University Case Study: Communication Issues within Cotton On

This case study examines communication issues within the retail chain Cotton On, focusing on the challenges of internal communication, leadership styles, and their impact on employee morale and productivity. The report utilizes qualitative research, specifically interviews with employees, to identify communication gaps and inconsistencies in the company's processes. It highlights the negative effects of an authoritarian leadership style, lack of employee input, and inadequate communication channels. The study further explores the role of ethics and diversity, noting issues in recruitment and representation. Recommendations include the implementation of social intranet software and improvements in communication strategies to enhance transparency, employee engagement, and overall organizational performance. The report emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations and diversity in fostering a positive work environment and improving business outcomes.

Running head: COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
Communication Issue in Cotton On
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
Executive Summary
The main purpose of the report is to discuss about the qualitative research method that helped
in getting information about the communication issues in Cotton On. It throws light on the
communication issues in the company and the management theory in relation to the company.
The report also talks about the role of the ethics and the diversity and the implementation of
social intranet software that can be of use for the company.

2COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
Introduction
Communication helps in conveying the meaning from the one entity to another entity
with the help of signs, symbols along with the semiotic rules. Communication helps in
transferring the information from one person to another which is affected by various things. It
is inclusive of the emotions, cultural situations along with the medium of communication.
Cotton On is a retail chain of Australia which is popular for the fast-fashion clothing for the
men, women, children along with the teenagers (Cottonongroup.com.au., 2019). The
company has around 1500 stores which operates in 12 countries within Australia and in the
international arena. The organisation Cotton On has been selected as the communication that
takes place in the retail sector has direct effect on the consumers. The miscommunication
taking place in the retail industry causes loss of the clients and it paves the path for loss of
revenue for the company. This report discusses about the qualitative research method that
have been chosen for gathering information regarding the communication issue in the
organization. The report also throws light on the role of the ethics along with the diversity
within the company. The report also recommends measures that can help in improving the
communication issues in Cotton On.
Methodology
Qualitative research refers to the scientific method of the observation that helps in
gathering the non-numerical data in a company (Silverman, 2016). The research method that
was selected was the interview that helped in furnishing relevant information regarding the
communication issue taking place in Cotton On. The employees of the company were asked
questions that helped in revealing the communication gap in the company. Ten employees of
Cotton On were interviewed and they provided valuable information regarding the
communication issues in Cotton On. The workers were asked questions regarding the

3COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
communication style of the leaders and its effect on the employees of Cotton On. The face-to-
face interview was taken that helped in bringing out crucial information pertaining to the
communication issues of the organization. The open-ended conversations in between the
interviewer and that of the interviewee helped in bringing out the crucial aspects of the
management that was causing harm to Cotton On. The information was recorded with the
help of a audio recorder that can serve the purpose of the interview. The face-to-face mode of
the interviewing helped people in interacting and forming the communication.
Communication Issue in Cotton On
Adopting the communication strategies can act as a hallmark pertaining to successful
management in an organization. The proper communication in the workplace can increase the
productivity along with the job satisfaction of the employees of company. Cotton On does not
have a consistent process starting from intake request along with the implementation that
hampers the flow of work in Cotton On. Consistency can be said to be integral in relation to
the store communications as it can help in ensuring the element of the visibility along with
the transparency in the company (Garg & Khurana, 2017). It can be instrumental in
providing the necessary checks that can help in the smooth running of the organization. Retail
has complex operations and managing the element of the internal communication is crucial
for the success of a firm. Cotton On has multiple divisions and there is not proper
communication among the various departments that has hampered the growth of the
company.
There does not exist any system in Cotton On that can streamline the internal
communication that creates issues on the path of the company. There does not exist any ERP
system in the company that makes it difficult in managing the internal communication. The
company cannot centralize the business operations that can help in ensuring the fact that
processes run in a smooth manner in the company (Macnamara, 2016). It does not help in the

4COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
generation of the real-time reports that acts as a barrier in the path of functioning of the
company. The employees of the company cannot deliver the effective performance in the
company owing to the lack of the communication in between the management and the
employees. It does not optimize the competencies of the employees of Cotton On that comes
in the way of carrying out functions of the company.
The authoritarian style of the leadership exists in Cotton On that creates a barrier in
between the managers and the employees of the company. The organization has strict
guidelines that comes in the way of progress of Cotton On. The leadership style in the
organization stifles the element of creativity that makes the employees feel confined. The
leaders does not maintain proper communication with the employees that does not facilitate
in the smooth running of the organization (Foster, 2018). The employees lose the morale on
account of the fact their ideas are not given importance that makes them feel demotivated.
The leaders want to impose their decisions on the employees that does not let the
organization function in the efficient manner. The employees cannot freely express their
ideas to the managers of the company that comes in the way of development of company.
The established retailer has expanded in the other geographic areas however there is
the lack of streamlined communication that is a challenge for Cotton On. The store associates
does not live in the same town like the corporate decision makers that creates problems for
Cotton On. The employees in the retail stores have to depend on the managers so that they
can get the information regarding the upcoming sales and the campaign changes that gives
rise to the communication issues. The staff meetings are not held in the regular interval that
obstructs the communication taking place in between the managers and workers of company.
The employees have to depend on the bulletin boards along with the word-of-the-mouth that
hampers the productivity of the employees (Voinea et al., 2015). There does not exist any
kind of reliable system that can be depended upon by the workers of the company. The

5COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
people in the sales cannot address the questions of the customers that does not help in the
growth of the company. It diminishes the number of customers of the company.
The employees of Cotton On does not have the mobile solutions that can help the
customers in finding the items. The associates of the company are not provided with the
mobile devices that can help them in getting access to the inventory by being on the floor.
The people visiting the retailer are not satisfied with the kind of customer service and this
proves to be detrimental for growth of company (Blaschke & Schoeneborn, 2016). The
employees face challenges in the arena of co-ordination that has bad effect for the running of
the company. The poor communication results in delay of the completion of the projects that
is detrimental for the company.
The lack of the communication does not help in defining the responsibilities of the
employees of company that makes them face the problems in company. It creates stress in the
employees and reduces the morale of the workers in Cotton On. The employees do not get to
spend time with the middle managers along with the senior level executives that has negative
effects on the performance of employees (Wright, 2016). The meetings prove to be
unproductive owing to the presence of the communication barriers that hinders the progress
of the company (Lewis, 2019). The workers do not have clear understanding about want
their next course of action would be which has negative consequences for the retail company.
The employees do not feel accountable to the managers that declines the efficiency of
performance of workers.
The Behavioural Theory of Management of Elton Mayo states that the workers can
increase the productivity in the event of feeling involved in the activities of the company
(Bratton & Gold, 2017). The employees lose the worth and they feel demotivated in Cotton
On owing to the dearth of effective communication in between the management and workers.

6COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
The employees respond in a more positive manner when they are given importance by the
management of a company. Behavioural management theory is also known as the human
relations movement and it helps in addressing human dimensions of the work. Behavioural
theorists think that in the event of management understanding the nature of the human
behaviour the employees feel motivated that augments their productivity in the company. The
employees working in Cotton On does not feel encouraged by the management of the
company that has a negative effect on their performance (Quy, Dong & Nguyen, 2018). It
has given rise to the culture of the distrust that prevents the company from attaining its
vision. The management fails to communicate significant events with the workers that does
not help in building the relationships in between the employees.
Role of ethics and diversity
Ethics helps in dealing with the values pertaining to the human conduct. The ethical
decisions can help in taking care of the sense of the order within the framework of society.
The retail industry recruits a large number of the retail staff. The organization discriminates
in the area of recruitment that has a bad effect on the profits earned by the company in the
long run. The organization discriminates against the employees who have the disabilities that
is an unethical behaviour on the part of Cotton On. The company does not have the standard
termination policies that can pave the path for law suits in the future (Scherer & Rasche,
2016). The company does not keep the records of the performance reviews that can make the
organization suffer in the long term. The keeping of the employee files can greatly help the
organization in achieving success in the future. It has been found that the retail organizations
that have diverse set of the employees performs better as compared to that of the less diverse
counterparts. The ethnic minorities are not represented in Cotton On that can help in
predicting the success of the firm. The Aboriginal people are not properly represented in the
company that makes the company suffer the losses. The retail stores that have greater racial

7COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
along with the ethnic diversity earn more profits as compared to the other companies. The
greater balance of the generations in the workforce can help in setting the stage for the
success of a company. Cotton On does not have proper balance in between the old and the
young employees that has an effect on the revenues that are earned by the company.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Communication can convey meaning from a single entity to that of another company
by taking recourse to the signs along with the symptoms. Communication can transfer
information that can have a positive effect on a company. Cotton On lacks the element of
streamlining of internal communication which creates problems for company. The company
does not have the ERP system that can help the company in the area of managing the internal
communication. The business process in the company is not centralized that is detrimental for
the company. The company discriminates pertaining to recruitment that brings down the
profits that are being made by the company. The employees who have disability are
discriminated against by the management of company that can be said to be unethical. Cotton
On can take recourse to social intranet software that can be useful for streamlining of
functions of company.
It can be recommended that communication can be improved in Cotton On by the
implementation of the social intranet software. It can help in streamlining the daily process of
the business in the company. It can act as the communications platform that can help the
employees in getting access to the collaboration along with the conversation tools. It can also
be suggested that Cotton On should have the open door policy that can help the employees in
having real dialogue with the managers along with the CEO. It can play a crucial role in the
smooth functioning of the company. It can help the employees in sharing important things
with the managers that can help in removing the communication issues in the company. It can

8COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
help the management in becoming more approachable for the managers that can help in the
betterment of the company.

9COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN COTTON ON
References
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Perspectives in dialogue. Taylor & Francis.
Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Cottonongroup.com.au. (2019). The Cotton On Group | Australia’s largest global retailer.
Retrieved 19 July 2019, from http://cottonongroup.com.au/
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Garg, P., & Khurana, R. (2017). Applying structural equation model to study the critical risks
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