elements of marketing communication
mix are interrelated with one another. When the marketers only emphasis on single or individual
element or tool then they are unable to frame meaningful decisions. Marketing communication
mix concept is linked with encouraging particular service so it is crucial for administrators to
consider each and every business aspect for gaining values of customer. For example, through
personal selling as well as sales promotion, the entity come in close addition to contact with pre
selected population for analysing actual needs for delivering the content (Oyevaar, Vazquez-
Brust and Van Bommel, 2016). At same time, advertisement helps audiences to get known for
particular services which are offered by broadcasting institution. Along with this, the entity also
collects reviews and feedbacks for the content that are broadcasted on different channels which
helps them to bring possible changes in the workings that increases customer base and sales of
commodities. With all these benefits, BBC improves its entire work structure. Despite of huge
advantages of marketing communication mix , there are few limitations of it which are discussed
as below:
Extensive and uneconomical in nature: Marketing communication mix idea is majorly
more extensive as well as uneconomical in nature as it needs more time with huge efforts to
make powerful and effective policies through which business concern such as BBC are not able
to implement decisions or make any modifications within set time frame. Alternations are
10

important for programmes and practise but when company fails to execute properly then it
impacts decision making negatively (Wilton, 2016).
Ignores various essentials: Marketing communication mix tools are generally used at
BBC to conduct as well as analysing prime perceptions of preselected audiences for framing
decisions according to the wants but it ignores various areas which are essentials at the time
decisions are made by managers. All these impacts retaining customers with the diverse
programmes, channels, networks and services within which contents related to local and national
ongoing are broadcasted and reduces attention of new customers also.
Areas of improvement
Improvement areas are those ongoing areas which needs some type of improvements.
Few of the areas that need improvement at BBC through implementing effective marketing
communication mix are the followings:
One of the improvement area of BBC is its sales promotion in which the company needs
to improve channels and networks so to gain public trust and remain in competition. The
company requires more sales promotions for its programmes along with services among
preselected audiences that will improve its valuables and market shares.
As BBC serves worldwide areas, thus, company needs to improve their manpower
through provide training and developments for improving their knowledge, experience and skill
sets to collect suitable information and broadcast it in attractive manner.
Along with this, managers also needs to improve their marketing techniques to reach towards
distant located population by adopt techniques like global marketing which will help in proper
communications with will located people and providing them suitable information about
changes or happenings in the local, national and regional areas.
CONCLUSION
The above assessment concludes that contemporary developments within organisational
management are important in present era as to enhance all business units according to upcoming
trends and techniques. Primary external influences encompasses factors which are least
controlled by entities and results in much impacts of tasks, workings and practices of institutions.
These influences are mainly analysis by suitable frameworks such as Porter’s Five force and
PESTLE analysis. In context to Porter’s five force framework, competition of business are
11

identified that helps in adjusting policies and strategies which suits competing environment as
well as improve organisational potential profits. In relevance with PESTLE analysis, influences
of macro environmental factors are monitored which have huge impacts on business actions and
performance. Marketing communication mix entails communication tools that entities opt for
pursing towards objectives. Organisation people use suitable communication mix to market
products or offerings which help in increasing revenues and enhancing brand picture. The
communication mix tools are some crucial ways for building effective relationships with
preselected population and exchange values.
12

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Dave, B., 2017. Business process management–a construction case study. Construction
Innovation. 17(1). pp.50-67.
De Roo, G. and Miller, D. eds., 2019. Compact cities and sustainable urban development: A
critical assessment of policies and plans from an international perspective. Routledge.
Epstein, M. J., Verbeeten, F. and Widener, S.K. Eds., 2016. Performance measurement and
management control: contemporary issues. Emerald Group Publishing.
Graetz, G. and Franks, D. M., 2016. Conceptualising social risk and business risk associated with
private sector development projects. Journal of Risk Research. 19(5). pp.581-601.
Gregory, V. L., 2019. Collection development and management for 21st century library
collections: an introduction. American Library Association.
He, F. and Et. Al., 2018. Contemporary corporate eco-innovation research: A systematic
review. Journal of cleaner production. 174. pp.502-526.
Herriott, S. R., 2016. Metrics for sustainable business: Measures and standards for the
assessment of organizations. Routledge.
Huggins, R., 2018. The business of networks: Inter-firm interaction, institutional policy and the
TEC experiment. Routledge.
Huzzard, T., Benner, M. and Kärreman, D. eds., 2017. The corporatization of the business
school: Minerva meets the market. Taylor & Francis.
Johnson, P., 2018. Fundamentals of collection development and management. American Library
Association.
Junginger, S. and Faust, J. eds., 2016. Designing business and management. Bloomsbury
Publishing.
Kearney, R., 2018. Public sector performance: management, motivation, and measurement.
Routledge.
Khojasteh, Y., 2017. Supply chain risk management. Springer, Singapore.
Masocha, R., 2018. Delineating Small Businesses’ Firm Performance from a Contemporary
Sustainable Development Approach in South Africa. Acta Universitatis Danubius.
Œconomica, 14(7).
Oyevaar, M., Vazquez-Brust, D. and Van Bommel, H., 2016. Globalization and sustainable
development: a business perspective. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Petkova-Georgieva, S., 2018. Development analysis and contemporary condition assessment of
the world market of outsourcing services. Izvestia Journal of the Union of Scientists-
Varna. Economic Sciences Series,7 (3), pp.262-270.
Schaltegger, S. and Burritt, R., 2017. Contemporary environmental accounting: issues, concepts
and practice. Routledge.
White, G., 2016. Reward management. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Wilton, N., 2016. An introduction to human resource management. Sage.
Online:
Marketing communication mix. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://marketingmix.co.uk/communication/>
13