Venice Angeli Dela Cruz

Corporate Communication
BE -11
15/02/2024

1. List down 3 benefits and 2 risks of upward communication.

2. Explain how a grapevine can be both a positive and negative channel for information.
3. List down 3 roles played by communication in a business organisation and give
one example on each role.

1. 3 Benefits of Upward Communication:

1. Enables Managers to monitor and assess employees’ performance - to see who

is truly working and who may be causing problems within the organisation’s work
environment.
2. Makes room for suggestions, feedback and constructive criticism, concerns and
reports of progress coming directly from those who are most familiar with how the
project was built - which can make way for the organisations’ improvement in
quality of work or service.
3. Completes the two way process of communication by giving both the
superiors and employees under them liberties to voice out their thoughts,
minimising potential misunderstandings, arguments, bias, and gaps in
knowledge concerning the process of important projects. It also helps in team
building and encouraging a positive and friendly work environment - which
fosters unity, trust and synchronicity - factors that must be present in any
organisation in order to attain the smooth flow and success of their
organisation’s goals.

2 Risks of Upward Communication

1. Possibility of Distorted Information increases - e.g. employees modifying

information or important data in order avoid angering their subordinates, or to win
them over to their side in order to gain a promotion.
2. May be time consuming - because information often goes through several
hierarchical levels, it could take time for the message to be brought to the intended
receiver or receivers; with the possibility of the original message being already
heavily filtered or merely dismissed by the subordinates. This can discourage the
employees from being open with their concerns and suggestions to their superiors,
setting communication barriers.

2. The Grapevine is an informal and highly unofficial mode of communication that does not
follow any specific structure or level of formality, with its defining point its messages being
unofficial, unconfirmed data about topics speedily sent to one receiver to another in the form
of gossip, half truths or false statements that can spread dangerous misinformation about
someone or something that could harm the one’s reputation and wellbeing, or the success
and effectiveness of an ongoing project. The Grapevine can disrupt trust and harmony within
a work environment, and make people believe or do something that they thought was true
and had come from a subordinate when in reality there is no truth in such messages.
Messages sent through the Grapevine mode of communication can be especially disruptive,
specifically when there is hostility and malicious intent behind their spread.
However, the Grapevine mode can also be used to transmit positive messages with truth in
them - as long as it is used carefully and prudently by the sender. When sending any
message, one must ensure that the information given consists of only the truth, with the
main point clear to those who will receive it. Its main purpose is to speedily inform others of
vital information that may save a life or correct a detrimental situation. This is where the
nature of the Grapevine can be best used in a positive light, given that those sharing
information are careful and truthful in what they say and share with others.

3. The 3 roles played by communication in a business organisation

1. To Inform
- A business organization must inform the target audience of what their services or
quality of work entails. This must be clear through the business name, setup, design
and advertisement.
- E.g. a skincare line promoting their products in an online advertisement with pictures
and brief descriptions showing the target customers what their business is all about.

2. To Persuade
- Through the aid of effective marketing, strategizing the most ideal locations wherein
the most ideal customers and revenue can be found, the organization is to persuade
the public that their product or service is worth their time and investment.
- E.g. A skincare line advertisement showing testimonials from other users of their
brand describing the effectiveness of the product.

3. To promote goodwill
- Ultimately, every business organization has to make sure their nature of work is
rooted in the ideal of goodness, in aiding, improving or increasing the way of living of
the people. Every business has to come from a practical and moral standpoint to lay
the foundation of their services or their product on, and they have to help their clients
or customers believe this by continuously maintaining and improving the quality of
their work.
- Camella or SM DC Residences promoting the importance of basic human rights:
having a stable roof, sturdy walls, and a safe place to live in, which are important for
families when choosing a new house and location. These businesses ensure that
their clients’ needs and expectations are met by maintaining their standards of quality
and goodwill.