CORPORATE COMMUNICATION SIGNIFICANCES

BY PROTAS LEVINA BAPRM 42657
In this Fifth Golden Rule, we are looking at setting up channels of communication and how these channels - and the reporting system as a whole (i.e. including internal, operations monitoring) - should be used to
ensure all stakeholders are happy with the proposed strategy
monitor progress from point A to point B in the strategy
ensure that stakeholders are receiving all the information they require
Logically, therefore, we need systems which have the following characteristics:
they serve all the significant stakeholder groups, that is:
customers
owners
employees
suppliers and other trading partners
local communities
in total they communicate the intention to run the company under systems of good corporate governance, and in particular they have very specific objectives in relation to each target group. Following the methodology, then, They will thus include the four elements of:
Ethics: projecting the ethos which permeates the company, and thus communicating to all stakeholders an image of the ethical company which the board is striving to create and operate
Goal : reporting on the progress made by the company towards the agreed corporate goals, and in particular fulfilling the specific interests of the particular stakeholders addressed in the actual communications received by them
Organisation: show that the company is organised effectively to achieve the goals that have been communicated to all the stakeholders, and to look after their individual interests
Reporting : demonstrate through the high quality of the communications that the accountability and transparency rule of good corporate governance is both understood and being adhered to
in their execution, high standards are in place to ensure that the communications are easy to understand and do indeed provide the information required by the recipients, in line with their expectations referred to above the systems provide regular communications to all stakeholder groups, and whilst there is an appropriate weighting between the needs of the various groups, no group is neglected, for instance through allowing address lists to become out of date.

FUNCTIONS OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION MANAGER

BY KIDENDEI SEGERETI

Corporate communications departments play a key role in how investors, employees and the general public perceive a company. They often report directly to a company’s chief executive officer and serve as advisers in managing a company’s reputation. They help leaders prepare for media interviews, develop messages to deliver to investors and employees and suggest new initiatives to keep companies on the cutting edge of communication with their stakeholders.

Media relations

This may be the function for which corporate communication managers are best known. Media relations work includes writing and distributing news releases and responding to media inquiries. Corporate communicators oversee all planning for news conferences, including selecting the site for an event, arranging for banners and other graphics to be displayed at the event, preparing packets of information to distribute to the media and preparing executives to speak at news conferences. Media relations also involves arranging for spokespersons to appear on local television and radio programs. Corporate communicators monitor newspapers, television news broadcasts and other outlets to see what the media is saying about the company and to devise strategies to address misinformation.

Building mutual relations

Building relationships with customers and responding to inquiries from the public fall under the public relations function of corporate communications. Duties in this area include producing newsletters, brochures and other printed materials designed for the general public. Corporate communicators also manage a company’s website and social media presence, which includes monitoring what customers and clients are saying about the company on social networking websites and responding to inaccurate posts or requests for information. Communication professionals may respond directly to calls and emails from citizens and customers with questions about a company’s plans or activities. They arrange for speakers from the company to make presentations to local community groups and may facilitate group tours of a company’s operations.

Crisis management

When an event occurs that threatens public safety or a company’s reputation, corporate communicators function as advisers to CEOs and senior leaders in managing the crisis. Special training in the issues unique to crisis communication helps corporate communicators prepare for events such as chemical spills, violence in the workplace, an accidental death on the job, layoff announcements and allegations of company wrongdoing. They often work with staff throughout their organizations to develop crisis communication plans before disaster strikes. A crisis may require communications staff to work with attorneys, government regulators, political officials, emergency response personnel and communications staff from other companies when developing crisis messages.

Maintaining employees relation

In addition to conveying a company’s messages to external audiences, corporate communicators may also be called on to function as employee communications managers, which includes designing printed publications and writing emails to announce company news, benefits information and training opportunities. Corporate communicators may facilitate focus groups to learn what issues matter most to front-line employees. They advise senior leaders on how to improve relationships with their staff and gain support for their initiatives. The corporate communications staff may also manage a company’s Intranet and internal blogs.

CYBER TERRORISM IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

BY PROTAS LEVINA BAPRM 42657

Cyberterrorism is the act of Internet terrorism in terrorist activities, including acts of deliberate, large-scale disruption of computer networks, especially of personal computers attached to the Internet, by the means of tools such ascomputer viruses.

Cyberterrorism is a controversial term. Some authors choose a very narrow definition, relating to deployments, by known terrorist organizations, of disruption attacks against information systems for the primary purpose of creating alarm and panic. By this narrow definition, it is difficult to identify any instances of cyberterrorism.

Cyberterrorism can be also defined as the intentional use of computer, networks, and public internet to cause destruction and harm for personal objectives.^[1] Objectives may be political or ideological since this can be seen as a form of terrorism.^[2]

There is much concern from government and media sources about potential damages that could be caused by cyberterrorism, and this has prompted official responses from government agencies.

Several minor incidents of cyberterrorism have been documented.

Main article: Definitions of terrorism

There is debate over the basic definition of the scope of cyberterrorism. There is variation in qualification by motivation, targets, methods, and centrality of computer use in the act. Depending on context, cyberterrorism may overlap considerably with cybercrime, cyberwar or ordinary terrorism.^[3] Eugene Kaspersky, founder ofKaspersky Lab, now feels that "cyberterrorism" is a more accurate term than "cyberwar." He states that "with today's attacks, you are clueless about who did it or when they will strike again. It's not cyber-war, but cyberterrorism."^[4] He also equates large-scale cyber weapons, such as the Flame Virus and NetTraveler Viruswhich his company discovered, to biological weapons, claiming that in an interconnected world, they have the potential to be equally destructive.^[4][5]

If cyberterrorism is treated similarly to traditional terrorism, then it only includes attacks that threaten property or lives, and can be defined as the leveraging of a target's computers and information, particularly via the Internet, to cause physical, real-world harm or severe disruption of infrastructure.

There are some who say that cyberterrorism does not exist and is really a matter of hacking or information warfare.^[6] They disagree with labelling it terrorism because of the unlikelihood of the creation of fear, significant physical harm, or death in a population using electronic means, considering current attack and protective technologies.

If a strict definition is assumed, then there have been no or almost no identifiable incidents of cyberterrorism, although there has been much public concern.

However, there is an old saying that death or loss of property are the side products of terrorism, the main purpose of such incidents is to create terror in peoples mind. If any incident in the cyber world can create terror, it may be called a Cyber-terrorism.

create it? And what’s next for the profession?

Internal Communication – also known as Employee Communication – is at its most basic, facilitating strategic connections and conversations within your organization. This communication takes place between leaders, managers and employees – or peer-to-peer, from leader-to-leader or employee-to-employee, for example.

And when it’s smart, this Internal Communication ensures your people are committed to achieving ground-breaking business results, by helping improve collaboration, productivity and performance.

It empowers them to deliver your business strategy by supporting the beliefs, behaviors and culture that shape this – and your company’s future. It means that when speaking to customers, what employees say is positive – and increasingly, so is your brand and reputation. 

For companies that do this well, the results are real and measurable. They create nearly 50 percent more total shareholder returns than their peers1. They reach productivity and profitability rates that are 70 percent higher2. And their employees are 70 percent more likely to understand how to meet customer needs3.

Smarter Employee Communication creates competitive advantage TWEET THIS.

Smarter Internal Communication sets you apart 

In a global market as competitive as ours, your most valuable asset isn't products, processes or technology – it is the employee. Melcrum’s insights show engaged and empowered employees have the biggest impact on competitive advantage.

While roles and responsibilities may vary, successful comms teams achieve this by:

1. Understanding employee audiences and stakeholders, and business objectives and outcomes, to improve employee engagement. 
2. Developing a compelling employee comms strategyaligned to the business strategy, and the right
   structure and skills to deliver these.
3. Equipping leaders and managers to shape employee behaviors and attitudes, and drive business results.
4. Choosing channels and messages that educate and inspire each employee to deliver on organizational goals  

by Abdallah Rebecca 

                                              creative industries

According to Caves (2000), creative industries are characterized by seven economic properties:

1. Nobody knows principle: Demand uncertainty exists because the consumers' reaction to a product are neither known beforehand, nor easily understood afterward.
2. Art for art’s sake: Workers care about originality, technical professional skill, harmony, etc. of creative goods and are willing to settle for lower wages than offered by 'humdrum' jobs.
3. Motley crew principle: For relatively complex creative products (e.g., films), the production requires diversely skilled inputs. Each skilled input must be present and perform at some minimum level to produce a valuable outcome.
4. Infinite variety: Products are differentiated by quality and uniqueness; each product is a distinct combination of inputs leading to infinite variety options (e.g., works of creative writing, whether poetry, novel, screenplays or otherwise).
5. A list/B list : Skills are vertically differentiated. Artists are ranked on their skills, originality, and proficiency in creative processes and/or products. Small differences in skills and talent may yield huge differences in (financial) success.
6. Time flies : When coordinating complex projects with diversely skilled inputs, time is of the essence.
7. Ars longa : Some creative products have durability aspects that invoke
copyright protection, allowing a creator or performer to collect rents.
The properties described by Caves have been criticized for being too rigid (Towse, 2000). Not all creative workers are purely driven by 'art for art's sake'. The 'ars longa' property also holds for certain noncreative products (i.e., licensed products). The 'time flies' property also holds for large construction projects. Creative industries are therefore not unique, but they score generally higher on these properties relative to non-creative industries.
Difference from the 'cultural industries'
There is often a question about the boundaries between creative industries and the similar term of
cultural industries. Cultural industries are best described as an adjunct-sector of the creative industries. Cultural industries include industries that focus on cultural tourism and
heritage , museums and libraries ,
sports and outdoor activities , and a variety of 'way of life' activities that arguably range from local pet shows to a host of hobbyist concerns. Thus cultural industries are more concerned about delivering other kinds of value—including cultural wealth and social wealth—rather than primarily providing monetary value. (See also cultural institutions studies .)

BY WILBROD REGINA BAPRM 42589

internal organization communication

Communication Processes, Networks and Channels

Internal communication is a complex and dynamic process, but early models focused on a one-way transmission of messages. The Shannon-Weaver Model (1949), concerned with technology and information distribution, is a classic example. In this S-M-C-R model, an information source [S] encoded a message [M] and delivered it through a selected channel [C] to a designated receiver [R], who decoded it. Later versions of the model added a feedback loop from receiver to sender. Nevertheless, the model suggested that all meaning is contained within the message, and the message would be understood if received. It was a sender-focused model.

Berlo’s (1960) S-M-C-R model provided a richer interactional perspective. He emphasized relationships between source and receiver and suggested that the more highly developed the communication knowledge and skills of sources and receivers, the more effectively the message would be encoded and decoded. Berlo also acknowledged the importance of the culture in which communication occurs, the attitudes of senders and receivers and strategic channel selection. Later models emphasized the transactional nature of the process and how individuals, groups and organizations construct meaning and purpose (Harris & Nelson, 2008).

Today, the model is more complex due to new media and high-speed, multi-directional communications (Burton, 2008; Williams, 2008). However, the core components live on in formal communications planning and implementation. Organizational leaders and communication specialists first develop strategies to achieve objectives, construct relevant messages and then transmit them through diverse channels to stimulate conversations with employees and members. Increasingly, formal communications are grounded in receivers’ needs and concerns. Employees communicate informally with others inside and outside the organization through high-speed communications, too.

Communication Levels

Internal communication occurs on multiple levels. Interpersonal or face-to-face (F-T-F) communication between individuals is a primary form of communication, and for years organizations have sought to develop the speaking, writing and presentation skills of leaders, managers and supervisors. Group-level communications occur in teams, units and employee resource or interest groups (ERGs). The focus on this level is information sharing, issue discussion, task coordination, problem solving and consensus building. Organizational-level communications focus on such matters as vision and mission, policies, new initiatives and organizational knowledge and performance. These formal communications often follow a cascade approach where leaders at hierarchical levels communicate with their respective employees, though social media are changing communications at this level.

Communication Networks

A network represents how communication flows in an organization. Networks can be formal and informal. In a formal communication network, messages travel through official pathways (e.g., newsletters, memos, policy statements) that reflect the organization’s hierarchy. Informal communications move along unofficial paths (e.g., the grapevine, which is now electronic, fast and multidirectional) and include rumors, opinions, aspirations and expressions of emotions. Informal communications are often interpersonal and horizontal, and employees believe they are more authentic than formal communications (Burton, 2008). Employees and members use both networks to understand and interpret their organizations.

Communications also can be described as vertical, horizontal or diagonal. Vertical communication can be downward–flowing down the hierarchy of an organization–or upward, i.e., moving from lower to higher levels in the chain of command. Horizontal communication refers to communication among persons who have no hierarchical relationship, such as three supervisors from different functions. Diagonal or omni-directional communication occurs among employees at different levels and in different functions, e.g., a quality control supervisor, accountant and systems analyst. Evolving organizational structures and technologies create opportunities for new and conflicting communication flows (Williams, 2008).

Studies regarding the effectiveness of communication flows often reveal employee dissatisfaction with both downward and upward communications. Findings by the Opinion Research Corporation, which has examined employee perceptions of internal communication for more than 50 years, generally show that more than half of employees are dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with both downward and upward communications (Cutlip, Center & Broom, 2006). Less is known about the effectiveness of horizontal and diagonal communications.

Communication Channels

A communication channel is a medium through which messages are transmitted and received. Channels are categorized as print, electronic or F-T-F (interpersonal). Common print channelsinclude memos, brochures, newsletters, reports, policy manuals, annual reports and posters. New technologies have spurred the use of electronic channels, e.g., email and voice mail, Intranets, blogs, podcasts, chat rooms, business TV, video conferencing, instant messaging systems, wikis and electronic town-hall meetings. Face-to-face channels include speeches, team meetings, focus groups, brown bag lunches, social events and gatherings and management by wandering around.

by SWAI JOAN

Negotiation is a means of resolving differences between people.  In the process of negotiation, not only are different opinions are taken into account, but also individual needs, aims, interests and differences in background and culture.

This page looks at different ways we may negotiate including the 'Win-Lose' approach, also known as bargaining or haggling, and the 'Win-Win' approach to negotiation, which is preferable when you want to build a meaningful and strong interpersonal relationship.

The Win-Lose Approach to Negotiation

Negotiation is sometimes seen in terms of ‘getting your own way’, ‘driving a hard bargain’ or ‘beating off the opposition’.  While in the short term bargaining may well achieve the aims for one side, it is also a Win-Lose approach. 

This means that while one side wins the other loses and this outcome may well damage future relationships between the parties.  It also increases the likelihood of relationships breaking down, of people walking out or refusing to deal with the ‘winners’ again and the process ending in a bitter dispute.

Win-Lose bargaining is probably the most familiar form of negotiating that is undertaken.  Individuals decide what they want, then each side takes up an extreme position, such as asking the other side for much more than they expect to get.

Through haggling – the giving and making of concessions – a compromise is reached, and each side’s hope is that this compromise will be in their favour.

A typical example is haggling over the price of a car:

“What do you want for it?”
“I couldn’t let it go for under £2,000.”
“I’ll give you £1,000.”
“You must be joking.”
“Well, £1,100 and that’s my limit.”
“£1,900” … “£1,300” … “£1,700” ... “£1,500” … “Done!”

Both parties need good assertiveness skills to be able to barter or haggle effectively.

While this form of bargaining may be acceptable in the used car market, and even expected in some cultures, for most situations it has drawbacks. These drawbacks can have serious consequences if applied to social situations.

For example, win-lose negotiation:

• May serve to turn the negotiation into a conflict situation, and can serve to damage any possible long-term relationship.
• Is essentially dishonest – both sides try to hide their real views and mislead the other.
• Reaches a compromise solution which may not have be the best possible outcome – there may have been some other agreement that was not thought of at the time - an outcome that was both possible and would have better served both parties.
• Agreement is less likely to be reached as each side has made a public commitment to a particular position and feels they must defend it, even though they know it to be an extreme position originally.

While there are times when bargaining is an appropriate means of reaching an agreement, such as when buying a used car, generally a more sensitive approach is preferable. 

Negotiation concerning other people’s lives is perhaps best dealt with by using an approach which takes into account the effect of the outcome on thoughts, emotions and subsequent relationships. You may find our page on emotional intelligence helpful.

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The Win-Win Approach to Negotiation

Many professional negotiators prefer to aim towards what is known as a Win-Win solution. This involves looking for resolutions that allow both sides to gain.

In other words, negotiators aim to work together towards finding a solution to their differences that results in both sides being satisfied.

Key points when aiming for a Win-Win outcome include:

• Focus on maintaining the relationship - ‘separate the people from the problem’.
• Focus on interests not positions.
• Generate a variety of options that offer gains to both parties before deciding what to do.
• Aim for the result to be based on an objective standard.

Focus on Maintaining the Relationship

This means not allowing the disagreement to damage the interpersonal relationship, not blaming the others for the problem and aiming to confront the problem not the people. This can involve actively supporting the other individuals while confronting the problem.

Remember

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Separate the people from the problem

Disagreements and negotiations are rarely ‘one-offs’.  At times of disagreement, it is important to remember that you may well have to communicate with the same people in the future.  For this reason, it is always worth considering whether ‘winning’ the particular issue is more important than maintaining a good relationship.

All too often disagreement is treated as a personal affront.  Rejecting what an individual says or does is seen as rejection of the person.  Because of this, many attempts to resolve differences degenerate into personal battles or power struggles with those involved getting angry, hurt or upset.

Remember negotiation is about finding an agreeable solution to a problem, not an excuse to undermine others, therefore, to avoid negotiation breaking down into argument, it is helpful to consciously separate the issues under dispute from the people involved.  For example, it is quite possible to hold people in deep regard, to like them, to respect their worth, their feelings, values and beliefs, and yet to disagree with the particular point they are making.  One valuable approach is to continue to express positive regard for an individual, even when disagreeing with what he/she is saying. 

The following are examples of statements that might be used by a good negotiator:

“You’ve expressed your points very clearly and I can now appreciate your position.  However...”

“It’s clear that you are very concerned about this issue, as I am myself. Yet from my viewpoint...”

Another way of avoiding personal confrontation is to avoid blaming the other party for creating the problem.  It is better to talk in terms of the impact the problem is having personally, or on the organisation or situation, rather than pointing out any errors.

Instead of saying:

“You’re making me waste a lot of time by carrying on with this argument,”

the same point could be presented as,

“I’m not able to spend a lot of time on this problem, I wonder if there’s any way we could solve it quickly?”

Focus on Interests Not Positions

Rather than focusing on the other side’s stated position, consider the underlying interests they might have.  What are their needs, desires and fears?  These might not always be obvious from what they say. When negotiating, individuals often appear to be holding on to one or two points from which they will not move. 

For example, in a work situation an employee might say “I am not getting enough support” while the employer believes that the person is getting as much support as they can offer and more than others in the same position. However, the employee's underlying interest might be that he or she would like more friends or someone to talk to more often.  By focusing on the interests rather than the positions, a solution might be that the employer refers the employee to a befriending organisation so that his or her needs can be met.

Focusing on interests is helpful because:

• It takes into account individual needs, wants, worries and emotions.
• There are often a number of ways of satisfying interests, whereas positions tend to focus on only one solution.
• While positions are often opposed, individuals may still have common interests on which they can build.

Most people have an underlying need to feel good about themselves and will strongly resist any attempt at negotiation that might damage their self-esteem.

Often their need to maintain feelings of self-worth is more important than the particular point of disagreement.  Therefore, in many cases, the aim will be to find some way of enabling both sides to feel good about themselves, while at the same time not losing sight of the goals.

If individuals fear their self-esteem is at risk, or that others will think less highly of them following negotiation, they are likely to become stubborn and refuse to move from their stated position, or become hostile and offended and leave the discussion.

Understanding the emotional needs of others is an essential part of understanding their overall perspective and underlying interests.  In addition to understanding others’ emotional needs, understanding of your own emotional needs are equally important.  It can be helpful to discuss how everyone involved feels during negotiation. Learn more about Emotional Intelligence.

Another key point is that decisions should not be forced upon others. This is a negotiation. Both sides will feel much more committed to a decision if they feel it is something they have helped to create and that their ideas and suggestions have been taken into account. 

It is important to clearly express your own needs, desires, wants and fears so that others can also focus on your interests.

Generate a Variety of Options that Offer Gains to Both Sides

Rather than looking for one single way to resolve differences, it is worthwhile considering a number of options that could provide a resolution and then to work together to decide which is most suitable for both sides. 

Techniques such as brainstorming could be used to generate different potential solutions. In many ways, negotiation can be seen as a problem solving exercise, although it is important to focus on all individuals’ underlying interests and not merely the basic difference in positions.

Good negotiators will spend time finding a number of ways of meeting the interests of both sides rather than meeting self-interest alone and then discussing the possible solutions.

Aim for the Result to be Based on an Objective Standard

Having identified and worked towards meeting shared interests, it is often inevitable that some differences will remain. 

Rather than resorting to a confrontational bargaining approach, which may leave individuals feeling let-down or angry, it can be helpful to seek some fair, objective and independent means of resolving the differences.  It is important that such a basis for deciding is:

• Acceptable to both parties.
• Independent to both parties.
• Can be seen to be fair.

If no resolution can be reached, it may be possible to find some other, independent party whom both sides will trust to make a fair decision.

Other sources of help who might assist in situations which cannot be resolved include:

• A mutual friend or colleague
• A committee member
• A trained mediator

Before turning for help from such sources however it is important to agree that this approach is acceptable to both sides.

MADAUDA HANNAH