Business Communications

Internal Assignment for December 2022 Examination

Answer 1. Communication is the process of building a connection between the sender and receiver
by transferring meaningful information, through various channels such and written, spoken etc.
Successful communication means the transfer of this information is agreed on meaning at both,
send and receiver’s end while and unsuccessful attempt is the one wherein receiver interprets a
different meaning than what was intended by the sender.

Hence, it is very important to have a successful attempt of communication so that only the correct
information is transferred which can avoid any further complications in understanding, especially at
workplaces where any task is mainly dependent on the communication.

Persuasion is the attempt to change someone’s attitudes, beliefs or actions as, a persuasive message
asks the receiver to involve in an exchange of value. Mr. Steven is the manager of a large team and
he should keep the following steps in mind while drafting messages to be sent to his team:

1. Define the objective: Before starting to compose the draft of any message, he should be
himself clear with the purpose of the message so that the receivers can also be clear.
Defining the objective at the start will help him stay focused and convey the message to the
team effectively.
2. Identify the target audience: In case of Mr. Steven, his target audience is his team of 20
members. Keeping their perspective in mind, will definitely help him write the message
accordingly.
3. Defining the content: After defining the objective and target audience, Mr Steven should
decide the content of the message in which he should be clear and concise and provide all
the necessary details.
4. Usage of a positive and persuasive language: A Persuasive tone will help him to convince his
team and agree with his point of view and a positive language will make his team members
feel equal and give a positive impression.
5. Usage of appropriate tone: Mr. Steven should use an appropriate tone in his message
presenting respect and professionalism while communicating with his team. A simple
language should be used to avoid suspicions and emotional manipulation.
6. Use of Active voice: Usage of an active voice in the message will help him to make it more
direct and clearer, which will be impactful for the members to interpret and execute the task
in the message.

Developing successful persuasive business messages is related to the ability to encourage other to
accept new ideas, change old habits or act on your proposals and recommendations. An effective
persuasion involves 4 major strategies, explained in brief as follows:

1. Framing the Arguments: Persuasive messages are generally an indirect approach for making
others agree to the message instead of enforcing it on them. The AIDA model can be used to
organize the message into four phases which are as follows:
a. Attention
b. Interest
c. Desire
d. Action
 In AIDA model, main idea is used as an attention getter to build interest with your argument,
create desire with your evidence and reemphasize your main idea in the action phase with
the specific action that is expected by the reader to take.
2. Balancing Emotional and Logical appeals: While preparing persuasive messages, one should
carefully tune the message for maximum impact. Audience might not care enough if there is
too little emotion involved. Over emotions flow will give a message that you are being
irrational. Hence, an optimum balance should be maintained, which can be achieved by 4
factors- First, actions you hope to encourage; second, expectations of the readers; third,
degree of opposition you have to overcome and fourth, your position in the formal and
informal power structure of the organization.
3. Reinforcing your position: After completing the basic elements of your point, you should
review the draft and always look for ways to strengthen your position. Careful selection of
words, especially powerful words, to be done to trigger the desired responses. One can even
consider the usage of metaphors and other figures of speech. Even anecdotes help the
audience to catch the meaning and importance of the message. A request can be easily
fulfilled by the audience if there is any benefit in it for them as well.
4. Anticipating Objections: Any message, even the most powerful and persuasive message can
face the audience’s resistance. Even great ideas have to go through resistance at the initial
stages. Hence, anticipating as many objections as we can, and addressing them beforehand
in the message, is the best way to deal with the resistance. Anticipation is even more
important when the message is being conveyed by some other means and not in person. If
encountering strong resistance is to be expected, present all sides of an issue. We can even
involve the audience and get their thoughts on the topic before putting all the arguments
together and drafting them, this would make them more supportive towards the solution
that you propose. The message is considered more credible and is less prone to resistance if
all sides of the story are presented before presenting your decision or proposal

Answer 2. Reports and Proposals are the most effective ways of communication when they are
issued in interest of the intended audiences. It is mandatory for the success of a report to ensure
that the content is sensitive to audience’s needs, builds strong relationships and a controlled style
and tone. Reports and proposals are highly technical, complex or lengthy and can put heavy
demands on readers, as they involve previews, summaries, appendixes and other elements. The
audience should be easily able to navigate through your reports by providing clear directions to
key pieces of content.

A report is a short and precise document with a specific purpose to be presented to an audience
for their information/action, whereas a proposal is a plan or an idea which is in written form,
and seeks consideration from others.

Proposal comes first, when any solution is introduced, where we can get a glance at the
questions that the proposer wants to answer. It also states the methodology which is to be used
during the implementation of the proposal.
Sections of report writing:

A report is a document that systematically and methodically presents the outcomes or the
analysis in a written format. Below is how a basic structure of a report looks like, in a sequential
manner-

1. Title page
2. Abstract
3. Contents
4. Introduction to the topic
5. Methodology
6. Discussion
7. Conclusion
8. Recommendations
9. References

These are more detailed sections of a report. If we broadly group these sections, it comes down
to three main sections, just like any other business communications:

a. An introduction- An effective introduction helps reader understand the context of the report
by relating it to a problem. It signifies why the subject matter is important and preview the
main idea of the forthcoming content. It establishes the tone and writer’s relationship with
the audience.
b. The body- It is the section containing the main content of the report which presents,
analyses and interprets the information gathered during the process. It is the main
supporting section of your recommendations or conclusions. What and How much are the
two important components of the body which can vary widely based on the subject matter.
c. A close- The ending is the last chance to put your message forth, so it has to be clear and
compelling. It summarizes the key points, focuses on the benefits to the reader if the
document suggests a change, and brings all the action items together in once place. The
ending leaves a lasting impression, so the content of the report should also be in accordance
with the intention of the message.
Prospects for the future and the credibility gets affected with every business report, so it is
necessary for the content to be Accurate, complete, balances, clear, logical, and well
documented.

The factors influencing the content and length of every section are:

 Type and purpose of the document

 Document’s organizational structure
 Length and depth of the material
 Degree of formality
 Relationship with the audience
Answer 3.a. A brand, is not just a logo, it is an experience a company provides to its customers
throughout their buying relationship. Developing the organization’s brand is the foundation of
creating effective marketing and sales strategies. Following are the four key steps to be taken in
order to develop a strong brand for Man Machin: -

1. Establishing brand identity- Begin with clearly defining the brand identity, which must
include the company’s mission, values, KPIs, and USPs. Identify what makes your brand
stand out from the competitors and how you want to be perceived by the target audience.
2. Market research and analysis- For effective positioning of the brand, a rigorous market
research should be done to better understand the target market, their requirements,
preferences and pain points. This helps is curating your brand message and offerings to
resonate with the audience.
3. Building a brand strategy- A comprehensive brand strategy should be created based on the
research, and it should include the brand position, communication via several mediums such
as social media, websites, blogs, audio-visual, and brand voice.
4. Implement and communicating your brand- Brand strategy should be brought into action by
implementing brand image, which is basically marketing, across various mediums such as
customer experience and feedback, messaging, audio visual, social media and ensuring
consistency throughout.

Social media has taken over as the most popular form of communication in the business world
nowadays. It is used by almost all businesses as a powerful tool to reach out to their target
audience and communicate with them for building brand awareness, engaging customers and
drive business growth. Social media has a wide reach and accessibility which allows connecting
with large audience instantly, especially after lockdown. Communication across different
locations and time zones. Real time and interactive communication has been made possible and
businesses can even address the customer enquiries, provide extended support and earn
customer loyalty through conversations on social media. Advanced targeted advertising and
customer segmentation, which allows businesses to reach specific customer segments based on
their interests, behaviour and demographics.

Hence, it becomes very important to communicate the business through social networks.
Following are strategies to consider for the same-

 The best compositional mode for each message is to be chosen before posting on social
media. It should be in accordance with the company’s mission statement and overview.
 The content that your social media page is providing should be valuable to the audience
as people don’t follow you to be their sales target. Content marketing provides free and
valuable information to its community but that should also help them gain business
from them, earn their trust and loyalty.
 Join existing conversations and hop on to latest trends that are whirling around the
social media to gain more popularity for the brand.
 Focus on community building by making it easier for the audiences to connect with
similar minded people and business.
 Products can be promoted on social media, but it needs to be done in an indirect way by
waiting for the right time and right place. Efforts of advertising and increasing sales lead
to the social media handle to be tagged and a salespeak, and are not welcome by the
audience.
  Consistency is the key to build an image of the brand in people’s mind and heart.
Consistency should be in the frequency of posts, the content, and form, which can show
a unique environment with particular norms of communication.

This is how, social media can help building and maintaining the brand in the digital world
and have a prominent presence. A thoughtfully curated strategy, consistency, and a genuine
effort to build a strong customer community would definitely lead to a

Answer 3.b. The overall picture and dynamics related to employment opportunities available in
the referred industry is termed as a job market. Here, employers search for employees and
employee searches for jobs. It is an intangible term, used to describe a concept for
demonstrating the competition and interplay between different labour forces. Job market as
many factors such as job openings, demand for specific skills, qualifications, defined salary range
and the entire hiring procedure.

For applying for a desired job, it is necessary to evaluate the organization and job description.
Following are the points to be considered for the same: -

o Job description- JD needs to be thoroughly reviewed to have a clear understanding of

the responsibilities, experience, required skills, and qualifications. It should be in
alignment with your expectation and skill set.
o Company Culture- The company culture speaks volumes about the quality of life you will
have will serving your tenure here. There should be clear understanding of the Vision,
mission and values and weather you will be motivated to work in such an environment.
o Personal and professional growth-There should be potential for growth and
development within the organization. There should be opportunities for growth, skill
development and continuous learning.
o Compensation and benefits-Salary range and other benefits such as bonus potential,
health insurance, retirement benefits, leaves, travel and other allowances should be
evaluated and assessed properly if the meet your lifestyle and financial needs.
o Work-life balance- Company policies and culture regarding work-life balance should be
considered. Company should be supportive of the flexible working arrangements,
employee well-being and healthy work life integration.
o Reputation in the industry- Company’s financial stability, growth and acquisition
potential and long-term prospects should be assessed. This can be done by analysing
factors such as company reviews, news articles, and industry ranking.
o Reputation as an employer- This can be assessed by finding out the reviews and
feedback from the current and former employees to get an idea about the employee
satisfaction, experience and culture.
o Leadership- There should be a positive and collaborative work environment, promoted
by the leaders and top management of the organization. Try to gather some insights on
the leadership from sources and as personal feedback, or company websites and
articles, etc.
o Location and transportation- Assess the logistical considerations from your own
convenience since workplace should be accessible to have a correct work life balance.
Spending hours in travelling would consume the personal time and would have an effect
on the work as well. Cost of living, means of transport and options, working hours and
commuting cost should be considered.