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Corporate communications is defined as communication which goes to all employees and serves as the medium between the organization and its people. Organizations can strategically communicate to their employees & share holders through public relations and advertising.
Corporate communication helps in:
v Strong corporate culture
v Corporate identity
v Genuine sense of corporate citizenship
v A professional relationship with the press which allows quick & responsible ways of communicating in a crisis
v Understanding of communication tools and technologies involved
v Sophisticated & highly technical approaches to global communications
v Effective and timely broadcast of information
v Smooth and positive relationship with all stakeholders
Industrial examples
The biggest IPO in the Indian Stock Market History was that of Reliance Power. The IPO was oversubscribed “68” times. However the shares did not do well on its opening day & closed below the listed price. The company has a legacy of faithful nature to the public - the common man was not let down. Reliance Power issued bonus shares to all categories of shareholders, excluding the promoter group, in the ratio of 3 shares for every 5 shares held, subject to necessary approvals. It was corporate communication that day that upheld the image, the coherent corporate identity & the strong corporate culture.
Personal Experience
A corporate communication is effective at personal level as well. Late Shri Dhirubhai Ambani had a dream – the dream of bringing affordable means of information and communication to the doorsteps of India's vast population which is mainly rural. On 28th December 2002 – the 70th Birth Anniversary & the first after his death, 60,000 kilometres of fibre optic backbone, crisscrossing the entire country was commissioned. This allowed every common man like me & you, to own a mobile phone for an unbelievable price of Rs.500. The reachability of this was so high, that today everyone has a feel of a mobile phone.
Reference
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_communications2. http://www.rupya.com/archives/category/reliance-power-ipo/
2. http://www.rupya.com/archives/category/reliance-power-ipo/
summary
Information Communications Technology (ICT) is a term that includes all technologies for the communication of information. It includes every medium to record information (whether paper, pen, magnetic disk / tape, optical disks - CD/DVD, flash memory etc.) and also technology for broadcasting information such as radio, television, microphone, camera, loudspeaker, telephone to mobile phones. At present, it is apparently culminating to information communication with the help of personal computers networked through the Internet.
Industrial examples
In the year 1932, the first hard disk saw the light of the labs at Crown Zellerbach in San Francisco, the first company to install a RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) machine. It was the first IBM computer with a piece of storage item known as the hard drive. During those times a cylinder capable of holding 5MB of data with the materials would have been at least 17 feet long!!
Personal Experience
Advancement in Communication Technology has helped all of us for personal uses as well. Now a 20MB file can be attached & communicated through an email across the globe within seconds for free. Also an average pen drive which is only 5cm long, can store data up to 32GB & sometimes 64GB as well.
Indeed, information technology (IT) has become a kind of a hub for communicating information, most often using computers. But, with an increasing number of human population getting empowered to share information it may not continue to be so.
Reference
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_Technology2. http://news.softpedia.com/news/HDD-Turns-50-Years-Today-The-Chronicles-35461.shtml
SUMMARY
Communication theories started way back in the 367 BC in ancient Greece. It was at that time called as Rhetoric. The great speaker Aristotle then said that communication has 3 parts to it the they are the speaker (organization) the subject (message) and the listener (constituent). All these parts are very essential for the communication to be effective. Organizations today make use of all these parts along with various high end technologies to communicate with their constituents.
The various theories of communication are as follows: -
Harold Lasswell’s model (1948)
He gave a generalised goal of communication. He said who says what to whom in what channel with what effect.”
He mainly focused on spoken and oral messages.
Shannon & Weaver’s model (1949)
They mainly looked at oral messages but they did not equate the information to the meaning. They mainly dealt with only mechanics and not about the meaning of the message or the information it conveyed to the people. They only looked into the aspect of the message reaching the concerned listener.
Schramm’s 1st model (1954)
He was the founderer of communication studies. He tried to establish a common source between the sender and the receiver of the message.
Schramm’s 2nd model
Here he introduced field of experience in the communication process.
Schramm’s 3rd model
Here Schramm introduced the feedback concept into communication process in order to understand whether the listener has got the message in the intended way.
Westley - MacLean model
Mass models were looked into in this theory Westley and MacLean said that every communication begins with an event. In this model an advocate was introduced which represented both mass communication and feedback
Kincaid’s model (1979)
Kincaid said that communication is a process in which A&B communicate to reach a mutual understanding. The model goes through a cycle and once the mutual understanding is reached the communication ceases. Here communication is seen as a series of event and not as a single event.
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLES
I can think of the FM Radio industry which uses the Westley & maclean model for communicating with the public at large. The communication starts with an event and flows towards the people for their opinions and feedback is received.
REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_theoryhttp://www.mhhe.com/mayfieldpub/westturner/student_resources/theories.htmhttp://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&id=wDxg-wq_cmMC&dq=origin+of+communication+theories&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=ntzv_KCtGc&sig=tM8KshVqRDHqarQd2uevaN6U-7c&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result#PPA9,M1
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
This can be related to the experience of speaking to a journalist of a new station who is collecting information from people about a particular event. All the people are asked a single question and their opinion is collected by the journalist who will consolidate the same and present the views to the general public.
SUMMARY
Advertisements have long been the means for any company or business to attract and retain its customers. Corporate advertisements are the process of using the media to retain and enhance the image and identity of the organization. If the company can advertise effectively it has won half the battle in marketing. It has to be strategic and forward looking and it also done to increase sales to recruit and retain employees etc.
The three main categories of are: -
v Identity Advertising: - it is done to maintain or enhance the identity of the organization. It is also use as a differentiating tool from rivals.
v Investment Advertising: - it is done to tell the customers as to how profitable the organization is & that they should also invest in it. It is mainly a tool to increase shareholder base.
v Advocacy Advertising: - it is mainly directed towards the government the NGO’s etc. it is doe to tell the constituents that the organization is socially responsible.
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLE
Reliance is a company that has forayed into a lot of product lines in the recent past this is a company that has use corporate advertising to the maximum in convincing its customers about it shares it petroleum products and other products that it manufactures.
REFERENCE
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=nuj6cAaNX4wC&pg=PA106&lpg=PA106&dq=corporate+advertisements&source=web&ots=8028b8H3dX&sig=AwjEVxT5bij2dWiLt3AEx74rADI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PPA107,M1
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFDD1538F93AA25756C0A962958260
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
The shares company JRG Securities used its talent of investment advertising and identity advertising to rope me in as a customer to its stocks and shares business. They sent me relevant details to tell me as to why the shares business is a profitable one. They also told me about the company and how it was making profits for its customers and thereby to itself.
SUMMARY
The communication between the organization and its constituents via broadcast news, newspaper of magazine publication is called as media communication. An organization form time to time needs to let the public have an insight into what it is doing. This is important because the stake holders might otherwise think that the company is not trustworthy and there by the organization might start losing out on business.
At the same time in order to communicate with its stakeholders the company needs to take a lot of care and precaution as what it says to the media might be something & perceived as something else. Therefore the organization must 1st analyse what it wants to communicate. It should them conduct a media research and focus on what the constituents want actually.
It should have a separate spokesperson who will handle all the question by the media. It can also hire a consultant if it can afford it as a consultant will be very expensive. The company can also give out information through internet, blogs etc.
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLE
Larsen & Tubro (L&T) is a company that changed its name from L&T to Ultra Tech. when it underwent the name change it made use of print media. Electronic media and various spokes people to let its constituents know that it is the same company with a name change.
REFERENCE
http://www.managementhelp.org/pblc_rel/pblc_rel.htmhttp://www.rocw.raifoundation.org/management/bba/marketingplanning/lecture-notes/lecture-31.pdf
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
When I needed to but a two wheeler I started doing a survey of the various vehicles available in the market. Hero Honda had then started marketing their vehicle in the magazine Bike world which caught my attention. There was an advertisement of the vehicle in the newspaper as well as on the TV all this helped me zero in on that particular model for a two wheeler.
SUMMARY
For the success of any organization for it to have a strong internal communication system is very important. As it is internal communication that will keep the various departments of the organization connected and help they work in tandem with one another.
An important part of internal communication is the employees of the organization. It is vary necessary for the organization to pay attention to the needs of its employees. Employees today are very educated and expect to have a give and take kind of relationship with the organization they work for. They expect challenging work and want to be appreciated for the same.
Goals for internal communication have to 1st been set and then implementation has to be started. Various forms of internal communication are
Informal discussions between employees and supervisors this is a good form of communication as employees can express their needs freely and get feedback on their performance.
Intranets—here employees can quickly and easily check important news events etc
Monthly magazines—are good form of internal communication where people can get information about its various centres.
Bulletin boards—here short important messages can be immediately posted for all the employees to read.
Emails Company websites are other important forms of internal communication through which employees can stay connected with each other and with the company.
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLE & PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
The organization I was working in before I started to study i.e. HSBC BPO had an internal communication system where in it used the methods of intranets to keep us posted on the happenings around the other centres of the company. It also made use of the bulletin board system to tell us urgent messages. If it was a message of personal nature it was either mailed to the employee of the person was told about the same via the supervisor.
REFERENCE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_communicationshttp://www.managementhelp.org/mrktng/org_cmm.htmhttp://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&id=PXF7Fqh2FsEC&dq=internal+communication&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=6EOiRkCBOG&sig=Tg--zdx46cIcWJwYPr75VsFgPVE&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result
SUMMARY
A successful organization is formed due to the above mentioned factors to elaborate on the same
Identity
It is what the organization is reality is all about. The identity if an organization is seen through its motto logo products services uniforms etc. identity is created by the organization
Image
How the organization is seen by its constituents is what image is all about. It is how the constituents perceive the organization to be. It varies from one to another. It is important for an organization to maintain a good image with its constituents.
Reputation
Is the idea or trust about the organization that is built over time. It is totally based on how the constituents think about the organization( on the basis of how the organization can perform). Building a maintaining a good reputation is very important for the success of the organization as the constituents will know that they can depend on the company and get back to it whenever needed.
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLES
The company Wendt India is good example of maintaining its identity image and reputation. This is a company that manufactures industrial machines. The logo and name of the company is written on all the products it manufactures on all the gifts it gives to its constituents. All the employees of the organization compulsorily need to where an uniform with the logo on it.
REFERENCE
http://www.imageidentity.com/http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=66E1F7E256779B6782CEEE627A0C0314?contentType=Article&hdAction=lnkpdf&contentId=853498
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
The day I thought of buying a pair of shoes and had difficulty is deciding what brand to but I was helped by the fact that I saw a person travelling with me in the same bus who was wearing a pair of woodland shoes, the next thing that I did was to go and buy a pair of woodland shoes as I had see the brand and it was registered in me.
SUMMARY
The five communication trends of the 21st century are as follows: -
Diversity
Means people are different based on their gender ethnicity education. Organizations are today using diversity as a major tool or strategy to retain employees. Diversity as a strategy keeps changing and organizations which have it mainly consist of large work groups.
Globalization
It is the process where companies from various parts id the world set base at other places to produce and sell their products. It is basically started with the fall in the trade barriers and liberalization polices of the countries.
Flexibility
It is the process of adapting to various circumstances both difficult and easy. How an organization is able to handle change is the major factor under consideration here. Being able to change and adapt easily helps organization increase efficiency and effectiveness,
Networking
Organization need to be connected with its various internal and external
Constituencies in order to be successful. It needs to be able to connect and relate to its employees and various departments in the internal level and at the external level it needs to relate to its suppliers distributors stake holders consumers.
Flat
A flat organization is one where in the levels hierarchy between the front level employees and the top management is very few. The organization finds it easy to retain employees as they feel committed towards the organization and there by the overall productivity of the organization will increase.
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLES
Most private sector companies these days follow all the above mentioned trends as it helps them in their overall growth. In today’s global business environment it is very important for companies to have all the factors to be successful.
REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_centuryhttp://education.zdnet.com/?p=722
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
The experience I can relate to is the discussion held in class about the various trends their applicability to the organizations their advantages and disadvantages. till date I knew about all of them but to know about them working in tandem was a very knowledgeable experience.
SUMMARY
It is said that the wheels of life are always in motion you are sometimes at the top and at times at the bottom. This is the same case with the organizations as well. It is how well we the organization can handle the crisis is the important factor. Crisis arises either due to mad or naturally. It is communication that will make or break the organization during the crisis. As it is the responsibility of the communication department to part valuable information and collect information during a crisis scenario.
The steps involved during crisis communication are: -
v To gain control over the situation
v Get as much information as possible
v Set up a crisis management team
v Communicating fast about the crisis
v Find out what the media wants to know about the crisis
v Communicating directly towards the constituents
v Avoid future crisis
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLE
Today with recession in the US the IT companies in India are facing a huge crisis with respect to depreciation in the dollar. This has affected companies negatively and they had to face a lot of flake from the general public who had information from the media that the companies were giving pink slip to it employees in order to cut costs.
REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_management
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
This goes back to the days when I was working with HSBC BPO and they had to face a crisis because an employee of the company had fraudulently transferred money from the accounts of customers. The other employees had to answer questions from the customers and the company refused to give out relevant information about the crisis and it proved to be very difficult to handle.
SUMMARY
As time has evolved businesses have progressed to various levels. We now see huge businesses making multi billion profits in the world over. Business means profits & losses, if it is a profit for one it is a loss for another.
The life cycle of products today are very short they move introduction to decline in a matter of a few months this is basically due to the fast change in technology and also due to a rapid in customer needs and tastes. Businesses today compete in global environment with global firms the key to such a rapid growth is not only capital but also knowledge. Employees today are seen as an asset to the business they are also one of the main constituents of the business. Human resources have become one of the most important factors of any organization. People switch companies very frequently these days and to retain them is one of the biggest challenges of today’s business environment.
People of the present generation also look for various sources of information and the media has been the biggest source of information in recent times social responsibility is another important factor to be looked into by business and they need to understand that giving back to the environment and public is essential fort he success of any organization.
Therefore it can be said that for success change and modification is a must and organizations must realise that change is the only constant in anything.
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLES
Outsourcing has become a common phenomenon in today’s businesses. This is mainly because companies today realise that they cannot meet all their requirements only being in one place they therefore have changed themselves in order to be competitive and to survive
REFERENCES
http://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BDYGdfiAGtoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=CHANGING+ENVIRONMENT+OF+BUSINESS&ots=vuO57r3MKb&sig=3t942RvK8hvWG42hJ_AzQ8OgZXo
http://maltekluck.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/the-changing-environment-for-business/
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I can relate this experience to my childhood days where when one wanted money one had to go to the bank stand in the queue for about 15 minutes give in a challan and draw money from their account. Today the business of banking has changed all we have to do is have an ATM card go to the ATM machine and withdraw money without any loss of time. This change is mainly due to technology customer requirements.
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
SUMMARY
Success is achieved through meticulous planning and success in communication also needs planning and organizing. It involves 3 major processes they are the speaker, the subject and the listener. In the case of corporate communication the 3 main aspects are the organization the constituencies and the subject to be communicated.
The organization needs to approach communication in a systematic manner. It needs to ensure that the message matches the constituent and is sent through an appropriate channel.
The resources the organization will need are as follows: -
MONEY: - the expenses involved in the using of the various channels/modes of communication.
HUMAN RESOURCE: - the organization will need to train personnel to communicate effectively.
TIME: - the time the message is conveyed.
The constituents to whom the matter is being communicated to is a very important factor. If the reputation of the organization is strong communicating is easy. What the constituents want is a factor the organization needs to keep in mind before they say anything. The channel of communication needs to be selected carefully. Last but not the least the feed back form the constituents needs to be evaluated and changes if any need to be done.
We can therefore conclude that communication links all the departments of the organization with one another and with the outside world.
INDUSTRIAL EXAMPLES
The advertisement from Aditya Birla which is showcased on TV is a very good example of corporate communication with the public, the advertisement relates to the organization to the five different elements of the universe and also to different parts of the world which tells the public that the organization is truly global.
REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Communicationhttp://www.chass.ncsu.edu/ccstm/scmh/model.html
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I can relate communication to a guest lecture class that we had in out MBA programme the person who had come for the lecture was showing us slides and explaining the nuances of marketing but when it came to explaining a particular slide on a lubricating gel for females the person was feeling very awkward and did not explain further this I feel is an example of bad communication strategy as the person was not comfortable about the concept.
