University Report: Managing Communications, Knowledge, and Information

This report examines the critical aspects of managing communications, knowledge, and information within an organizational context, using a coffee shop as a case study. It delves into the range of decisions at strategic, tactical, and operational levels, emphasizing the importance of information and knowledge for effective decision-making. The report assesses both internal and external information sources, identifying key stakeholders and strategies for stakeholder engagement in the decision-making process. It highlights the significance of building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. Furthermore, it proposes design strategies for improving customer experience, employee satisfaction, community support, and supplier relationships, ultimately aiming to enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the coffee shop's operations.

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MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, AND INFORMATION
Managing Communications, Knowledge, and Information
Name
Course
College
Date

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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Task one.......................................................................................................................................................3
Task two.....................................................................................................................................................10
Task Three..................................................................................................................................................13
Task four....................................................................................................................................................14
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................16
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................17

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Introduction
For the success of every organization, managing information as well as communications plays a
vital role towards the success of that organization. It is through good management of information
that the right decisions are made that contribute to the success of any organization. It includes
decisions such as strategic decisions, tactical decisions, and operational decisions just to mention
a few. Good management of information and knowledge also helps to include the right
stakeholders who in turn help in making the right organizational decisions.
The nature of communication in the workplace is also very important. It includes employee-
employer communication, client-employee communication, and employee-employee
communication among other types of communication. All these contribute towards the success of
the organization and therefore creation of a plan or plans that could enhance the communication
process in the organization is important. However, to come up with a good communication plan
and also to improve the handling of information and knowledge, it is good to have a good
understanding of the existing systems. This makes it easier to know where improvements are to
be made and what should be replaced. This report will focus on these issues with the aim of
improving the communication process and handling of knowledge and information.
Task one
1.1 The Range of Decisions to be taken.
Effective Strategic business decisions help in the integration of the appropriate resources for the
appropriate market at the right time. Timing is essential. For example, David will need to
formulate an online ordering and delivery services. This is vital since the internet has expanded
the target market. The quality of the decisions made will help in the business gaining a
competitive advantage over the competitors.

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Considering that the Coffee Shop which will be open from 9.00 Am to 4.00 PM daily. David will
have to consider competition from the already established Coffee Shop outlets. There need be a
decision to be made to ensure that the sales of the business will be good.
For the Coffee Shop, there are different levels of decisions which can be made, and they include:
Strategic Decisions: These decisions impact and direct the whole business venture. The senior
management can only make these. David will need to take a strategic decision on whether to start
and continue with coffee shop business. The long-term forecasts of the business turnover of other
similar businesses compared against potential market conditions. This will help in determining
whether to start the coffee shop business (Meisburg 2014).
Tactical Decisions: These are those decisions made for the implementation of the strategy
decided upon. For the coffee shop business an example of tactical decisions on which times to
open for example holidays to attract customers. David will need to research and collect data on
the probable amount of customers to help in making decisions on the hours to keep the business
open.
Operational Decisions: These are decisions about the daily running of the Coffee Shop. These
usually entails decisions which can be made by other the supervisor in the Coffee Shop. An
example of a routine decision in the coffee shop would be whether order a larger quality of tea
for the coming week. After the start of the business, the sales information will provide insight on
whether to order more supplies.
1.2 Information and Knowledge that is required for effective decision making.
Information and knowledge are essential in the decision making, especially in the modern
businesses. There is the need for the excellent level of knowledge, skills and expertise due to the

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nature of business processes. The marketplace is dynamic and therefore the ability to interpret
and make responses to this changes is essential and dependent on the quality of the knowledge
available. There is a need for the each member of the staff to know their responsibilities and to
carry out their decisions they need information.
The business should able to establish the reason as to customers is choosing other coffee shops.
The reasons may be due to location, price or the quality of the products. Data can be collected
from talking to potential customers about their preferences and visiting other already established
coffee shops to learn the competition and be able to examine in-house data (Meisburg 2014).
This can help determined costs, pricing and service which has the potential of availing valuable
information for the startup business.
There is a need for the business to have information which is updated especially due to the
dynamic nature of the market environment. The business needs to have an understanding of the
competitors which is essential. There is also need for information regarding the target consumer
and the market. This is key information since it will dictate whether the business makes a profit.
This means that extensive research needs to be done for appropriate decisions to be made.
1.3 The Assessment of the Internal and External Information and
Understanding
The internal and external information for the business is established from the stakeholders
internal and external to the business. The business has internal sources of information which are
from the internal processes and procedures. There are various categories of internal information
which include:
Financial Information: This includes information about the business performance, profit, and

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loss recorded by the business. Coffee shop information includes the cost of materials, wages,
loss, profit and taxes among others.
Personal and Administrative Information: This is information which describes the various
description of the employees. It entails personal information, career progression, experience,
skills, their rates of production, motivation, training and others. It is, therefore, essential to
maintaining properly updated information concerning the employees in the coffee shop business
especially due to safety reasons.
Information on Marketing: This entails information required to assess the success or various
business products and services provided by the business to the consumers. The internal
marketing information of the coffee shop would include sales information; profits generated,
customer dissatisfaction among other information.
Information of Production: This is information about the product of goods, the cost of materials,
and information about the suppliers. The coffee shop will need to get coffee from other countries
and therefore the accumulation a lot of details.
The external source of information which is external information which is not determined by the
business. This information is gained by the business from various external sources such as
government agencies. There is also information such as census information, industry standards
and legislation among others. While considering external information, information on
competitors is of utmost importance (Meisburg 2014).
2.1 Identification of Stakeholders for the Process of Decision Making
For the coffee business, the stakeholders can be described as individuals or groups which have

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interest to the business and can impact the organization. For the business there are two types of
stakeholder's namely:
 Internal stakeholders and include Coffee shops employees and the manager.
 The external Stakeholders and they include coffee shop employees, banks, the local
administration, the community in which the business is situated, media and other private
firms.
The business should ensure there are appropriate relationships with stakeholders. This promotes
constructive communication which contributes to the success of the business due to learning and
listening. There are reduced conflicts and enhancement of the decision-making process. It has
been evidenced that when the stakeholders are involved in the in the initial stages of the planning
and decision-making, there is less likelihood that the business with encounter problems (Uriate
2008). There are various benefits of involving the stakeholders such as conflict avoidance, there
collaboration sharing of information leading to learning. There is also the possibility of the
creation of creative solutions to various problems. The coffee shop business has its set of
stakeholders which impact the way business operations are carried out. It is, therefore, essential
David to establish and make careful assessments on the essence of the various stakeholders.
2.2 Establishment of Contact and Development of Business Relationships with the
Stakeholders.
It is a matter of importance to ensure there is proper maintenance of relationships with the
stakeholders and this aids in the achievement of the aims of the business.
Identifications of the Stakeholders: The number of the stakeholders may exceed the number

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anticipated by the business. It is essential to collect as much information as possible in the
identification process. The information collected entails the interests, preference and their
potential of impacting the business (Morris and Baddache 2012). Through this, the business is
well equipped in the formulation of the necessary communication strategies.
Prioritization of the Stakeholders: It is essential to note that some stakeholders may be of
importance than others and therefore the need to give them priorities over others. This proves the
essence of establishing the appropriate information by the stakeholders.
Stakeholder Engagement: It is important for the coffee shop business to formulate innovative and
efficient ways in which it can convey information to the consumer market and also get feedback.
The business can invest in collaborative packages which would help in enhancement of the
customers with the consumers (Morris and Baddache 2012). The overview and management of
the business stakeholders in essential for the welfare of the business.
Monitoring the Business Stakeholders: The business should ensure the engagement with the
stakeholders is smooth to avoid negative review. To monitor the success of this process, it is
essential to seek the feedback of the stakeholders.
2.3 The Involvement of the Identified Stakeholders in the Decision Making Process.
The decision-making process should be in such a way that it promotes the stakeholder
participation to reach an agreement. It is an essential collaborative effort to have the business
share responsibilities in the decision-making process with the stakeholders. This promotes the
understanding of the stakeholders concerning the business situation (Lockett & Islei 2005). It
also ensures that the community has been involved in the decision-making process. The business
can be able to receive feedback on its corporate social responsibility. In the current business

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environment, there has been the development of citizen charters and panels which have enhanced
their impact on businesses (Morris and Baddache 2012). The public policies have increased the
community participation in the decision-making process. Since the stakeholders are involved in
various decision-making processes, there is a reduction in veto power of the community actors
since they have been invited in the process to improve decisions. The business can enhance the
quality of decisions made by encouraging the participation of various stakeholders in the process
and procedures of decision making. This is achieved through the integration of each stakeholder
participation and the overall perception about the business activities.
1.4 The Design Strategies for Improvement
The Coffee shops main aim is to ensure the appropriate actions are performed in addition to the
efficient management of the business stakeholders.
Coffee Shop Customers: The Company should ensure that there is a great experience for the
customers through extraordinary products and services. The products and services should be
healthy and affordable. There should be systems in place to help in the evaluation of dynamic
customer needs. For example, the business to introduce customer question time. To ensure
customer satisfactions, consumer preference and complaints should be considered (Lee et al.
2000).
The Staff: For the best output from the employees, they should be provided will goods terms and
working conditions. The business should ensure there is respect, safety and that they are
opportunities for development. It is possible to have employees provide feedback about the
business.
The surrounding community: The business should ensure there are employment opportunities

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and support to the community. There should be initiatives to educate the community and also to
care for the environment.
The Suppliers: The business should foster a good working relationship with the suppliers through
respect and long-term relationships. It is important to formulate a supply chain management
system integrated with quality assurance.
Government: The business should ensure that it complies with legal aspects, train the employees
and also pay taxes.
2.4 Justification of the Recommendations for the Improvement
The aspiration of the Coffee Shop is to have a highly reputable brand to the consumers and the
community at large. The growth of the company in the UK requires a clear decision-making
process and also enhancing the knowledge management systems of the business. For high
benefits, the business can adopt intelligence system using computers (Lockett & Islei 2005).
Task two
Development of Communication Processors
3.1 Discuss the Existing Process of Communication within the Human Resource
Management
Communication is the conversance of information from the sender to the receiver. To any
business, effective communication is of utmost importance. Communication in any business can
be described as a process in which sender and the receiver share information. The components
present in the communication process include sender, encoding, message transmission, decoding,
receiver and finally feedback.

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Sender: This entails the person or persons who initiate the communication process. The message
is impacted on by various factors concerning the sender, and they include attitudes skills, culture,
experience, and perception. The message is generated through means such as words, spoken or
written.
Encoding the Message: This involves the translation of the information into symbols with
meaning. The symbols are applied in the encoding of the ideas into a transferable message which
can be understood by the receiver. The system used should be familiar to the receiver to ensure
that the message can be decoded.
Transmission: For the transmission of the message a medium is required. The medium or channel
can be oral or written. With the development of technology, visual channels have also emerged.
The channels mostly used in the business setting include memos, reports, and telephone (Lee et
al. 2000).
Feedback: After the message is received by the receiver and decoded, feedback is sent back
which aids the sender is establishing whether the message was fully understood.
Depending on the number of employees for the Coffee Shop, there might be employees from
various nationalities, and therefore effective communication is essential.
3.2 Ways which can be used to Enhance Appropriateness
There various ways in which communication can be enhanced using various strategies as
discussed below:
Use of Multiple Channels: The sending of the message using some channels ensures that the
message receives the needed recipient. In today's business world, the most effective methods

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include e-mails, meeting, memos, and telephone among others.
Repeat Messages: By the application of repeat messages, it ensures there is an improvement in
the communication.
Handle Problems in Communication: In the process of communication, there might arise of
problems. These issues include conflicts, misunderstanding, cultural variations and having to
deal with difficult individuals. It is, therefore, necessary for the business handle such issues.
3.3 The Implementation of Improvements to Ensure Great Integration of Systems of
Communication.
Communication happens when an individual is informed or persuaded. There is need be
communication planning while integrating communication with the organizational systems. The
decision-making process depends a lot on the communication plan. The communication Planning
entails:
Understanding of the Current Situation: The business need establishes the current situation both
internally and externally.
Definition of goals and objectives: This entails the goals and objectives the business want to
achieve. They should answer the questions why, who, when and why.
The Target Audience: The communication plan should establish the target audience of
communication and therefore each group should well analyze.
Main Messages: One of the thing to be done involves the definition of the key message to be
communicated to the target audience. There should be consideration of what the target audience
already know.