Business Studies: Business Communication

Business Studies – Business Communication Unit 4 – Task 1
Business communication can promote a product, service, or organization: it relays information within a business. Business communication is essential for a business as it is a good way of building the businesses success. The communication is most important if the members of the business are to work as a team to the same goal. The types of communication are: * Verbal * Written * Onscreen * Multimedia * Web based
Verbal communication is the most common way for a business to communicate; there is no way for a misunderstanding. Speech allows complex ideas to be expressed and discussed. However with the constrains of time and budgets of the business, it would be practical or possible to meet in person. A telephone conversation is also a useful way to communicate, as ideas can still be discussed without any hesitation. Verbal communication would be an important way to pass information to Creamy Cow as its one of the quickest ways to communicate, it allows employees to ask and get answers in that moment in time. It would also allow employees to share their ideas and points to higher people within the business in a quicker way. For example a manager of Creamy Cow would use the telephone to verbally communicate with suppliers to buy more supplies for the business.
Advantages of Verbal Communication: * Opportunities for immediate feedback from employees to make sure the message was understood * The opportunity to utilize nonverbal cues (tone, body language, inflection)
Disadvantages of Verbal Communication: * A main disadvantage is miscommunication, this just basically means what the listener hears is often not what is meant * Verbal communication is not very suitable for future reference, as valuable information could be forgotten
Written communication is the physical way to represent words, in other words this is visual representation. No one could have reached the present state of economic, social and technological development without the ability to produce written information. Written information comes from a large variety of sources these include, books, newspapers and government publications. But for a business like Creamy Cow, written information comes from sources like memos, agendas, letters, invoices and fax’s. Written communication would be an important way to pass information for Creamy Cow as it allows employees to have a beneficial paper based copy for personal viewing which can be a lot more detailed. Written communication is also very formal way to write a letter, so for Creamy Cow a written based type of communication would be the best way to do this. A manager of Creamy Cow may need to fire an employee, this could be done both verbally and written but written communication would be needed in order to have proof of the firing and also to confirm it.
Advantages of Written Communication: * Written communication is a permanent mean of communication, this just basically means that it is useful where record maintenance is required * It is more precise and can be explained in great detail
Disadvantages of Written Communication: * Question cannot be asked and cannot get answer’s in that moment in time * Written communication is very time consuming and people may not necessarily get feedback immediately
On screen communication is information that is produced on-screen. This is where information may be produced on-screen, these can all be seen in multimedia TV and CD-ROM’s that combine text, graphics, animation, audio and video. Onscreen communication sources can come from computers which can be shown publically through a projector, mobile phones and TVs. On screen communication is probably the main way Creamy Cow could pass around their information, it’s important that Creamy Cow uses this way of communicating as it allows them to pass information to employees who are not within their region for example they could use text messaging and emails to employees about important strategies.
Advantages of Onscreen Communication: * A large amount of people can see the presentation, for example, and receive a lot of information from it * Onscreen communication can increase the employees understanding and encourages them to ask questions
Disadvantages of Onscreen Communication: * If the information is displayed for public screen viewing, for example in an airport, then people would have to keep referring back to the source to find out the information rather than a beneficial paper based copy for their own personal viewing

* The main issue with onscreen communication is security. The source can be hacked, and affected with viruses. This can have an adverse effect on the system, and the network
Multimedia means multiple forms of media integrated together. Multimedia is used quite frequently in today’s world; they’re usually used in DVDs to CD-ROMs to magazines that include text and pictures. Multimedia would help Creamy Cow with their marketing, as multimedia is so developed; it allows Creamy Cow to create advertisements that would appeal to their consumers and customers, this is important to them as it one of their main ways of gaining a steady profit.

Advantages of Multimedia Communication: * Most multimedia is very interactive which is heightened by the possibility of easy feedback * Media being digital, information can easily be changed and fixed to fit different situations and users
Disadvantages of Multimedia Communication: * Multimedia communication can lead to information overload, because media is very easy to use it may contain too much information for the employees and users to take in * Multimedia can be expensive depending on what a business needs

Web based communication shows many benefits of multimedia technology. The web uses today’s broadband connections; this makes it possible for people to stream content on a computer anywhere in the world. This allows people to receive and read information wherever they are which makes it very convenient for them. Businesses can create their own official websites to share information for employees and other users to access easily. You can use the web using the computer or mobile phones. Again web based communication would be a great way for Creamy to create viral advertisement and saturate the market. Creamy Cow could use social networking sites to advertise their products in order for them to gain a following and beat their competition.
Advantages of Web based Communication: * Web based information is accessible 24/7 as long the person has an internet connection * Can be accessed wherever the person is in the world
Disadvantages of Web based Communication: * As the information is accessed through the internet, there are possible threats that may delete information such as viruses * Web based communication can be somewhat inefficient, as it’ll take a little longer for people to reply compared to a verbal conversation
The main purpose as to why Creamy Cow would share their information is so that the whole business knows their goals and aims and also where the business would like to be within the market. Creamy Cow uses information for a variety of purposes that include: * Updating knowledge- It is important for Creamy Cow to keep up to date with changes that occur within their business and their market. The information lets them know how their market is developing, how the economy is doing and laws that are being passed that may affect the way Creamy Cow operates. * Informing future developments- If Creamy Cow does not adapt, develop and grow then they could find themselves behind their competition. All developments within the business need to be based on informed decisions. For example, Creamy Cow should not release a new ice cream unless they’re definitely sure it would sell. * Strategic direction and SWOT analysis- This is used as a strategic management for Creamy Cow to determine their purpose, objectives and their desired levels of attainment. This will help Creamy Cow to decide on their actions as a business for achieving these objectives at an appropriate timescale.
Creamy Cow will attain this information from both internal and external sources. The internal sources come from the main departments such as: * Finance Department- The finance department of Creamy Cow would inform them of the businesses performance, such as their profit and loss figures, the balance sheets, the cash flow information and also the cost of running their business. * Sale Department- This is where Creamy Cow would store their information and research on their customers, as well as their sales records for Creamy Cows existing products and services. * Human Resources Department- This department of Creamy Cow would store information about the staffing and training that happens within the business, these are things such as staff turnover, number of employees, skills available, training needs and the projections for future employment.