Unit-8 COMMUNICATION

UNIT-8

COMMUNICATION

Communication.

      Communication is the process by which the information or messages are shared among the people. There are two parties in the communication process they are one sender and one receiver.  It is an important aid to trade.

Importance of communication in business.

1. Communication speeds up the contact between the buyer and the seller.

2. It acts as a connecting link between the employer and employees.

3. It helps to save time and cost in trading activities.

4. It helps to increase market for new products by informing the public.

5. It helps to bring buyers and sellers together.

6. It helps to maintain good relationship among the parties.

7. It helps to reduce the staff wages and other costs.

            METHODS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

            Broadly the business communication is of two types.

Internal Communication – It means the communication is taken place among the employees within the business organization. It may be either upward or downward.

External Communication- It means the communication is taken place between the business organization and its outside customers.

            FORMS OF COMMUNICATION.

 Communication process is taken place in the following forms,

1. Oral Communication.

            In oral communication information or messages are put into spoken words. As far as a business organization is concerned the oral communication may be formal or informal. Following are the types of oral communication.

            a. Face to face communication- In this communication, the parties come face to face and pass information directly. It may be in formal or informal ways. Eg:- speech, demonstration, etc.

            b. Interview- It is a formal method of communication used for selecting employees. It is conducted by the employers to collect information about an employee.

            c. Meeting-  A meeting may be formal or informal. It is used for sharing common ideas among a group. It is followed by certain procedures and set of rules.

2. Non-Verbal communication.

Communication without the use of spoken language. Nonverbal communication includes gestures, facial expressions, and body positions (known collectively as “body language”),

Eg:- Nodding of heads, waving of hands, blinking of eyes, etc

3. Written communication.

            In this form of communication, written words are used to convey messages. It is sent through printed or electronic media. Following are the forms of written communication.

            a. Letter- It is used for external communication. The information are arranged in a specific order and sent to the parties.

            b. Report-  It is an upward communication by which the facts are collected in a specific order about a problem or task and submitted to the superiors by the subordinates.

            c. Memo- These are downward communication by which the important messages are sent to the subordinates by the superiors.

4. Electronic communication

            a. Internet.

            This is the latest form of electronic communication having world wide acceptance. It is fast as well as cheap. Much information can be collected through the websites.

Advantages of internet

            -It is faster than any other method of communication.

            -It provides 24 hrs services

            -It ensures worldwide access.

            -It is cheap and fast.

Disadvantages of internet.

            -Lack of technical knowledge of the people.

            -Lack of internet coverage in remote area

            - High cost of installation

b. Intranet.

            This is similar to internet but limited to a particular area or business organization. It is an internal form of communication by which employees can communicate one another.

            Eg:- Communication between employer and employees within the organaisation.

            c. E-mail.

            This is the cheapest form of communication which having world wide access. It provides written form of communication for the parties.

Advantages of E-mail.

            -It is the fastest mode of communication.

            -It offers worldwide accessibility

-It provides 24 hrs service.

-It offers written form of communication

            d. Fax (Facsimile Transmission).

            This is a common method of communication used to send the copies of written documents or pictures among the parties. A document is scanned and can be sent through telephone line.

Eg:- To send  the copy of invoice, statement, debit and credit note, etc.

Advantages of Fax.

            - It helps to exchange the documents in short period of time.

            - It offers worldwide communication between the buyers and sellers.

            - It is a link of scanning machine and telephone. 

            e. Teleconferencing.

            Teleconferencing means the communication through the telephones. It offers audio sharing in a short while.

            f. Video conferencing

            This is the latest form of communication by which different parties can communicate one another by staying at different countries. It is a satellite based service and both audio and visual can be shared at a time.

            Eg:- It is suitable to communicate to the branches of Multinational company.

COMMUNICATION MEDIA

1. Internet.

2. Television

3. Radio

4. Newspaper

5. Telephone.

6. Magazine.

7. Poster

8. Trade journals

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CHOICE OF COMMUNICATION METHOD.

1. Cost of Medium.

            According to budget available, the types of medium can be selected for communication. Higher the circulation needs high cost and vice versa.

2. Urgency.

            Depends on the urgency, the medium of communication can be selected. For example parties want to communicate immediately; they can use email or telephone, etc.

3. Accuracy and secrecy.

            Information must be sent to the correct destination without delay or wrong delivery. There should be secrecy in communication so the parties can use electronic methods rather than traditional methods like letter or telegram.

4. Convenient.

            Communication medium should be convenient to the parties, for example- while travelling mobile phone will be suitable and in the office room land line or internet will be suitable.

5. Record of information.

            Some medium provides the proof of delivery and communication, for example- email and video conferencing.

6. Target.

            Target means the group of people to whom to be communicated. If world wide access is required, internet can be selected or for local area, letter or telephone can be selected.

  

THE POST OFFICE

The post office is a public sector enterprise which renders services to trade and commerce regarding communication.

1. Letter post.

            In this service, the parties can exchange written letters through post office by paying a less amount. Letter post will be in the following types.

a. Ordinary Post: - It is cheap and slower method of sending written documents.

b. Business Reply Service:- In this service, the traders can send short business reply to the parties at a lower price. The sender has to deposit an advance amount with the Post Office to cover the likely costs of delivering the letters.

c. Freepost: - This service enables the parties to send number of envelopes at a lower price.

d. Registered post- In this service, the customers can send valuable things to the parties. It is safe and the customers will be given the proof of delivery. The charge will be imposed on the basis of the value of the content.

2. Parcel post:-

            In this service the parties can send parcels to the customers. The price will be charged on the basis of the weight of the parcel.

3. Certificate of posting.

            By charging a small charge, the post office will issue a certificate showing the proof that the customer has posted a parcel or letter to a particular address.

4. Post codes.

            This service allows the automatic sorting of letters to the particular addressee. It helps to identify the location or address of the receivers immediately.

5. Data post.

             Data post has been developed to meet the punctual delivery of some items like letters, documents, parcels etc. It ensures the fast delivery of things to the addressee in time.

6. Postal order (Money order)

            It is a service by which an amount can be sent to others through post office.

7. Poste restante (General delivery)

It is a system in which a post office keeps someone's post until they can collect it, usually used by people who are travelling.

8. International money remittance.

Under this service the customers can remit money abroad using the linked financial organizations. Eg:- MoneyGram.