University Report: Developing a Corporate Communications Tool

This report focuses on developing a corporate communications tool to facilitate a smooth transition during a company's relocation to a new head office. The report analyzes the importance of effective communication between management and employees, addressing potential anxieties and concerns related to the move. It identifies the target audience (employees), defines the purpose of the communication tool, and proposes a name ('The Big Move'). The rationale for choosing this tool is explained, emphasizing its ability to deliver messages methodically and transparently. The report details planned distribution methods, including email and PowerPoint presentations, along with promotional activities such as newspaper advertisements, website updates, and YouTube videos. It also outlines the people and resources required for production, the development, approval, and production processes, concluding that clear communication is crucial for a healthy employer-employee relationship.

Running head: DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
Developing A Corporate Communications Tool
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
Executive Summary
The report aims to develop a corporate communications tool. Communication plays a crucial
role in the smooth functioning of an organization, which takes place between two or more
persons. Sender sends the information he would like to convey and when the receiver
receives the message in the desired manner, then the process of communication is termed as
complete. Development of a communication tool with regard to, moving to a new head office
building is being considered. This will take into consideration the details, which need to be
passed on the employees, by the higher management to ensure that the transition from one
place to another is a smooth one. People generally tend to feel easy, working in an
environment for quite sometime and relocating to a new place would possibly give rise to
apprehensions as they don’t know what to expect because the everything will be new to them.
The concerned authority needs to take care of the resistance from the employees to give them
the requisite comfort and satisfaction regarding what they could expect once they move to the
new building in a new location. The report concludes that clarity of communication in the
corporate world goes a long way towards removing barriers and establish a healthy
relationship between employers and employees.

2DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
Table of Contents
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................3
2. Discussion...........................................................................................................................4
2.1 Part 1.........................................................................................................................4
i) Target Audience...............................................................................................................4
ii) Purpose...........................................................................................................................4
iii) Name............................................................................................................................5
iv) Rationale For Choosing This Communication Tool......................................................5
v) Planned Distribution Method And Promotion Activities For This Distribution Tool......6
vi) Identification Of The People And Resources Required To Produce This
Communication Tool.............................................................................................................7
vii) Outline Of The Development, Approval And Production Process...........................8
3. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................8
4. References............................................................................................................................10

3DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
1. Introduction
Communication is a process which takes place between two or more persons, the
sender and the receiver. The messages are sent by the sender and when the information gets
interpreted by the receiver in the desired form, then the communication is said to be
complete. Certain distractions might well arise, while trying to convey the right messages,
which would lead to the recipients getting the messages in distorted form (Abratt & Kleyn,
2012).
The communication tool which this report requires to develop, is for moving into a
new head office building. To get relocated is not an easy task, as the whole set-up gets
shuffled (Cheung & Thadani, 2012). Employees might feel apprehensive about the new
location as they may not be aware of the conveyance available from their residence to the
new office, whether car parking facilities are available or not, the area surrounding the office,
all these thoughts start to create confusion in the minds of the employees. This is where, role
of the management comes into play (Christensen & Cornelissen, 2013). The management
needs to communicate to their employees, the benefits they can avail once they move to the
new location, the peace with which they could carry out their activities and various other
means, which would give employees the assurance that relocation won’t lead to much
problems for them.
The report concludes that establishing proper communication related to corporate
world is an critical aspect required for the smooth functioning of any establishment. The
management needs to be aware of the message they want to convey to the employees, so that
there is no loophole with regard to the understanding. Moving to a new head office building
would require passing on crucial information related to the benefits, reasons for relocating,
necessary minute details on parking space, canteen and overall work atmosphere which
employees could possibly confront (Cornelissen & Cornelissen, 2017).

4DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
2. Discussion
2.1 Part 1
i) Target Audience
The target audience is a group, for whom a particular message is meant. For
communication to be effective, a proper target audience needs to be identified, so
that right messages get delivered to the right persons on appropriate time (Duffy,
Cave & Worthington, 2016). In this situation, the target audience would be the
employees, who would need the required information to understand the situation for
relocation to a new office building, better. The management has to understand the
concerns and make every possible attempt to address them, so that the employees
can focus on their work and not get distracted by any other issue (Eberle, Berens &
Li 2013). The employees should be encouraged to come up with queries as and
when they face any tough situation, which would invariably provide a sense of
belonging to them and thus leading to better output.
ii) Purpose
There is a definite purpose for which a communication tool gets developed
by the management of an organization. There are different departments in an
organization which carry out their individual tasks to fulfill the targets assigned to the
respective teams, thus enabling the organization to achieve the goals and objectives
(Goetsch & Davis, 2014). In this scenario, the purpose is to let the employees know
about relocating to a new office building by citing out the reasons behind the move,
the benefits which would be brought about through this shift and then encourage
employees to come up with their queries for the management to solve (Groysberg &
Slind, 2012). Every move in the corporate world, happens for a reason. Now, the

5DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
employees being part of a cohesive unit, should remain well informed about all the
happenings that take place. Relocation to a new office building calls for greater
involvement from the management to smoothen the process of transition from one
office building to another. The importance of communication is in line with the
importance of purpose. They need to ensure that sufficient time is provided to the
employees to seek for arrangement, if required and proper measures can be taken in
case any deviation arises. One of the main purposes behind relocation of office
building is to seek more benefits from the new location. The market survey which
goes behind the management seeking for change is the availability of larger pool of
resources, with respect to the skilled workforce and other necessary aids are
concerned.
iii) Name
The name assigned for the communication tool that needs to be delivered by the
management to their employees is ‘The Big Move’ (Nwagbara & Reid, 2013). The name is
catchy and synonymous with the purpose, for which a proper plan needs to be executed. The
message would be sent across the organization through official mail 3-4 months prior to the
shift, then within a gap of another 2 months, the management would sit with the teams
individually to make them understand the implications. This will also help keep the
employees on their toes, allow them to realize the importance and absorb the repercussions of
the change (Olins, 2017).
iv) Rationale For Choosing This Communication Tool
Communication tool is identified keeping in mind the information which needs to be
passed on to the recipients. A rigorous plan is required to be set up so that all the requisite
details are mentioned in plain and simple language, which can be easily understood by the
employees (Purce, 2014). The reason behind choosing this communication tool is to provide

6DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
employees with the sense of urgency and create an atmosphere which would help them get
ready for the change. The management thought that an appealing name would undoubtedly
create the stir and excitement among the staff and put them with the right frame of mind to
accept the change which the organization is about to come up with. The communication tool
always makes way for letting the process be a hassle-free one. Most importantly, conveying
messages through a tool help to deliver the messages in a methodical manner. A proper
channel is followed, where the problems can get discussed from either side, which ultimately
makes the path of transition a smooth and secured one, without any scope for complaints
(Rice & Atkin, 2012). Transparency is maintained and problems of the employees can be
addressed without any delay, thus saving management’s precious time and energy.
The initial message which gets conveyed through mail from the management to the
employees help create the base for the bigger jolt, that the staff receives when the higher
authority puts the layout of the new premise in front of them through a presentation, carrying
minute details about parking area, landmarks which would help employees to reach office in
an easier manner, work stations put up for each and every employee, the refreshments
available in the canteen and many other details to help them feel good about the change
(Ruck & Welch, 2012).
v) Planned Distribution Method And Promotion Activities For This Distribution
Tool
The distribution method implemented for putting across the communication model to
the employees is through Mail and Powerpoint Presentation. Initial plan was mailed to the
employees in the official mail id, briefing about the need for moving to a new location, where
the office would be located, carrying all the images of the office (Schaltegger, Lüdeke-
Freund & Hansen, 2012). With a view to keep not only the employees but also the
stakeholders, partners informed about the shift, the organization carried out promotional

7DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
activities through putting up advertisements in leading newspapers, updating their official
website with the new address, catchy headline saying ‘We Are Shifting’ along with attractive
pictures of the office. Another effective way through which the organization promoted their
move to a new location is by uploading videos in YouTube, where the management gives out
a statement regarding the shift and the implications associated with the change. Flashy
advertisements were put on several websites related to business (Senge, 2014).
vi) Identification Of The People And Resources Required To Produce This
Communication Tool
The main architects behind framing this communication tool, are the people running
an organization. They are the decision makers, who have taken the requisite steps to
implement the communication tool to have a smooth shift of the employees to the new
building (Siano et al., 2013). The success of any major shift in corporate world cannot happen
without the availability of resources and in this case as well, proper utilization of resources
played a big part in making this office shift a success. Business is not only about employees,
many parties are involved, like stakeholders, partners, distributors, who have the right to
know about every little development that takes place in the organization.
So internet played a huge role in letting everyone, related to the organization, know
that the company is moving to a new location. Without internet, the management would have
struggled to let people know about their new office address. The organization used the social
media platforms to engage users for letting them know about the office shift. Social media,
nowadays have become extremely effective to let business partners, stakeholders get aware
about every little development that takes place not only in an organization but in the world of
business as a whole.

8DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
vii) Outline Of The Development, Approval And Production Process
The communication tool was developed 1 month prior to the point when the
management of the organization conveyed the message of office shift to the employees.
Several rounds of meeting had taken place to chalk out the plan for framing out the right
strategy, on how to go about informing the employees about the office getting shifted to a
new location, without creating any ruckus. Thus when the board members had finalized the
plan of sending emails to employees on the initial front and then gradually move on to
address the whole as a group through a presentation, the plan had gone to the Chairman and
Managing Director for approval (Slabbert & Barker, 2014).
After a rigorous scrutiny, The CMD finally came up with the statement that the
management should go ahead with the plan and inform the employees accordingly. This
approval had led to the employees receiving emails with the intimation that the organization
would move in to a new place with better facilities and convenience and fifteen days prior to
the shift, the management had gone ahead with the powerpoint presentation to a mass
gathering where the open forum was created to invite queries from the employees and get
their issues resolved (Welch, 2012).
The production process became very smooth thanks to the cooperation imparted by
the employees. Resistance from the employees was minimum and that made things really
easy for the organization to move into a new location.
3. Conclusion
The report concludes that establishing proper communication tool is an essential tool
for the smooth functioning of an organization. The management can carry out their activities
through a proper channel and thereby maintain transparency into the proceedings. Office
moving into a new location leads to a lot of structural changes, which requires proper

9DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
scheduling of activities. Maintaining a proper model of communication helps in the right flow
of information to the employees in the right form and in the right time. Gathering of relevant
information and resources help to get things sorted well in time for the process to go ahead in
a smooth and efficient manner. The imperative thing from the viewpoint of management
would be in providing employees with sufficient time for them to accustomed and take the
decision of change into their stride. Employees should be encouraged to come up with their
queries and get their problems solved for the transition phase to become successful, so that
they could work in a new environment with the same zeal and passion, which they had
portrayed while working in the previous location.

10DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
4. References
Abratt, R., & Kleyn, N. (2012). Corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate
reputations: Reconciliation and integration. European Journal of Marketing, 46(7/8),
1048-1063.
Cheung, C. M., & Thadani, D. R. (2012). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth
communication: A literature analysis and integrative model. Decision support
systems, 54(1), 461-470.
Christensen, L. T., & Cornelissen, J. (2013). Bridging corporate and organizational
communication: Review, development and a look to the future.
In Organisationskommunikation und Public Relations (pp. 43-72). Springer
Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
Cornelissen, J., & Cornelissen, J. P. (2017). Corporate communication: A guide to theory and
practice. Sage.
Duffy, F., Cave, C., & Worthington, J. (Eds.). (2016). Planning office space. Elsevier.
Eberle, D., Berens, G., & Li, T. (2013). The impact of interactive corporate social
responsibility communication on corporate reputation. Journal of Business
Ethics, 118(4), 731-746.
Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Groysberg, B., & Slind, M. (2012). Leadership is a conversation. Harvard business
review, 90(6), 76-84.

11DEVELOPING A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL
Nwagbara, U., & Reid, P. (2013). Corporate social responsibility communication in the age
of new media: towards the logic of sustainability communication. Revista de
Management Comparat International, 14(3), 400.
Olins, W. (2017). The new guide to identity: How to create and sustain change through
managing identity. Routledge.
Purce, J. (2014). The impact of corporate strategy on human resource management. New
Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals), 67.
Rice, R. E., & Atkin, C. K. (Eds.). (2012). Public communication campaigns. Sage.
Ruck, K., & Welch, M. (2012). Valuing internal communication; management and employee
perspectives. Public Relations Review, 38(2), 294-302.
Schaltegger, S., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Hansen, E. G. (2012). Business cases for
sustainability: the role of business model innovation for corporate
sustainability. International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable
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Senge, P. M. (2014). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a
learning organization. Crown Business.
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management: A framework based on decision-making with reference to
communication resources. Journal of Marketing Communications, 19(3), 151-167.
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stakeholder relationship-building process: A strategic corporate communication
perspective. Communicatio, 40(1), 69-97.