Business Communication Analysis and Strategy Report for TESCO PLC

This report examines business communication strategies, focusing on TESCO PLC. It begins with an introduction to business information types, sources, and their purposes, followed by an analysis of internal and competitive information. The report then delves into presenting complex internal business information through various formats and producing corporate communications, with an evaluation of external corporate communications. It assesses the effectiveness of business information and communication as key contributors to organizational success. Furthermore, the report explores the legal, ethical, and operational issues related to business information usage, including data protection and codes of practice. Finally, it outlines electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information. The report uses examples to illustrate its points, providing a comprehensive overview of business communication within the context of TESCO PLC.

BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1. Explain different types of business information, where the information originates from
and the purpose of the information and analyse them.................................................................3
Internal........................................................................................................................................3
Competitive Information.............................................................................................................4
M1. Analyse different types of business information and their sources.....................................4
D1. Evaluate the appropriateness of business information used to make strategic decisions.....4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
P2. Present complex internal business information using written document, verbal
presentation and power point as appropriate in the context........................................................5
P3. Produce corporate communications for your chosen organisation.......................................5
P4. Evaluate the external corporate communications of an existing product or service.............6
D2. Evaluate the effectiveness of business information and its communication as key
contributors to the success of an organisation, using examples to illustrate your points............6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
P5. Explain the legal and ethical issues in relation to the use of business information..............6
P6. Explain the operational issues in relation to the use of business information......................7
M2. Analyse the legal, ethical and operational issues in relation to the use of business
information, using appropriate examples....................................................................................8
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
P7. Outline electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information,
using examples for different types of audience...........................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
A business needs accurate and relevant information from internal and external sources in
order to operate profitably. Proper collection of data creates an environment where informed
decisions can be taken for the benefit of the business. In order to manage information effectively,
there must be good communication systems within the organisation. Staff must possess good
verbal and written skills in order to communicate and share information. Business information
can be used to obtain competitive advantage and promote efficiency. Organisations generate
information internally, recording details of products manufactured, purchased and sold, and their
associated costs (Arnold and Boggs, 2015). Businesses use information to manage not only what
is currently happening in the organisation but also to plan for the future and ensure their survival.
Information is collected, stored, manipulated, analysed and reported to those who need to use it.
People need to become skilled manipulators and users of information to ensure organisations
become more efficient and succeed in achieving their stated purposes. Since the development of
the personal computer and more recently the internet, communication methods have changed
significantly. Gathering relevant information from a range of sources is a skill that needs to be
developed using electronic and non-electronic sources. The below report is based on the business
communication measures of TESCO PLC UK that is operating in the retail industrial sector of
UK.
TASK 1
P1. Explain different types of business information, where the information originates from and
the purpose of the information and analyse them
Every business needs information to help it succeeds. A combination of internal and
external business information resources can provide the background necessary to evaluate
current performance and plan future progress (Beebe, Beebe and Redmond, 2011). Knowing the
types of information resources that are most critical to business can help companies plan for
capturing, analysing and using that information most effectively.
Internal
The first source of information that businesses should turn to is the information they
already have. Every business will have the ability to gather information about employees, about
sales and about customers (Crowley and Heyer, 2015). Setting up systems and processes for

gathering the right information can help business owners track, trend, analyse and act upon
business that gives them clues into such issues as what drives employee satisfaction, the products
most demanded by customers, areas of employee and customers satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
Competitive Information
No business is without competition and gathering information about competitors is
critical. Fortunately, this is easier than ever to do with the advent of the Internet (Griffin, 2013).
Through search and through participation in social media--sites including Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn--businesses can gain competitive intelligence about what others are doing.
M1. Analyse different types of business information and their sources
 Company information – this can be obtained from the company websites.
 Market information – this can be obtained from statistics, data and surveys on the UK
market.
 Product/industrial information – this can be obtained from the various industrial
magazines.
 Financial information- This is obtained from the annual reports of organizations.
D1. Evaluate the appropriateness of business information used to make strategic decisions
It is appropriate is because it was based on the sales, benefits and loses information the
financial department obtained from their on-screen data. Marketing What types of information
the marketing department requires? The marketing department at TESCO will need information
regarding the marketing activities that TESCO performs in order to attract new customer, to
promote new products and services and to communicate offers and deals to customers (Hargie,
Boohan and Murphy, 2010). This department within TESCO needs all sorts of information
including on-screen information, written information, verbal information etc... The marketing
department of TESCO mostly requires types of information such as how effective the business?s
marketing activities are on their target customers and the general public. This department uses
on-screen communication which allows them to allow them to gather the opinion of customers

on their activities such advertisements promotions and how this connects with these customers
and the general public.
TASK 2
P2. Present complex internal business information using written document, verbal presentation
and power point as appropriate in the context
Main points
 TESCO has had a difficult financial year (2014-2015).
 The prices of shares have continually fallen over the past few years, starting when Sir
 Terry Leahy stepped down as CEO in 2010.
 The share prices didn’t start to properly fall until towards the end of the 2011-2012 tax
year.
 In April 2012 the profits fell 1% for the first time in 20 years
 Share prices began to recover towards the end of the 2012-2013 tax year
 The share prices hit a low in the middle of the 2014-2015 tax year
P3. Produce corporate communications for your chosen organisation
Corporate content is everywhere nowadays. Whether it's website copy, blog posts, tweets
or emails, digital communications represent your company to the online world, and are an
important component of its branding strategy. But if your corporate language is too unclear, it
may be doing your brand more harm than good. Following are the tips to help brands improve
their corporate communication strategy.
Define your voice- Today's brands are expected to communicate with customers through a wide
range of channels. Even in smaller companies, it's likely that more than one person is responsible
for writing and sending out this official corporate content. Identifying and defining an authentic
brand voice will ensure that all communications are consistent, no matter who's creating them.
Avoid industry jargon- Every industry has its own specialized terms, especially in the rapidly
growing tech sector. While using "technospeak" (or your industry's language) is fine for internal
messages, the use of jargon in your newsletters, Web pages, social media posts and other
communications meant for customers will likely only confuse them (Kissane, Bylund, and
D'Agostino, 2012).

Learn from social media- It has been noted that companies often try to figure out how to apply
their brand voice to social media. In some cases, it's actually more beneficial to work backward
and look at it from the opposite perspective.
P4. Evaluate the external corporate communications of an existing product or service
External communication strategies underpin how a business connects with stakeholders
outside of the organisation. These messages influence external stakeholders opinions about a
brand and its products or services. Enterprise’s external communication strategies are focused on
its customers, potential customers, potential recruits and local communities (Koprowska, 2014).
Enterprise’s customer base can be divided into business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-
consumer (B2C) customers. B2B customers require rental vehicles for employees whereas B2C
customers have individual vehicle hire needs. Enterprise uses a different communication strategy
for B2C (communication with retail customers) compared to B2B customers (communication
with other businesses).
D2. Evaluate the effectiveness of business information and its communication as key
contributors to the success of an organisation, using examples to illustrate your points
Organization use information systems to achieve its various strategy as well as short-term
and long-term goals. Development of information systems was to improve productivity and
business effectiveness of organization. Success of information systems is highly dependent on
the prevalent organization structure, management style and overall organization environment
(Salmon and Young, 2011). With correct development, deployment and usage of information
systems, organization can achieve lower costs, improved productivity, growth in top-line as well
as the bottom-line and competitive advantage in the market. The readiness of workers into
accepting the information systems is the key in realizing the full potential of them. Development
and deployment of information systems have revolutionized the way business is conducted. It
has contributed to business effectiveness and increased in productivity.
TASK 3
P5. Explain the legal and ethical issues in relation to the use of business information
Data of protection Act 1998 This act has been created to protect the personal information
of customers and stop them from being wrongly used. This Act concerns any business who keeps
the personal data of their clients. It is very important for businesses who keep these sorts of

information to * Acquire them lawfully * Make sure they are used for what they say they were
going to use it for * Make sure the information acquired is correct and accurate * Make sure the
information are kept up to date * Make sure information are processed in line with the customers
rights. It is also important because it protects the personal information of computer users stored
on computers Codes of practices The codes of practices are usually installed in companies to
make sure that business ethics on various matters are maintained and respected (Ting-Toomey
and Chung, 2012) Use of email * The ethics on email requires that email should not be used to
shrink responsibilities * They should be used for the communication really confidential
information * Email can be used for long-term storage * Emails can't be used to send large
amount of information Internet * The code of practice at TESCO regarding the use of internet
states that Individuals cannot or are not allowed to: * Publishing, transmitting, linking to,
disseminating or making available in any way any unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive,
threatening, harmful, vulgar, obscene, racist or otherwise objectionable material * publishing,
transmitting, linking to, disseminating or making available in any way material that encourages
conduct that constitutes a criminal offence, results in civil liability or otherwise breaches any
relevant laws, regulations or code of practice.
P6. Explain the operational issues in relation to the use of business information
Security of information, is when a organisation has to make sure that all information held
at the origination is safe and not accessible by unauthorized personnel, if it is accessed by
unauthorized personnel than the organisation is liable The way that this relates to TESCO PLC is
through the following, TESCO PLC are a organisation that holds information about their
customers and suppliers and in order to protect the information they have security procedures
that help TESCO PLC protect the information being accessed by unauthorised personnel
Backups: In information technology, a backup, or the process of backing up, refers to the
copying and archiving of computer data so it may be used to restore the original after a data loss
event (Barth and Lannen, 2011). The organisation is in charge of such continuance plans, the
organisation can provide guidance and instructions to employees, they communicate this through
training and emails or meetings Business continuance (sometimes referred to as business
continuity) describes the processes and procedures an organization puts in place to ensure that
essential functions can continue during and after a disaster. Business continuance planning seeks
to prevent interruption of mission-critical services, and to re-establish full functioning as swiftly

and smoothly as possible. TESCO PLC as have such procedures, in case of an emergency one of
their backup is their backup station as it has a copy of the information that might have been
destroyed in the disaster.
M2. Analyse the legal, ethical and operational issues in relation to the use of business
information, using appropriate examples
The more sophisticated the system is the more and extra training the staff will require in
order to operate the new system. The new sophisticated system will impact TESCO PLC as they
would have to pay for the training of the new staff, TESCO PLC will have to also take into
consideration how they will make the changes occur, if TESCO PLC will make the new system
affective straight away or transitionally (put in the new system 100 stores at a time), any new
system will have to be implemented through making the least disruption to the organisation
(Berkhof and et.al., 2011). Through the impact of the new system it will benefit TESCO PLC as
they will have an efficient this will also increase the financial benefits for TESCO PLC More
trained personnel: Trained personnel is when a organisation trains personnel to be able to do the
job that the organisation requires them to do, in the training it holds information that will benefit
the employee in future roles, the training also provides information about health and safety
procedures This also relates to TESCO PLC as they also have to train personnel so they have
sufficient knowledge and understanding in order for them to do the role effectively and
sufficiently.
TASK 4
P7. Outline electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information,
using examples for different types of audience
Electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information I am
going to 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. Younger people respond
more to videos, images and PowerPoint presentations, whereas older people might prefer to read
reports etc., (Gray, 2010). Age, gender and ethnicity Interacting with the audience by reflecting
on their ethnic background, gender, interests and their experiences is an effective way to

illustrate your explanations. Special needs of audience Accessibility Large fonts in leaflets,
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. People who have a
hearing disability should be sat at the front of the audience, so it is easier for them to lip read the
person or people who are speaking. Some people who have mobility problems, such as wheel
chairs need to have enough space for ease of access; therefore chairs along the side should be
removed.
Mobile Phones This communication is available on the move. This method can be used to
send a text message to the customer to remind them about there next payment. For example a
customer might receive a text to remind them that they need to pay for the next monthly bill for
their recently purchased contract phone. A mobile phone is an ideal method for a business as it is
easy to communicate (Guffey and Loewy, 2010). If somebody is engaged on the phone then they
can contact them by sending a text message and the message will be received as soon as the other
person has finished on the phone. They can also contact customers or their boss if they are
running late for a business meeting etc. WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) this technology is
used by portable communication devices. This method can be used to purchase good. An
example of this could be a customer that wants to purchase a product but does not have enough
time to visit the store, they could instead, go on to the internet and visit the business's website
and purchase the desired topic online.
CONCLUSION
One of the major problems faced by the employers relating to interpersonal problems is
'communication'. This problem of communication can be solved by trying to understand the
communication process first and afterwards trying to improve it. This would provide the
managers with a skill for communicating more effectively. Identifying the relevant barriers to
communication is always the vital first step in order to minimise the impact that they may have.
"It's not always easy and often takes a lot of determination. But making an effort to remove the
obstacles - tangible and intangible - that stand in our way can be the key to building relationships
that really work."

REFERENCES
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Arnold, E.C. and Boggs, K.U., 2015. Interpersonal relationships: Professional communication
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Barth, J. and Lannen, P., 2011. Efficacy of communication skills training courses in oncology: a
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Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S.J. and Redmond, M.V., 2011. Interpersonal communication. Allyn &
Bacon.
Berkhof, M. and et.al., 2011. Effective training strategies for teaching communication skills to
physicians: an overview of systematic reviews. Patient education and counseling. 84(2).
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Crowley, D. and Heyer, P., 2015. Communication in history: Technology, culture, society.
Routledge.
Gray, F.E., 2010. Specific oral communication skills desired in new accountancy graduates.
Business communication quarterly. 73(1). pp.40-67.
Griffin, R., 2013. Fundamentals of management. Cengage Learning.
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Hargie, O., Boohan, M. and Murphy, P., 2010. Current trends in communication skills training in
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Kissane, D.W., Bylund, C.L. and D'Agostino, T.A., 2012. Communication skills training for
oncology professionals. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 30(11). pp.1242-1247.
Koprowska, J., 2014. Communication and interpersonal skills in social work. Learning Matters.
Salmon, P. and Young, B., 2011. Creativity in clinical communication: from communication
skills to skilled communication. Medical education. 45(3). pp.217-226.
Ting-Toomey, S. and Chung, L.C., 2012. Understanding intercultural communication. New
York, NY: Oxford University Press.

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