Felicia Bodden

Business Communications BE 300

March 24, 2015

Shadow Day

Shadow person: Julio Ramos, General Manager of National Housing Development

Trust (NHDT).

Shadow day was conducted at the NHDT on March 10 at 2pm.

Mr. Ramos joined the NHDT in 2010 as an Accountant and gradually transitioned to
General Manager in 2012.

Mr. Ramos reports to the Board of Directors who are duly appointed by Cabinet.

NHDT is a government entity that fall under the Cayman Islands Government Statutory
Authorities Group Companies (SAGC). It was established in 2004 as a non-for profit
organization providing low cost and affordable homes to Caymanian families.

What type of communication is most crucial

to a business, internal or external?

According to Mr. Ramos, from a reporting stand point, both internal and external
communication are crucial for a business as they are closely correlated and must
remain consistent.

Before any form of communications can be sent out to NHDT stakeholders, Mr. Ramos
has to communicate with his staff and board of directors. The team of NHDT is
assigned with tasks as to how, when and why reports are to be completed. This is to
ensure that NHDT stakeholders are aware of what the organization is about and the
policies they have implemented. This allows operations to flow smoothly.

Once this is achieved, all communication is reviewed, agreed upon by the team and
then reported to the general public.

Are all of the business communications of the company

reviewed by you or do you have to get your bosss
approval before releasing any documents?

As the general manager of NHDT, Mr. Ramos has the authority to

release all business communications documents. However, as a
good practice, he ensures to always include the board of directors
and the ministry or otherwise give them a heads up beforehand as
to what is going to be communicated because at the end of the
day, what was communicated will become topic of discussion in
the near future.

How important is social media in business communication

inside and outside of a company, is 2.0 communications
really a bunch of hype?

* According to Bovee and Thill (2012), 2.0 communications is the new approach to
business communications in terms of the way we interact and converse with clients and
colleagues via email, social network, videoconference etc. versus the 1.0
communication where messages were scripted by a designated communicator,
distributed through designated channels and delivered to passive audiences. (p.15, para,
2)

According to Mr. Ramos, the basis of communication is to inform. The approaches

taken should be consistent with clientele and demographics of individuals you are
trying to communicate with as judgments should always be utilized to identify whether
the communication is formal or informal. Therefore, 2.0 communication is highly
encouraged but must also be used in a professional manner.

What is one type of business communication that presents

the possibility for the most damage for a company if
prepared incorrectly?

According to Mr. Ramos, from a standpoint of the NHDT reports

and minute meetings are crucial and can be damaging if they are
not recorded properly as they are the blue prints for policies and
resolutions that dictate mandates that need to be communicated
for both internal and external use.

What advice would you offer to students

studying business communications?

Be open minded to the various approaches that are used in business communications
and always put yourself on the receptive end of the communication.
Always appreciate feedbacks as they allow you to learn from experiences.

Always seek the positive side of any stressful situation or circumstances.

Enjoy the experience of your studies and never limit yourself or stop learning.

Take advantage of all opportunities.