Busıness Communıcatıon (ENG) — Ünite 4 Soru-Cevap

The main characteristics of a corporation are as follows:

Communication may be simply defined as the process of transmitting a message from the source to the receiver. 

• Traditional mass media communications are primarily capable of stimulating awareness and attitudes, but much less of stimulating or directly influencing demand.
• Corporate expenses are increasing and there is a need to have more effect on stakeholders.
• The fact that many products and brands are of similar quality and brand differentiation is low increases the need to make a difference through communication.
• Audiences and markets tend to become more and more fragmented, making mass media less effective. This increases the need for more specialised and fragmented media that can appeal to narrower and narrower markets.
• Mainly as a result of technological developments and innovations, new marketing and marketing communication tools are coming into use. Thus, through interactive communication, the barriers between the sender and the recipient are removed and marketing becomes more and more receiver-oriented.
• As the communications literacy on the part of the consumer increases, the communication methods that are used to reach the change. This situation forces companies to move towards a fragmented and increasingly interactive communications tools.
• Organisations are increasingly communicating with multiple audiences. Target audience uses different communication tools and channels. Hence, the goal is to ensure that the mission, corporate identity and core propositions of the organisation are communicated through appropriate communication tools to all target groups.
• As the importance of creating customer loyalty increases, integrated marketing communications focus on establishing long- term relations with the target audience.
• Due to the globalisation of the market, corporations need to be consistent in everything they communicate in all countries in which it markets its products.

• Corporate communications connects corporate employees and their departments with one another; ensuring that they work in harmony and coordination.
• Corporate communications ensures the continuation of activities within a corporation, the resolving of issues in the shortest time possible and the formation of a creative force.
• Corporate communications ensures the exchange of communication between both the internal and external stakeholders.
• Corporate communication ensures that corporations can adapt themselves to new conditions brought by a rapidly-changing environment and rules of competition.
• Corporate communications ensures that functions such as planning, coordination, decision making, motivation and supervision can take place.
• Corporate communications ensures that the hierarchical structure is set up and that the messages, documents, information and records are exchanged within this structure.
• Corporate communications ensures that the small groups consisting of corporate employees have a healthy relationship between one another and with the corporation.
• Corporate communications ensures the unity of a corporation and the development of a feeling of belonging amongst its employees.
• Corporate communications ensures that there is mutual trust and the free flow of information within a corporation. It ensures that clients’ needs are met externally.

• Corporate communications is aimed at corporate audience.
• Corporate communications covers all communication that is used to form a relationship with stakeholders.
• Corporate communications is symbolic and purposeful.
• Corporate communications takes place within a complex and open system.
• Corporate communications covers all messages that can be found in formal and informal communications channels.
• Corporate communications deems and evaluates all communication that takes place within the corporation as a whole.
• Corporate communications as an ongoing process has a long-term perspective.
• Corporate communications entails the creation and sharing of messages about the ideas, goals and concepts in order to ensure that employees can make sense of their surroundings and can overcome uncertainties.
• Corporate communications includes the communication that originates from the attitudes of employees; their emotions, relationships, satisfaction, personality and talent.

The classical management approach sees corporations as a mechanism (machine). In the classical management style, the role of the individual is to follow the rules of the corporation and carry out their duties just as a machine would. The classical management approach to corporate communications may be summarized as follows:

In this approach, the focus is on the relationship between employees and the management. The employees are expected to play an active role in all corporate decisions. Free exchange of information is important for promoting creative thinking and correct decision making. The satisfaction of employees is important so that they use their individual resources at the utmost level. 

Trust is a determining factor in the relationship between employees and the management. Informal communication is encouraged to create a flexible and safe work environment.

In the systems approach, communication is important as a process that bonds the elements of the corporation together as a system. Communication is the main tool for creating a common perspective and understanding. All communication and feedback used to create and protect corporate culture are deemed important.

Corporate communication models are structures that determine who will communicate with whom within a corporation. There are five types communication network models:

1. Central Model is used by organisations with an authoritarian understanding of management where there is a clear-cut line boundary between the superior and the subordinate. All information exchange of the corporation focuses on the manager who communicates personally with the departments around him.
2. Y Model is a model in which there is little communication network. Hierarchy is essential.
3. Chain model is the type of communication formed through messages that will pass from person to person within a group. In the chain model, communication is processed according to the proximity of the members. Hence, some members of the group may be isolated.
4. Circular model is a democratic model of communication which is mostly established in informal groups and among people of equal ranks. The group does not have a specific leader.
5. Free-flow model is relatively more democratic and in this model, any individual can begin communication or anyone can communicate with one another. The most important characteristic of this model is that communication is established within the source and the receiver directly.

Formal communication involves all official memos, directives and types of reporting in a corporation. Formal communication networks are generally categorized into three: vertical, horizontal and diagonal.

• Informal communication enables the identification of potential sources of conflict. Thus, facilitate for the prevention of conflicts before they occur.
• With the help of informal communication, management can get information about the internal environment and carry out the necessary modifications in the internal structure.
• Informal communication can bring employees psychological satisfaction when cooperation, teamwork, and social relationships improve.
• Informal communication can play a complementary role to formal communication.
• The flexibility and speed of corporate official communication, which is inadequate, controlled, and controlled and natural communication ensures the timely delivery of messages and feedback.
• Informal communication can be used to ensure that information is spread unofficially. The reaction to the leaked information can be evaluated and even if this is an indirect approach, it can help the corporation to make effective decisions.
• Informal communication can be used to share ideas and get feedback without the pressure and restrictions of official proceedings.
• Informal communication can be used to pinpoint potential problems, determine topics that are agreed upon and the free discussion of issues related to the corporation.
• Informal communication can speed up the transfer of the ideas and suggestions of employees to upper management.
• Informal communication can bring out the creative power of employees.

• Encouraging employees to give feedback on all topics related to the corporation,
• Strengthening the role of the employee within the corporation and educating employees about the roles of other employees,
• Improving the employees’ characteristics and abilities that represent the corporation.

• Ensuring regular meetings regarding all kinds of issues that could affect the corporate success negatively or positively,
• Informing and explaining the business plan that is created in accordance with corporate goals, objectives and policies to the employees,
• Trying to increase the level of participation to corporate life by giving information,
• Creating formal and informal internal corporate groups and targeting them,
• Explaining rules and regulations relating to the corporation and communicating them to employees of all levels,
• Evaluating all aspects of issues regarding the corporation and the competitive environment,
• Regularly evaluating the alignment between corporate vision and corporate goals.

• Helping create a culture of information sharing that is needed for individual and corporate development,
• Informing employees about the business and the business processes and in this way, facilitating the business and skill education,
• Informing employees about various issues such as corporate activities, events, decisions, successes; the corporation’s social and economic situation and problems that it faces, and notifying the employee about their role in these matters,
• Obtaining internal and external information to create, strengthen and continue a corporate climate, culture and identity.

External communication is the exchange of messages between the corporation and its surrounding. The areas that require external communication include marketing, public relations, sales calls, press releases, speeches, and interaction with other corporations.

• Corporations are systems that are in interaction with other systems, and they are composed of various levels such as individual, corporate and social.
• In a corporation, communication means the perception of a sent message. Effective managerial communication uses a feedback mechanism to verify perception.
• Non-communication cannot exist in corporations.
• Communication is a process that involves elements such as circumstances, assumption, objective, audience, type, product, comment and feedback.
• Communication is an operational process that involves mutual exchange of ideas, information, feelings, attitudes and perceptions.
• Communication is a multi-level process that involves individuals, the corporation and society.
• Communication that conveys directives, expectations, processes, products and attitudes is the lifesaver for a corporation, and it is needed to unify corporate resources and people.
• A corporation’s communication climate is based either on supportive or defensive communication.
• Managers have an important effect on the communication environment that they are in. They can increase corporate activity and encourage effective communication by grasping the communication process and the climate that constitutes its basis.

• Just like snowflakes and fingerprints, corporations are unique. Each corporation has a distinct culture that is created through corporate history, communication patterns, systems and procedures, mission and vision, stories and myths.
• Corporate culture changes very little through time, so it has a balanced structure.
• Most corporate cultures are historical. Hence, rather than being explicitly expressed, they can be understood through suggestions and implications.
• Culture is connected to corporate goals, industry, nature of competition and other environmental factors. Hence, there is no such thing as a “best corporate culture”, which can be applied to all corporations.

Corporate identity is a corporation’s signature. Corporate identity, shows a corporation’s or a brand’s name, visual design, internal and external design, corporate behaviour and vision. In other words, corporate identity is the corporation expressing itself in front of others.

There are four types of corporate culture:

Power Culture: In corporations that adopt power culture, power and supervision is concentrated in one hand. Decisions are not made with an understanding of participatory management but they are made by the people who are a part of the top-level management. 

The Internal elements are the emblem, logo, letterhead stationery, envelope, business card, file, notepad, email and written correspondence visuals, internal correspondences, accounting sheets, corporation’s attire rules, digital designs, corporate identity usage booklet, etc.

Corporate identity is composed of corporate philosophy, corporate behaviour, corporate appearance, corporate communication and corporate quality.

Strategic Analysis Phase: This phase includes the analysis of elements such as the changes that are going on in the environment, and how will they affect the organization and its activities; the determination of resources, values and competencies of the organization; the aspirations of the stakeholder groups associated with the organization how these groups affect what is expected for the future development of the organization is determined.

Traditional communication tools are in verbal, written and audio-visual form.

Verbal communication tools enable a message to be transmitted with words. Face-to-face meetings, phone calls, organisations such as seminars and meetings, and announcements are verbal communication tools used in corporations.