Assignments Answers

1. Introduction:
In a globalized market place organizations are constantly trying to drive down the idea
of their products, services in the minds of customers through various means. They adopt
strategies for enhancing their brand visibility among all section of society to achieve
improved acceptability among customers. This is helping them achieve higher sales and
profit. All these depend on how effectively an organization communicates its ideas to
its audience (present and prospective customers).
Communication is building a visible and credible connect between the sender and
receiver by transferring information using any communication medium and channel.
The more effective this communication is between the business and its customers the
more effective will be the problem solving and decision making. In case of effective
communication stakeholders feel empowered to contribute towards the success of such
organization.
In case of Slipkart.com they are planning to hold Independence Day sale for their
products. They want to communicate this message to all the residents of Mumbai so
that they can sell maximum products and generate maximum profit. For communicating
this message, they have put up billboards across the main and arterial roads of Mumbai
to grab attention of people passing through these roads.

Concept and Application:

Intension of Slipkart is to grab attention of people passing through these roads on which
billboard has been posted and to get positive response of customers by turning up at the
Independence Day sale event. Effectiveness of this communication through billboard
is possible only if Slipkart has taken into consideration the steps of basic
communication model while planning for this event. The eight steps of the
communication model are as follows:
a) The sender has an idea: The communication effort of any firm or individual will
only be effective if the sender has clear motive and objective of what he wants to
communicate and achieve with the communication planned. In this case Slipkart
want to communicate about the Mega Independence Day sale being organized by
 them for all age groups along with timing (start and end). Intent of message is to
promote maximum sale by getting attention of consumers through the billboard.
b) The sender encodes the idea as a message: After the idea has been feezed
regarding the content now Slipkart put their idea into message consisting of images,
words that best describe the idea. Here the main focus is on encoding their ideas
into useful message keeping in mind the expectation, needs of consumers, i.e. the
more clearly idea is converted to message the more effective will be its display.
Slipkart converts the idea of Mega Independence Day sale into billboard message
to be displayed along with images and graphics to be used.
c) The sender produces the message in a transmittable medium: The messages
generated to express the ideas of sender is expressed on a communication medium
that is acceptable to the customers or is popular among them. Slipkart decided to
use the written/display medium as a means of communicating its message which is
visible to consumers.
d) The sender transmits the message through a channel: After the idea is expressed
in the communication medium a suitable communication channel is used to transmit
the message to the intended consumer. The communication channel can be a mobile
phone, video conferencing, fax machines, hoardings etc. Since Slipkart wanted to
capture people from all spheres of life they decided to go for billboards to be
displayed across main, arterial roads of Mumbai where people from different
section pass while travelling.
e) The audience receives the message: If the communication channel functions
properly then the message will be delivered to the intended audience. However mere
arrival of message doesn’t mean that it will be noticed and action will be taken. The
message will get the focus of customer only if he senses the presence of a relevant
information. Then the consumer selects the message and perceive it as an actual
message. Slipkart billboards placed on main roads will be easily identifiable as the
content of message has been created keeping in mind the need, preferences of
consumers, billboards are printed in a language easily understood by consumers
along with graphics/images which strike their mind and have a connect with them.
f) The audience decodes the message: After the message is received the consumers
try to decode the message. If the message is clear the consumer will receive the
intended meaning otherwise, he will assign meaning according to his perception,
biases, experience etc. Decoding is a highly personal process in which the receiver
 decodes message as per his thinking style. The more experience any firm share with
intended audience there is more likelihood of having shared perception. Slipkart
clearly through their billboards message are communicating about the Mega
Independence Day sale in a medium that has been acceptable to consumers. Hence
making it easy to decode the billboard message.
g) The audience responds to the message: By making and conveying the message in
such a way that it enables the consumers to respond, the sender increases the chance
of receiving the positive response. The chances of response depend on the consumer
remembering the message long enough and then retrieving it followed by feeling
motivated to respond. Slipkart through their billboards may run a contest to find
lucky codes printed on billboards and rewarding the lucky customer. This help the
billboards grab attention of consumers and also promote Mega Independence Day
sale. The audience also respond to the message by turning in huge numbers during
the Mega Independence Day sale.
h) The audience provides feedback to sender: This is the last stage in the
communication model in which the receiver responds to the message by giving
feedback to sender. Feedback can be verbal and non-verbal; this feedback again
needs to be analysed by the sender to know the exact nature of feedback. Slipkart
through reviews on websites enables customers provide accurate feedback
regarding success of the Independence Day sale and their experience while
shopping for taking necessary corrective action.

Conclusion:

Looking at above steps it is learnt that the communication process is a complex process
were each and every step need to be clearly understood by the sender along with
distractions associated at various stages before making an effort for making a
communication exercise effective. Communication model provides a layout for making
an effective communication to get desired result. Non-adherence to the communication
model will result in ineffective communication hence putting the relation between
sender and receiver at risk. In case of organization this could lead to loss of revenue
and customers which will impact the long-term survival of organization in market.
Hence understanding the 8 steps of communication model and implementing it in most
of the communication exercise will make strong relation between sender
(organizations) and receiver (consumers). Proper understanding of communication
 model made Slipkart implement the promotion of Mega Independence Day successfully
among consumers.

2) Dear Madam,

We have received a request to replace the leggings you had purchased a month ago or
you want a complete refund of Rs 3000/- (Rupees Three Thousand only). First of all,
thank you for using our leggings in your yoga sessions and letting us know about the
issue you encountered. Our yoga leggings are the most preferred leggings brands among
competitive brands used by female yoga practitioners. Women practitioners of yoga
rely on our leggings solely because of their stretchability, life, availability in range of
sizes, fabric used (comfortable material) and colour/print options etc. We believe that
our products deliver more value than it costs. We at OmYoga.com has an impressive
record in resolving customers complaints.

Your email indicated that you had inadvertently machine washed the leggings you had
had purchased from us and dried them in your drier as a result of which the leggings
shrunk and its colour faded making it unwearable and hampering your yoga sessions. I
am really sorry for this inconvenience you are facing. The washing instructions for such
yoga leggings suggest only hand wash and prohibits use of drier to dry it. You might
have overlooked the washing instructions while purchasing the leggings. The leggings
warranty covers failures that result from fabric defect, broken, skipped or missing
stitches, wrong size/colour delivered etc. but not non-compliance of instructions (such
as washing and storage instructions). We try to make our customers shopping
experience easy and enjoyable and we hold our online stores to a very high standard in
this regard. In this case, we clearly fell short. I have forwarded your complaint to our
sales, marketing and IT team to find a way so that the instructions about a product are
not missed while viewing a product by consumers.

In the mean while our textile expert would be happy to look at your leggings to assess
the extent of damage and to see if it can be of some use to you after some alterations
without any extra cost. However, judging by your description, the leggings is not in a
good shape and chances of its repair is very less. To get the desired life of our yoga
range of products adherence to our instructions is essential. You can visit our online
store for a range of yoga products which will help to keep you fit in this fast-paced
world. As an expression of gratitude for your association with us over the years please
feel free to use code OMYOGA to get 50% off on your next purchase. We also have a
pretty great loyalty program if you’d like to be rewarded for your purchases made with
us. I hope you will consider giving us another chance to serve you.

Once again, I apologize for our failure to serve you well. Your feedback is valuable to
us and thank you for your business.

Regards

Shashi Kant Sharma

Customer service manager
OmYoga.com
3a) Introduction:

Communicating with all stakeholders in any organization is no longer a simple task.

The Internet and technology has revolutionized the way we communicate. We can
choose from numerous communications tools such as email, instant messaging, mobile,
desk phones etc. These digital communications tools used correctly helps in improving
the productivity of organizations.

In today’s world social media offers a great tool for engagement and two-way
communication. Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which
they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and
networks. In business environment this becomes even more important as effective
communication with all stakeholders and knowledge about stakeholder’s expectation
help business achieve improved satisfaction and leading to higher productivity. It is for
the organizations to decide the extent of social media use, the content they would like to
view and share. Some of the popular social media tools are Facebook, Twitter, Flickr,
Instagram, YouTube etc. Organization use these social media tools to share relevant and
helpful information to develop trust with stakeholders.

Concept and Application:

Response of stakeholders depend upon the content and clarity of information shared. The
content shared through social media with all stakeholders should be engaging i.e. the
content has to generate a measurable response among peoples. As social media is filled
with information and every information is not useful only those content is noticed that
are engaging and relevant to individuals. Most of content on social media are user
generated i.e. the users contribute to every information posted on social media. Hence
organizations are focussing on using engaging content to receive maximum response for
the information posted whether it is information about existing product (their reviews,
uses etc), or gauging the perception of stakeholders for new things to be launched. there
are various aspects of an engaging post to consider. The organizations should not only
provide factual information, but also be able to reach their audience at the right time and
in an interactive way. Considering the importance of content posted on social media some
of the ways of generating engaging content for social media are as follows:
a) Using hashtag in right way: Hashtags are used to build a community of like-minded
people and to bring awareness. Organizations need to create interesting and relevant
hashtag of the specific content they want to advertise or share with stakeholders.
b) Switch between how you present your content: Users show a great interest in
photos, weblinks, video, gifs, memes and more that are posted by organization and
this stimulates the readers to join the conversation. Text does not always do the trick.
No matter how creative a title or headline posted by organizations, people may skim
over the words as they search for interesting things. Organizations need to use all of
the resources at their disposal to create appealing material.
c) Offer concise and valuable information to stakeholders: People join social media
to connect with individual and organizations to share their thoughts about them and
what they like. The content shared should be concise, clear and should provide
valuable information to the audience then only the audience will give their response
(positive or negative) because we people should appreciate the importance of time
while going through the content.
d) Delivering consistent and quality content: Organizations should post consistently
and regularly, and make sure that every post contains intelligent, factual and pertinent
information. Organizations should understand what they are going to achieve by
creating and posting the content and what audiences expects. This though process
should be consistent every time organization posts a content. The content
organizations are providing for people should have so much value that readers can’t
help but turn to you whenever they’re looking for high-quality content.
e) Being creative: Organization need to get creative and come up with ideas that
compel people to actually take part in your marketing efforts.
f) Showcasing strength and passion: Creating engaging content is as much about
providing a unique, memorable perspective as it is about the actual words about on
our strength and passion in our field. These should reflect in the content being posted
as it will give authenticity and depth to it.
g) Giving audience something to do after going through the content. The offering
should be unique and valuable to which stakeholders relate. Organizations can’t have
truly engaging content unless their audience engages with them in some way or the
other.
h) Think before posting: Proofread the content which is to be posted. This would help
organizations in posting only correct and relevant materials. As the authenticity of
 content depend on organizations and the posted information speaks volumes about
the organization.

Conclusion:

Producing engaging content isn’t easy. That’s why businesses agree that it’s the most
challenging aspect of their marketing campaigns. It’s all about being original and
separating yourself from others. The content produced should be actionable and all of the
information needs to be accurate and up to date. Visual elements should be used to
enhance the content being posted. The organizations should review social media content
regularly to assess the lacking, and to find ways to improve results. It’s important to
connect with the target audience. In today’s fast-paced, digital world it’s necessary for
organizations to stay on top of their social media game by producing engaging content
i.e. to provide consistent content that achieves optimum results. Organization should be
sure enough to publish contents that will reach a wide audience.

3b) Introduction:

Organizations are taking step by step approach in digital transformation of their business
processes to achieve and maintain rapid growth. They are developing ways to develop
positive and result oriented dialogue with all stakeholders. This process has been aided
to a great extent by the advent of digital communication. Digital communication has
provided businesses with a technology platform which is helping them in achieving
improved customer satisfaction, better operational efficiencies, increased profit. Most of
the communication taking place in today’s business environment is via digital means.
Technology is changing the way businesses communicate today. Digital communication
has transformed how organizations conduct public relations and marketing, including
how they interact with the media and stakeholders. It’s about putting digital
communication to work for business.

Concept and Application:

One of the digital media available for business communication is Instant Messaging.
Instant messaging is category of communication tool which is real time and text/image
based whose core focus is on conversational exchange. It has become the best digital
alternative to live conversation with quick response with people located anywhere. These
 are being increasingly used in business environment because of its several advantages.
Some of the advantages are as follows:

a) One of first advantages of IM is the sender of message is able to see whether the receiver
is online or connected to him or not. Hence making it easier to get the response in shortest
possible time.
b) Real Time communication: IM is just the digital alternative to real time conversation;
hence it mimics voice conversations between individuals. It gets a faster response from
both sides compared to other digital communication tools. Instant messaging can be used
for quick internal and external communication to arrive at a conclusion and thereby
fastening the decision making.
c) Cost saving: With IM anybody can communicate with anybody across geographical
locations without having to pay for expensive call charges. Everything can be done
through IM such as hiring staff from other location, do videoconferencing for discussing
important topics rather than being physically present at location. Hence IM helps in
reducing cost as compared to traditional means of communication and thereby contribute
to the profit.
d) Unlike emails where user is loaded with unwanted email in IM there is a very minimal
chance of unwanted message getting through. As the user has full control of what they
receive from someone and only those who know him will be able to chat. Hence making
it a personal channel of communication and to a great extent help in spam reduction.
e) Team building: In a globalized business environment where the team members are
locates across locations IM helps in team building. As it provides a means of quick
communication and doing all activities together.
f) Convenient: It is a tool which can be used by anyone at anytime while carrying out other
activities as well. Hence because of its convenience of use it is widely used.

Like every digital means of communication IM also has some disadvantages they are as
follows:

a) For real time conversation the users have to depend upon the mercy of other user’s speed
and accuracy of typing and understanding. Sometimes making this process extremely
slow.
b) Security: Since most of the IM are third party applications it presents a security threat to
the system of organization. Data can be vulnerable to malicious attacks resulting in theft
of critical information and opening business network to malware.
c) IM are only used to express thoughts and information in a verbal way, however non
verbal signal cannot be conveyed in this type of communication creating chances of
misinterpretation.
d) Distraction: In conversing through IM users expect quick response from another user.
The sender or receiver may be busy in other important work and the conversation through
IM maybe secondary. Hence this proves to be a distraction to users.
Conclusion:

The pros and cons of instant messaging for business are discussed above, and we can see
easily that the advantages of instant messaging definitely outweigh its disadvantages.
With the ever-evolving landscape of instant messaging, customer service and businesses
in the near future IM will become a major way by which businesses interact with one
another, build loyalty or provide services.