BTEC L3 Business Communication: Information, Methods, and Evaluation

This report provides a comprehensive overview of business communication, covering various aspects such as different types of business information, their sources, and purposes, including verbal, written, on-screen, multimedia, and web-based information. It presents complex internal business information using written and verbal methods and produces corporate communications, evaluating the external corporate communications of Cadbury. The report also explains the legal and ethical issues related to the use of business information, such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and discusses operational issues including data security, backups, and business continuity plans. Furthermore, it outlines electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information, considering factors like audience age, attention span, and accessibility needs.

Business Communication

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1Explain different types of business information, their sources and purposes.........................1
P2 Present complex internal business information using three different methods appropriate. .2
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
P3 Produce corporate communications. .....................................................................................3
P4 Evaluate the external corporate communications of an existing product or service..............3
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................4
P5 Explain the legal and ethical issues in relation to the use of business information...............4
P6 Explain the operational issues in relation to the use of business information.......................4
P7 Outline electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information. . .5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
.........................................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
In this recent time period, employment relationship plays important role in every
organisation because as per the working environment and employee relationship they will
perform their decided task. Due to, communication is an effective process which assist make
unity among all over workers as well as better understanding. Moreover, this research project
will be discussing about different type of information methods and their purposes for achieving
them who are running in the competitive market place (Kaul, 2014). In the addition of this,
corporate communication will be produced in appropriate manner. Communication procedure
affected by several issues such as legal and ethical which will be defining in effective and
efficient way. In this research project Cadbury organisation has chosen, which is an second
largest confectionery brand across all over the world.
TASK 1
P1Explain different types of business information, their sources and purposes.
Verbal Information: Verbal communication can either be done face to face or over the
phone. The most effective way to communicate would be face to face, as there is less chance of
misunderstanding and it allows for verbal and non-verbal messages. The advantage of using
verbal information would be because it is much easier to communicate verbally that any other
way. This is because you can understand the body language used and the tone, whereas in written
information sometimes the tone can be misunderstood. You get to understand every detail that it
being spoken by the other person (Du, Bhattacharya and Sen, 2010).
Written Information: Written communication allows businesses to communicate
developments, expectations and legalities to employees and contracts in the outside world. It is
the symbols of verbal communication. Written communication involves any type of message that
makes use of the written word. It is the most important and the most effective of business
communication (Smart, Witt and Scott, 2012). An advantage of written communication is there
is no need for personal contact, you can tell an employee he or she has to work overtime through
an email rather than wasting time and doing it face to face. However there are some
disadvantages to written communication, which can mean there can sometimes be a delay and it
can take a while to get to the recipient. It is important everyone in the business can develop
effective written communication skills.
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On-screen information: This is where information may be produced on screen. For
example, this could include a multimedia clip, a power point, a video, or an email. All of this is
available on screen, and can be made easy to read and clear. This is a fast and effective way of
collecting information (DeKay, 2012). For example if Cadbury needed to train someone in a
specific area. They may use a power point, as this is an effective and quick way of training them.
On-screen communication can also have disadvantages a lot of things on screen or over the
internet is false.
Multimedia Information: Multimedia communication is through animation, audio,
graphics, text and full motion video through computer hardware and software for education,
entertainment or training. Multimedia communication can be used to advertise products for sale
and to allow users to buy products online and to use online services, for example online banking.
They can also be used to present information on a wide number of areas.
Web based information: Web based communication displays many benefits of
technology. Using today’s fast broadband connections it is possible to stream sophisticated
content to a computer anywhere in the world. This is a massive advantage as the information can
be received and read wherever and whenever it is convenient for them, which can be a crucial
factor for a busy executive. Web based information is an information system that uses internet
web technologies to deliver information and services to users or other companies.
P2 Present complex internal business information using three different methods appropriate
Cadbury is one of the largest confectionery brand across all over the world. It sells
chocolates, beverages, biscuits and so more (Berry, 2011).
Written- Written communication involves any type of interaction that makes us use the
form of a written word. It is one of the main types of communication used. Written
communication is used a lot in a business as written communication involves reports, letter,
instruction, agreements, memos and policies. Written communication is the most appropriate
when detailed instructions are required, when something needs to be documented, or when the
person is too far away to easily speak with over the phone or in person.
Verbal communication- It has more to do with listening then speaking as you are always
dealing with an audience. Verbal communication is best when you need to discuss something in
detail. There are two types of verbal communication. One is through an electrical device and the
second is face-to-face. With verbal communication it allows quick response. Its competitiors
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uses verbal communication because you can say precisely what you mean without any confusion.
It allows passage of accurate information.
TASK 2
P3 Produce corporate communications.
Corporate Communication is a set of activities involved in managing and orchestrating all
internal and external communications aimed at creating favourable point of view among
stakeholders on which the company depends. It is the messages issued by a corporate
organization, body, or institute to its audiences, such as employees, media, channel partners and
the general public. Organizations aim to communicate the same message to all its stakeholders,
to transmit coherence, credibility and ethic (Lauring, 2011).
Various departments and employees of the organisations are connected through
communication network by phones, face-to-face discussion, e-mail, fax, memos, etc. to convey
orders, instructions and information, to supervise and evaluate performance, to understand and
perform individual job, to identify and solve a problem and, ultimately, to fulfil the objectives of
the organisation.
External communication with the customers, vendors, distributors, competitors, investors,
government agencies, etc., through letters, reports, memos, phones, faxes, websites, internet, etc.,
are made to introduce, negotiate, co-ordinate, explain, interact, discuss and to develop co-
operation and understanding.
Therefore, corporate communication refers to a process of communication through which
the managers, supervisors and executives exchange their views, opinions, feelings, etc. with the
subordinates and employees in any corporate organisation and negotiate with the outside world
with a view to fulfilling the objectives of the organisation (Bisel, Messersmith and Kelley, 2012).
P4 Evaluate the external corporate communications of an existing product or service.
External business communication is the exchange of information and messages between
an organization and its external customers outside its formal structure. One way Cadbury
communicates to its external customers is their website.
There are many different methods used by the company’s website and these are: the use
of images, the use of fonts, Packaging and the page layout. The use of images can enhance a
communication to an audience, as we tend to remember more of what we see than what we hear,
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therefore showing images is a better way of communicated the message to the public, and also
helps the audience remember the message. The best ways to communicate through images are to:
Ensure the images are relevant to what is being sold or presented, make sure the colours are Co-
ordinated, prevent them from being too distracting. These ways will make sure your images gain
impact, which will make sure most of your audience will give attention, illustrate the point being
made loud and clear, explain something more clearly and make a point very strongly. Fonts are a
design for a set of characters (Verboven, 2011).
TASK 3
P5 Explain the legal and ethical issues in relation to the use of business information.
Most people do not feel safe in putting their personal staff on different social networks
like Facebook and Twitter, the reason being of many hackers invading other people's privacy.
Most businesses have different information about people working for them, that's when the Data
Protection Act 1998 protects the information held about people being misused. The information
usually on the company's database must be: obtained fairly and lawfully, only to be used for the
purposes stated during collection, adequate relevant and not excessive in relation to the intended
use, accurate and up to date, not kept for longer than necessary, proceed in line with your rights
and also protected from transfer to an area outside the European Economic Area unless adequate
protection exists for that data in the area (Sweeney and Hua, 2010).
There is also Freedom of Information Act 2000 (that came to effect in 2005) this includes
Right of access to information held by public authorities. This is when a person request
information to public authority, the authority has to be informed in writing by the public
authority whether it holds information of the description specified in the request, and if that is the
case, to have that information communicated back to them.
P6 Explain the operational issues in relation to the use of business information.
In every organisation they need to store a lot of information which some can be more
important that others, this is means important information needs to taken very seriously with
security of information to be put into place using passwords and security questions. this task is
down to the management deals with maintaining the integrity and availability of organisational
information and knowledge (Jones, 2011). One of Facebook rules is that account holder has to be
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the person who makes it, therefore can't be a fake account being made this will lead to false
information, which is illegal to do so.
Backups is also one of the operation issues as most businesses have developed programs
constantly to try to minimise the risk of losing vital information stored on IT servers. This
involves producing backups of information stored on the servers. Some companies back up
constantly and some less frequently. For example if the Facebook user device to leave Facebook
they will keep your profile just increase you choose to become a member again. like for photos
and wall post. When a user comes back they do not have to go the same procedure of signing in
but they can just activate their account as all their information will be backed up so they can just
continue.
Health and safety Is also one of operational system and so are business continuance plans
and costs. Business continuance plans are the steps that a company puts into place to make sure it
is capable of surviving a worst-case scenario. Facebook being completely free means it has any
business continuance plans and costs (van den Born and Peltokorpi, 2010).
P7 Outline electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information
Outline the different types of electronic and non-electronic methods of communicating
business information, using examples for different types of audience. Age and Attention Span
The majority of younger people can not concentrate for a long time compared to older or more
educated people who can focus or listen for a longer period of time. Special needs of audience
Accessibility Large fonts in leasts, PowerPoint presentations etc. should be used for people who
are partially sighted. In relation to visually impaired people, colours like green and yellow should
be avoided.
Illustration 1: Business
communication, 2017
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(Source- Business communication, 2017)
The way that information is sent depends on the audience, the factors of the audience
include; age and attention span, gender and ethnicity, special needs and accessibility, reading
ability, legibility, interest, distraction avoidance, and business relation experience and
knowledge. There are many non-electronic methods that can be used to communicate business
information, these methods include letters, memorandum, fax, invoice, flow charts and publicity
material. A letter is a formal piece of documentation which can be used when Cadbury is
informing or responding to someone outside the organisation. The letter has to be clear and
concise because people outside the organisation are reading it and will judge the organisation
depending on how well the letter presents itself.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned this research project it has been concluded that,
communication process played important role in every business firm. Because with the help of
this, easy to communicate and interact persons. In the addition of this, here has been defined
several kind of issues and factors which directly impacted upon working system of organisation
as well as profitability.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Berry, G. R., 2011. Enhancing effectiveness on virtual teams: Understanding why traditional
team skills are insufficient. The Journal of Business Communication (1973). 48(2).
pp.186-206.
Bisel, R. S., Messersmith, A. S. and Kelley, K. M., 2012. Supervisor-subordinate
communication: Hierarchical mum effect meets organizational learning. The Journal of
Business Communication (1973). 49(2). pp.128-147.
DeKay, S. H., 2012. Interpersonal communication in the workplace: A largely unexplored
region. Business Communication Quarterly. 75(4). pp.449-452.
Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B. and Sen, S., 2010. Maximizing business returns to corporate social
responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication. International Journal of
Management Reviews. 12(1). pp.8-19.
Jones, C. G., 2011. Written and computer-mediated accounting communication skills: An
employer perspective. Business Communication Quarterly. 74(3). pp.247-271.
Kaul, A., 2014. Effective business communication. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..
Lauring, J., 2011. Intercultural organizational communication: The social organizing of
interaction in international encounters. The Journal of Business Communication (1973).
48(3). pp.231-255.
Smart, K. L., Witt, C. and Scott, J. P., 2012. Toward learner-centered teaching: An inductive
approach. Business Communication Quarterly. 75(4). pp.392-403.
Sweeney, E. and Hua, Z., 2010. Accommodating toward your audience: do native speakers of
English know how to accommodate their communication strategies toward nonnative
speakers of English? The Journal of Business Communication (1973). 47(4). pp.477-
504.
van den Born, F. and Peltokorpi, V., 2010. Language policies and communication in
multinational companies: Alignment with strategic orientation and human resource
management practices. The Journal of Business Communication (1973). 47(2). pp.97-
118.
Verboven, H., 2011. Communicating CSR and business identity in the chemical industry
through mission slogans. Business Communication Quarterly. 74(4). pp.415-431.
Online
Business Communication Solutions, 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.a1comms.co.uk/business-communication-solutions/>. [Accessed on 21st
August 2017]
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