Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information assignment 2

You are currently working on a company’s program to improve existing internal communication process.Your company believes that the a new, improved communication process would significant

ASSIGNMENT 2 FRONT SHEET

Qualification BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Business

Unit number and title Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information

Learner declaration:

I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own and research sources are fully acknowledged

Grading grid

Assignment 2 This assignment encourages learners to understand how to assess information and knowledge needs and

to be able to create strategies to increase personal networking to widen involvement in the making process

You are currently working on a company’s program to improve existing internal communication process.Your company believes that the a new, improved communication process would significantly improvebusiness performance

Your task is to answer the questions listed in Specific Requirements section in form a 2-5 page reportexcluding the cover page, table of contents, list of references

Notice: students are required to choose a real business then conduct research on that business to answerthe given questions

The specific tasks will be set out in the following sections

In this assignment, you will have opportunities to provide evidence against the following criteria

Indicate the page numbers where the evidence can be found

Assessment criteria Expected evidence Task no Assessor’s Feedback

LO3 Be able to develop communication processes

Types: meetings and conferences, workshops and training events, internet and email, written, telephone, video conferencing, one-to-onemeetings

Approaches: structured and coordinated, planned, formal and informal

2

<Criteria No 3 1> P 3.1

Learners are require to identify

functions and purposes of

communication process in an

organization

Report on functions and purposes of existing communication process of your chosen company

1 Identify user and user’s needs

2 Identify appropriate communication channels

3 Inspire user’s confidence

4 Improve cost effectiveness

<Task No 3.1.>

<Criteria No 3.2> P 3.2

Learners are required to

suggest ways to improve

appropriateness

communication process

What can you do to improve appropriateness of the communication process

1 Identify weaknesses of existing communication process (2 way communication)

2 Identify and eliminate noise within communication process

Notice: at least 3 examples of

<Task No 3.2.>

4

1 Choose appropriate communication types:

E.g Conversation, Meeting, Memorandum, Presentation, Phone, etc.

2 Consider relevant factors before decide communication methods

E.g Time, Complexity, Distance, Confidentiality, etc (refer to table provided in BPP book)

<Task No 3.3>

or mismatch with existingcommunication process of thecompany

message skills: selecting andorganizing materials, judgingeffects of the messages,choosing language and media,adapt communication style, usenon-verbal communication,seeking for feedback

E.g ineffective at listening improve on it, introvert  talk

to people more, etc

6

LO4 Be able to improve systems relating to information and knowledge

Type: hard and soft, websites and mailings, access and dissemination

Style: trends and patterns, diagrams and text, consistent and reliable, current and valid; legal and confidential

<Criteria No 4.1> P 4.1

Apply the knowledge learnt

from the course, learners are

required to report on

existing approaches to the

collection, formatting,

storage and dissemination of

information and knowledge

of the chosen company

Report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge of the chosen company

- Approach to Collection E.g Hard approach, Soft approach

- Formatting E.g Diagram, Text, etc

- Storage E.g Data Warehousing, Information Directories

- Dissemination E.g

Website and Mailing Paper files Meeting, etc (with particular concern over the issues of being

<Task No 4.1>

<Criteria No 4.2> P 4.2

Apply the knowledge learnt

from the course, learners are

required to suggest ways to

improve existing approaches

to the collection, formatting,

storage and dissemination of

information and knowledge

of the chosen company

Evidence of compare &

contrast technique have to be

company.

- Office Automate System (OAS): create, store, modify, display, communicate the correspondence

- Knowledge Work System (KWS): analytical tools, graphic facilities, communication tools, access to external databases, etc

- Artificial Intelligence:

natural language’ programming tools, perceptive system, etc.

<Task No 4.2>

8

Seven stage process:

Assessment criteria Expected Evidence Feedback

(note on Merit/Distinction if applicable)

Merit descriptor No.1 (M1) - Point out weakness and

find the causes of these

communication process

- Specifically explain how

suggested solutions couldimprove appropriateness ofcommunication process

Merit descriptor No.2 (M2) - Relevant theories and

techniques have beenapplied

E.g chosen strategies aremade upon resourcesavailable to company andconcern over convenience

of related parties

- A range of communication

communication techniqueshave been applied for doingresearch

comparison, causes andeffect…etc

- A range of resources of

information has been used

E.g Books, JournalArticles, Newspaper, etc

Merit descriptor No.3 (M3) - Correct application of

Harvard Referencing

System

- Correct use of Academic

English

- The appropriate structure

and approach has been

presentation have been

used and legal language

has been accurately used

The communication is

appropriate for familiar and

unfamiliar audiences and

appropriate media have

been used Your work is

made clear and

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understandable enough for unfamiliar parties.

Distinction descriptor No.1 (D1) - Your whole assignment

must prove that yourconclusions have beenarrived at through synthesis

of ideas and have beenjustified

E.g solutions to existingproblems and strategies forimprovement of company’scommunication processhave to be the results ofstrong understanding ofcompany’s current chain of

internal capabilities andchanges in externalenvironment (advancement

technologies, channels ofcommunication being used

by others companies) with

sufficient reference to

review

- Self-criticism of approach/

strategy application has

taken place In your

comparisons have been

made by referring to pros

and cons of various

alternatives

E.g compare and contrast

technique must be applied

to shortlist available option

to improve communication

process of the chosen firm,

then more critical review on

shortlist items has to be

done to conclude on the best

option by looking into the

appropriateness of those

shortlisted solutions to the

specific case of the chosen

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independence have beendemonstrated with strongevidence of self-study and

in the assignment

Distinction descriptor No.3 (D3) Provide suggestion

innovative and practical/realistic solutions

to the existing problems of

communication process of your chosen company

Summative feedback

IV Grading Check: Comments if any:

Agree

Disagree Modify grade to

16

Table of Contents Introduction 15

LO3 Be able to develop communication processes 15

3.1 Report on functions and purposes of existing communication process of your chosen company 15

3.2 What can you do to improve appropriateness of the communication process 18

3.3 Suggest improvements to ensure greater integration of systems of communication in that organization 22

3.4 How can you improve your own communication skills 23

LO4 Be able to improve systems relating to information and knowledge 24

4.1 Report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge of the chosen company 24

4.2 Suggest appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge of the chosen company 26

4.3 How to implement a strategy to improve access to systems of information and knowledge of the chosen company 27

Bibliography 29

Introduction

Established in 1992, IDC Group rose to become a prestigious group, operating on a national scale andregional recognition With operational experience of nearly 25 years, IDC is now one of the top 5companies in the field of Information Technology in Vietnam IDC has become the Authorized Distributorfor many well-known manufacturers in the world This success was achieved thanks to the relentlessefforts of the Group for a new IT reality in the near future IDC is committed to providing products ofInformation Technology high quality of many prestigious companies in the world, and apply advancedtechnologies in production and assembly of high-end products branded Vietnam The new researchprograms and facilities to meet the demand, the increasing demands of consumers.[ CITATION IDC15 \l

1033 ] With this assignment, we analysis how improve systems relating to information and knowledge,develop communication processes

LO3 Be able to develop communication processes

3.1 Report on functions and purposes of existing communication process of your chosen company

1, Functions of existing communication process of IDC Group

According to information from Management study Guide, communication has 5 basic functions as it is themeans by which the speaker is used to communicate to the listener; it helps create relationships foreveryone; it is a means for people use for instruction It is means that any people can easily express theneeds, it is a means by which people can use it as a weapon to win Communication involves a mutualexchange of understanding and is the essence of the basic functions of business management, whichinclude staffing, directing, planning, organizing and controlling Communication is necessary toeffectively function, both inside an organization and when dealing with the outside world Businesscommunication can be both oral and written in nature.[ CITATION Man15 \l 1033 ] Five functions ofcommunication are motivation, control, interaction, providing information, providing feedback, as below:Motivation

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Management uses communication to motivate employees to achieve peak performance, specific objectivesfor the company, by clarifying the expectations of workers and the incentives to meet or exceedexpectations For example, by communicating with salespeople that if salespeople achieve their annualsales, they will receive a bonus of 10 percent, this creates for staff motivation, making them highlymotivated to sell, help companies achieve overall sales goals.[ CITATION Chr15 \l 1033 ]

Control

Companies use communication as a way to maintain control of employees and their work environment.The company issued the policy documents and procedures for human resources how employees areallowed to act at work, job description outlining the parameters of the job functions of an employee.Performance reviews control whether an employee receives a raise or attains a promotion.[ CITATION Chr15 \l 1033 ]

Interaction

Communication allows employees to interact with customers and with each other, with a customer servicedepartment, they communicate with customers to help customers solve problems Besides, the interaction

is possible through communication networks, such as a business letter can be used to introduce a company

to the potential customers Employees can social interaction both at work and outside work.Communication is essential for employees working on a project or during training.[ CITATION Chr15 \l

1033 ]

Providing Information

Information is dispersed throughout an organization through written or verbal communication Forexample, business owner may send out a memo explaining a change in the company's objectives in nextyear, or business meeting may be used as a way to communicate a new office procedure [ CITATION Chr15 \l 1033 ]

Providing Feedback

Communication allows for employees, managers and business owners to give and receive feedback onchanges that are being considered or have already been implemented For example, if company isconsidering the purchase of a new human resources system, company may first consult with employees todetermine what factor the system should include and what help they may need establish the system.[ CITATION Chr15 \l 1033 ]

This is functions of communication process in IDC Group, to clear understand communication process, we explored

in the next section below about existence of communication process in IDC group.

2 The existence of communication process in IDC Group

a User and user’s needs

Identify user is with information must be suited and sent to the right person (one who needs it to do a job,

make a decision etc) Accuracy within the user's needs with information should be "accurate" in the sense

of "correct": downright falsehood and error are fatal to effective communication of any sort It may,however, be impossible - or at least time-consuming and expensive - to gather, process and assimilateinformation that is minutely detailed.[ CITATION BPP13 \l 1033 ]

According to research IDC company, from survey results, communication used by all members of thecompany, and are divided by departments From the survey results, we see the marketing department uses

to communicate the most (40%), followed by accounting and human resource department (22%), otherdepartments is 16% Therefore, we see that the company using the contact information is divided by themain departments; everyone is used to communicate during work

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Beside, purpose of communication in the company of the members to discuss the work, establish andmaintain relationships, gossip, etc From the survey results, we see the main purpose of communication inthe company is to swap jobs (62%), followed by establishing and maintaining relationships (24%), lowest

in the chat (4%) Therefore, we can see that the purpose of the communication of people in the companyare clearly defined, the job is placed on top, creating efficient work in the company, the conversation,chatting up only a small amount According to Mr Nguyen Kien Cuong - Branch Manager of Hanoi, thepurpose of communication in IDC company to discuss the work Employee exchange work with otheremployee in department or other departments At the weekend, they also will have meetings to discusswork and plans

b.Identify appropriate communication channels: Choosing the right method of communication is

important How information is communicated will impact on how it is interpreted A channel that willhelp the receiver correctly interpret the information should be used The choice of medium will depend onnumerous factors, include in time, complexity, distance, written record, feedback, etc and some tool such

as meeting, telephone, presentation, etc [ CITATION BPP13 \l 1033 ]