Business Studies

Business Studies
Introduction: Connecting Your Learning
Communication in business today is far different than it was even 20 years ago due to technology. Gone are the days of mailing only through the post office, and here are the days of receiving invoices and business-to-business or business-to-consumer communication electronically. These changes have driven the globalization of the marketplace in general as the ability to communicate and ultimately sell products is conducted virtually. In this lesson, you will learn more about the various modalities of electronic communication and how organizations are maximizing technology as a communication tool.
Readings, Resources, and Assignments
Required Textbook Readings Chapter 5, “Communicating Electronically”
Multimedia Resources Textbook Companion Web SiteRequired Assignments Case Study
Check Prior Knowledge
List different electronic modalities that are used in business communication today.
Focusing Your Learning
Official Course Competencies
• Describe the process of sending and receiving professional quality electronic mail.
• Describe how the technology revolution – national and international – affects the employee and the company.
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Identify electronic communication modalities.
2. Discuss effective writing practices for various technologies
3. Identify the legal and ethical practices for electronic communication.
Key Terms
As you read your assignment for this lesson, pay close attention to the key terms and phrases PDF that are listed throughout the chapter. These terms and concepts are important to your understanding of the information provided in the lesson.
Approaching the Objectives
The impact of electronic communication on business has transformed today’s business climate. Communication takes place faster than ever as emails, instant messaging, text messages, social media, and cell phones make companies ready to do business.
Using email as a communication modality has many advantages. Most obvious is that email is fast. You no longer have to mail a letter and wait for it to physically travel to its destination to be received. Instead, a message can arrive on the other side of the world in just minutes or even seconds. In addition to being fast, email is “green.” Email saves money and the environment by cutting down on paper waste. Disadvantages of email include the receiver’s email system being clogged by too many emails or the recipient choosing to ignore your communication. Therefore, you should be selective in what you send. It is possible to infect a computer with a computer virus if your system is not properly protected with antivirus software. Email is a common way to spread computer viruses in addition to Internet site pop-up ads and spyware. Lastly, due to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), employers have the right to monitor email as long as they notify their staff of the business reason or have written consent showing that staff are aware it is monitored. Therefore, be sure to maintain professionalism when writing, and keep anything out of email you wouldn’t share with your manager.
Instant messaging (IM) is a modality generally used for internal communication. This technology is similar to having a face-to-face conversation because it occurs in real time as though you are having a back-and-forth conversation. The downfalls of IM are first, it can be distracting, and secondly, the modality is not necessarily secure. Therefore, you should limit the use of IM if it prevents you from accomplishing work or in cases where you must share sensitive information.
Example: IM
If you are messaging a customer using IM and she decides to purchase an item, it would be unwise to take credit card information over IM. You would want to guide the customer to use a secured Web site to make her purchase, which is a protected way to conduct the sale and guard the customer’s credit card number.
Video conferencing is rapidly becoming a part of the technology used in conducting business. Watch Changing the Way People Work: Vidyo Video Conferencing (4:29), which highlights video capabilities and the value of using video as a communication modality.
Video conferencing brings actual face-to-face communication back to life and as well as human interaction. The biggest financial benefit is to reduce travel costs for national or global companies. In addition, this tool has become more readily accessible, as it can now be accomplished using everything from computers to tablets and cell phones.
Example: Video Conferencing
Imagine that an architectural firm in the United States specializes in construction to withstand earthquakes and uses videoconferencing to bring their experience and knowledge to a third-world country like Sumatra in Indonesia looking to rebuild after a tragic 9.1 magnitude earthquake.
With the advent of voice and wireless communication such as Android and Apple iPhones, communication through the use of text messaging, Web pages, blogging, and social media has become a big part of the way people send and deliver messages. Texting has created a shorthand of sorts where individuals use abbreviations and emoticons to express themselves. Emoticons are characters on the keyboard that designate a facial expression like a smile, or frown . Some mainstream shorthand abbreviations are ttyl = talk to you later or brb = be right back. In addition, voicemail keeps callers up to date on important details. Cell phones have become the preferred modality for communication with internal and external customers of some companies. As a result, following company policies about the use of phones including but not limited to whom you are calling, where you are using the phone, and respecting others when in use are things to keep up to date.
Because people have so many different ways to communicate today, you must choose the appropriate modality to effectively in deliver your messages. Communication modalities like blogs and social media are becoming more prevalent in business as companies find ways to connect with their customers. Some organizations even designate staff to monitor their social media sites to make certain customer needs are addressed quickly, communication is honest and ethical, proprietary information is secured, and that the company’s reputation stays intact.
Before you send a message, you must determine the purpose for the message and what modality best serves that purpose. If you need a permanent record, then consider email. If the message is short and/or personal, it might be wise to use IM or text messaging. Lastly, if the message needs a personal touch or is very important, then you should make sure you don’t rely on or hide behind the electronic communication but instead make a phone call or meet the receiver in person.
Voltaire once wrote, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This quote relates to the power of words combined with technology. That is why it is essential to use technology wisely by carefully considering what you send and the way you send it to make sure it is well received and meaningful.
Summarizing Your Learning
The following activities are meant to help you practice the concepts that you studied in this lesson and prepare you for the graded assignments. They are not turned in to your instructor.
1. Read the assigned chapter in the textbook.
2. Review the Chapter Review Card at the back of the textbook.
3. Review the key terms flashcards.
4. Complete the practice quizzes located on the textbook companion Web site to prepare for your case study.
5. Watch the chapter video on the textbook companion Web site to learn about communication issues at a fictitious company.
Assessing Your Learning
Graded Assignments
The following are required assignments for this lesson.
1. Read Chapter 5: “Electronic Communication.”
2. Complete the Lesson 5 Case Study (25 points).
Case Study
1. Imagine you are a sales manager for a small business in a niche market that outfits newly constructed homes with Smart Home technology. Your largest client has been asking for a refrigerator that interfaces with the pantry to create recipes for the ingredients the homeowners have on hand. These monitoring technologies are available individually but a system that works together to create recipes is not currently available. You have just heard back from Research & Development (R&D) that this technology will be pushed back for another 5 years despite the builder’s increasing demand and preorders for the product. R&D initially thought this product could be developed within one year. Needless to say, this misstep on their part has made you a bit angry because you promised the client a product based on information from R&D.
Case Study Questions
Choose the best electronic communication method for delivering this message to the client. Then, create a message using the appropriate format. Explain why you chose the format.
2. Submit your assignment, which is Lesson 5 Case Study in the Gradebook.
Have You Met The Objectives For This Lesson?