Business Communication Theories and Effectiveness within Woolworths

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of business communication theories and their importance within organizations, with a specific focus on Woolworths, an Australian supermarket chain. It explores various communication theories, including classical theories like authoritarian, libertarianism, social responsibility, and communist theories, as well as modern theories such as the hypodermic needle model, two-step flow, multi-step flow, media system dependency, modeling behavior, spiral of silence, and uses and gratification theory. The essay also highlights the significance of effective communication in fostering positive relationships, promoting motivation, facilitating information dissemination, and ensuring organizational control within Woolworths. It emphasizes the role of business managers in implementing efficient communication systems and overcoming communication barriers to enhance overall business performance and innovation.

Business Communication - Assignment 2 - Essay
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Communication theories..................................................................................................................4
Importance of effectiveness of communications within organisation.............................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10
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Introduction
Communication can be referred to that business process which helps in informing employees
regarding internal as well as external factors which can affect organisational growth and
development. Also, it helps in coordinating efforts of staff members so that they can accomplish
desired goals and objectives in an effective manner. This project report is based on Woolworths
which is Australia based supermarket chain and comes under the retailing industry. In this report,
huge description has been given on business communication, its theories and its significance
within the workplace. By taking help of communication theories, this organisation can create the
good working environment within its workplace.
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Communication Theories
Communication theory is that business concept which helps the organisation in transmitting
information from one place to another. Basically, it is an attempt which describes that why and
how humans communicate with each other. Communication theories originate from different
fields such as biology, psychology and philosophy. Mainly, this concept helps in explaining that
how an individual communicates meaning to another. All business communication theories focus
on ritual and historical importance of communication which is the most important component of
culture. Above mentioned concept is highly interlinked with the development of information
theory (Shockley-Zalabak, 2014).
Some most important communication theories which can be used by Woolworths are Classical
theories which include some theories and these are Authoritarian theory, states that there is no
control of state on mass media. According to this theory, all types of communication come under
the control of legal authorities of influential bureaucrats. In simple words, authoritarian theory
states that there should be control of democratic and dictatorial governments. Libertarianism or
free press theory is based on right of individual. It is one of the normative theories of press
which is originating from libertarian thoughts. This theory is totally against the authoritarian
theory because it is free from any legal authority or government control. Social responsibility
theory is that communication theory which is based on ethical code of conduct. Basically, social
responsibility is ethics which guides individual action and also it put an obligation towards
economy, society and environment in Woolworths.
Communist theory is political theory of socialism which raised the communism. This theory
was introduced by German philosopher Karl Marx. Communism is also considered as Marxism.
This theory states that the main reason of mass media is to educate employees not to give them
information. Development communication theory, states that the main reason of mass media is
to develop people or a specific population within Woolworths. This theory was introduced for
social change (Femi, 2014). According to this theory, mass media should be carried out for
positive development programs. Democratic participant media theory was developed because
of dissatisfaction with other communication theories such as social responsibility and libertarian
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theory. This theory states that there should be not be centralization of press, democratic and top-
down approach in media. It focuses on participation and high circular communication.
Hypodermic needle model/ magic bullet theory is also known as transmission belt model
which is most significant model of communication and it suggests that an envisioned message is
received and accepted by receiver directly. This theory has explained two mediating factors
which are responsible for effects and functions of mass communication and these are selective
exposure and selective perception and retention. However, some other theories are also explained
in this essay which is two-step flow communication theory, which was introduced by most
popular sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld. The concept states that an idea flow from media to opinion
leaders and then to a wider population which represent the communication theory. In simple
words, ideas are mainly flowed from the newspaper to opinion leaders and from them to active
social groups in Woolworths.
One step flow theory is totally different from two-step flow theory because in this media
channels communicate their message to directly mass audience (Bovee, et. al., 2016). In simple
words, in this theory message is not filtered by opinion leaders. Multi-step flow theory is that
communication theory which is based on the idea which is filtered by the huge number of people
before reaching to the large audience. Sometimes, it can increase complexities in the
communication process and also can affect transmitting information. Media system dependency
theory was firstly introduced by Melvin defleur and Sandra Ball Rokeach. According to this
approach, for studying media and their audience there should be a use of large social systems. If
a person will be more depended on communication to meet needs then there will be more
importance of communication in that individual's life. In simple words, people are highly
depended on media and find it highly important for satisfying their needs in Woolworths.
Modelling behaviour theory: This is considered as most significant communication theory in
which one individual learn from another person by imitation, observation and modelling. This
theory also bridges a gap between cognitive and behaviourist learning theories because it
involves reminiscence, devotion and inspiration. The Spiral of silence theory is communication
theory which is introduced by German political scientists named Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann. He
states that all people have fear of isolation which develops from the idea that is neglected by the
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group or the society in general. The insolation fear always keeps silent instead of voicing
opinions (Jagongo & Kinyua, 2013). Media is highly related to dominate idea and individual’s
perception of dominate idea. Uses and gratification theory was introduced by Katz in 1970.
This theory focuses on that how individuals utilise media for satisfying their needs as well as
wants. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, people choose only those things which they
want to read or see which is also preferred in Woolworths. Also, they choose only that media
which can gratify their needs in most effective and systematic manner.
Above mentioned communication theory reminds that individual select media for various
purposes. Basically, there are four types of gratifications which are information, entertainment,
personal identity, interaction and social interaction. Hence, these are some most important
communication theories but apart from this there are some other communication theories which
can also be used by business managers and these are Actor-network, which states that human
and non-human factor have equal importance in the success of scientific knowledge creation and
technological innovation. This theory focuses on that how networks are created and contribute to
the success of technical innovation and scientific knowledge making (Mayfield & Mayfield,
2016). Cognitive dissonance theory is that psychological conflict which results from holding
incompatible attitudes or beliefs. According to this theory, an individual looks for balance within
their attitudes and beliefs. For decreasing disagreement, one individual should ignore or avoid
the hearing of opposing viewpoints. Communication accommodation theory, which explains
that individual adjust their communication styles in front of other people. The changes which
take place due to verbal and nonverbal styles can be done by two ways which are convergence
and divergence. Convergence ways is used by powerless people for the approval of society and
focus on matching their communication style with person whom they are speaking with. On the
other side, divergence is used for highlighting the group identity by advertising the differences of
the group which are identified by them. People with high ethical and racial pride use this method
which is also used by people in Woolworths.
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Importance of effectiveness of communications within organisation
For business growth and development there is the huge need for effective communication within
a workplace. Also, it helps of business managers of Woolworths in performing their daily
organisational activities and practices. By focusing more on business communication, this
organisation can build positive relationships with its employees and customers. Woolworths is
one of the leading retailing organisations of Australia which gives core attention to its
communication process because it helps it in performing its daily activities in most effective as
well as in a systematic manner. Business communication works as a most important foundation
of the organisation which assists managers in making future plans regarding workplace
(Vlăduțescu, 2014).
For getting high growth and success, it is very much important for the enterprise to communicate
all essential information in its all organisational departments. There are various business
activities which require communication process. One of them is organising function, without
effective communication managers cannot organise their job tasks. It is very much important for
managers and leaders to communicate with their followers or employees so that they can
accomplish team goals or objectives. On the other side, controlling function of Woolworths can
also not be completed without oral and written communication. Successful managers devote their
most of time to communication. There are various forms of communication like reports, memos
and letters which are written by top managers of Woolworth to its employees or other
companies. Hence, it can be said that effective communication is a most essential foundation or
building block of successful business enterprises (Doyle, et. al., 2013).
There are various advantages and benefits of communication which helps a company in
improving its business performance. This concept promotes motivation level within the
workplace by clarifying and informing workers regarding their roles and responsibilities, a
manner of operating their tasks and how they can improve their current working performance.
Communication is the most important source of information by which company can inform its
employees about new changes and decisions which will be implementing within a workplace in
Woolworths. While engaging in communication process employees can identify and assess
alternatives of their course of actions. Apart from this, communication also plays the most
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significant role in altering people’s attitude. In simple words, highly informed workers will
operate business activities in the better way as compare to uninformed employees. There are
various forms of organisation communication such as business magazines, meetings, journals
and another type of written and oral communication which plays the crucial role in moulding
worker's attitudes.
Communication is the most essential socializing process and without this, an individual even
cannot survive. As discussed above, communication has the significant role in controlling
process. In the business enterprise there are various levels of hierarchy and specific guidelines as
well as policies which should be followed by each and every employee. So, it is highly important
for workers to comply with all rules and regulations and also should communicate problems
which they are facing in performing their given roles and responsibilities (Sugai, et. al., 2013).
Thus, it can be said that communication plays important role in controlling function of
Woolworths. But for implementing efficient and effective communication system within
workplace organisation needs the high level of managerial proficiency because without this it
cannot deliver and receive important messages. Moreover, a business manager discovers all the
barriers which create the problem in a communication process. So they should analyse all the
reasons for their occurrence and also should take preventive actions to avoid communication
barriers. Furthermore, there are some most important advantages of communication and these are
the Strong relationship, by increasing level of communication, managers can develop the
positive relationship with their employees. In the organisation, trust and loyalty are major factors
which can create the strong bond between superiors and subordinates, without communication
both factors cannot be boosted among them. Ideas and innovation, with the help of open
channels of communication Woolworth, can lead to new ideas as well as business innovation
(Shonubi & Akintaro, 2016).
If managers and leaders of an organisation will positively respond to employee’s idea and
contribute efforts in their ideas then business enterprise can lead to the new level of growth and
also can produce some innovative products. Strong teamwork, Effective and efficient
communication system can build strong teamwork and ability of workers of working at a
different level of a company. If there will be the huge level of communication, then employees
can easily cooperate with their colleagues and also can accomplish business goals.
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Conclusion
By analysing this project report, it has been concluded that business communication plays the
most significant role in an organisation because it helps in sharing information between two
people for the commercial benefit of the company. There are various media channels such as
print, radio, internet, ambient media and television which can be used by an organisation for its
business communication. There are various communication theories like classical, magic bullet,
one step flow theory etc. which can help Woolworths in improving the level of communication
within its workplace. This concept is highly important for managers because it helps them in
performing some basic organisational functions such as planning, leading, organizing and
controlling.
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References
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[Accessed on 18th January 2018]
Doyle, C., Lennox, L., & Bell, D. (2013). A systematic review of evidence on the links
between patient experience and clinical safety and effectiveness. BMJ open, 3(1),
e001570.
Femi, F. (2014). The impact of communication on worker’s performance. Journal of
humanities and social science, Vol. 19, pp. 75-82.
Jagongo, A. O., & Kinyua, C. (2013). The social media and entrepreneurship growth (A
new business communication paradigm among SMEs in Nairobi).
Mayfield, J. and Mayfield, M. (2016). Leadership communication. International journal
of business communication.
Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2014). Fundamentals of organizational communication. Pearson.
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Sugai, D. Y., Deptula, P. L., Parsa, A. A., & Parsa, F. D. (2013). The importance of
communication in the management of postoperative pain. Hawai'i Journal of Medicine &
Public Health, 72(6), 180.
Vlăduțescu, Ș. (2014). Uncertainty Communication Status: Theory or
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