MGT502 - Business Communication: Digital Tools & Amazon's Strategy

This report examines the importance of effective business communication, particularly through digital tools, within organizations. It highlights the evolution of communication from traditional methods to digital platforms like intranets and social media, emphasizing the benefits, disadvantages, and strategic implementation of these tools. The report uses Amazon as a case study, illustrating how the company leverages digital communication to engage employees, promote transparency, and foster a positive work environment. It also discusses the challenges and potential solutions in implementing digital communication strategies, including the need for openness, trust, and timely information dissemination. The analysis considers the impact of millennials' preference for digital communication and offers recommendations for enhancing Amazon's current communication mix to improve employee engagement and organizational effectiveness. The report concludes by underscoring the central role of digital communication in modern business environments and its potential to create a more connected and collaborative workplace.

Running Head: Business Communication
Business Communication
Business Proposal

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Introduction
Communication is an integral part of the business organization, and it is indeed pivotal
to ensure openness in communication which leads to effectiveness and efficiency in the
business organization. Effective communication is important not only to follow the
chain of command, but also to ensure that there exists a healthy relationship between
all the business function and the employees are empowered through effective business
communication. Effective business communication also leads to establishment of a
positive work environment which serve as motivation for them. Business are
increasingly moving towards the solution which lets a person interact with other at ease
with no or less resistance to initiating or having a communication(Lucius & Hanson,
2016).
The purpose of the proposal here is to emphasise on the importance of business
communication and create a strategy to ensure effectiveness of the proposed business
communication. Digital in the present day is playing an important role in business
communication, whether it may be the use of the Intranet or social media platforms, in
both the forms the platforms have to be leveraged to ensure the delivery of the
communication message. Thus, the report will focus on evolution of the intranet, benefit
of the Intranet, disadvantages of Intranet and how digital tools can be used to create
good communication in the business organization. Thus, the preamble to the report is
based on finding of effective communication methods within a business environment.

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Background
The previous assignment was closely based on the importance of communication in the
present day business organization. It has been mentioned in the assignment that
communication has drastically evolved over the last decade and traditional modes of
communication have been replaced by digital communication. Organization is actively
using the social media platforms to drive engagement and conversation with the
employees. It has also been pointed that in order to create an effective communication
strategy, the first step is that the strategy has to be in line with the vision of the
organization which has to be followed by transparent exchange of information between
the relevant parties or the stakeholders. The last step in creation of a communication
strategy is the time factor and the content of the communication in reaching the top
hierarchy from the bottom level(Gan, Menkhoff & Smith, 2015).
All this has been possible due to the advent of Internet and rapid proliferation of the
internet amongst the business organization. Digital came just after the internet and
started spreading its wings to cover the entire ecosystem of business communication
and make it turn into an engaging and effective way of communication. Facebook, Blogs,
Chat forum like Slack did to the organization what e-mails, notice boards, reports and
verbal communication could not do to the business organization.
Context
Amazon is the largest e-commerce player which has revolutionized and disrupted the
entire e-commerce spectrum. Amazon believes that its customers are its biggest asset
and the company thus revolves all policies around its customers. This does not imply
that Amazon does not take good care of its employees; it is highly employee centric and
focuses on engaging its employees using digital communication strategy. Amazon uses
plethora of digital communication strategies to keep its employees motivated and stick
with the organization.

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At Amazon, the CEO Jeff Bezos believes in work-life harmony and to ensure that it
empowers its employees in important decision making situation and keeps them
engaged in all the important business decisions. Jeff Bezos emphasised that at Amazon
the teams and the managers have to necessarily maintain openness in communication
which is built on the pillars of timeframe, trust, relationship and honesty. In order to do
away with any grapevine or any rumours in the business organization, Jeff Bezos gives
away any important news through social media platform Facebook for business or
through his official twitter handle. This way the employees and the organization are
able to develop trust and faith in the leadership thus leading to a positive work
environment (Dron & Anderson, 2014).
Proposal
The report in depth will focus on effective in business communication in the
organization using the digital tools of communication. The intent of the report here is to
develop an understanding for the readers and the importance of effectiveness in
business communication. The report at length will discuss various obstacles in the road
of effective business communication and how the business organization can resolve it
using the contemporary tools of communication.
The entire world has become more like a Global village, thanks to the Internet and
growth of social media platforms. In a population of over 7.2 billion people. Over 3.4
billion people are social media users and over 3.8 Billion people are active Internet
users. Thus, the report will illustrate how and why the digital communication becomes
highly inevitable to be implemented in the organization and what are its potential
advantages over the traditional means of communication(Tagg, 2015)
The report will also discuss the various digital communication strategies or tools which
Amazon uses or can use to implement its digital communication strategy. The tools used
in the strategy will be a reflection of what the company has been doing, or what can it
do, to further enhance the effectiveness of the communication. Towards the end of the
report, a critical analysis of the digital communication channels will also be mentioned
to understand the topic in comprehensiveness. Millennial are domination the culture of
the present day organization, and millennial are the ones who prefer digital

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communication over any other channel, because of the engagement and real time
tracking ability of the platforms.
In the very end, a set of recommendation will also be suggested to Amazon to improve
its present day communication mix to increase the scope of communication it has with
its employees. The need of the hour is to create an environment of openness in
communication, transparency in communication and more so to nurture and create an
environment which is worthy of praise. Digital communication no doubt will play a
central role in the report and will make the readers understand the scope and role of
digital communication in the present day business organizations.

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References
Dron, J., & Anderson, T. (2014). Teaching crowds: Learning and social media. Athabasca
University Press.
Gan, B., Menkhoff, T., & Smith, R. (2015). Enhancing students’ learning process through
interactive digital media: New opportunities for collaborative
learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 652-663.
Lucius, H. W., & Hanson, J. H. (2016). Consumerism and Marketing in the Digital
Age. American Journal of Management, 16(3), 41.
Tagg, C. (2015). Exploring digital communication: Language in action. Routledge.