Impact Of Social Media On Business Communication: A Case Study Of Woolworths Limited, Essay.

Importance of Communication in Business Operations

Discuss about the Communication and Social Media for Business Communication.

“But developing relationships with coworkers—your peers, superiors, and subordinates—is incredibly important, perhaps even the most important thing you’ll do at work, and this is completely dependent on your communication skills.” 

The above lines from the famous book “Effective Business Communication” of Scribendi discusses about the importance of the concept of communication in the genre of business operations. It is significant to note that the communication forms an important part of the various business organizations. The “advent of globalization and the recent developments in the field of technology has significantly transformed the way the various business organizations as well as companies conduct their business with the other business organizations or the customers and the end users” (Kernbach, Eppler and Bresciani 2015). It is significantly here that the concept of communication comes into play. However, it is significant to note that in the present times the various business organizations are increasingly turning towards the various platforms of the social to attain the process of effective communication (Kernbach, Eppler and Bresciani 2015). The various platforms related to the social media not only provide a cheap platform where information can be easily passed on but also a very reliable and at the same a fast one (Kernbach, Eppler and Bresciani 2015). This essay will discuss about “the impact of social media on the contemporary business communication”.

The concept of communication “can be defined as the process by means of which one person or a business organization conveys on or passes on the required information to the other person or business organizations” (Aral, Dellarocas and Godes 2013). In the opinion of many people the process of communication requires the presence of three entities, namely, the “sender, medium and the receiver of the information” (Aral, Dellarocas and Godes 2013). Therefore, “business communication is information sharing between people within and outside an organization that is performed for the commercial benefit of the organization”(Goh, Heng and Lin 2013). It is significant to note that there are three primary kinds of communication within a particular business organization-the first kind of communication is the one which occurs between the shareholders of the organization and the organization itself, the second of communication is the communication which occurs between the organization and the various employees of the organization and the third kind of communication occurs between the organization and its customers or the end user of the products or the services provided by the concerned business organization (Goh, Heng and Lin 2013). In the present times it is seen that the various business organizations often take the help of the various platforms offered by social media to effectively conduct the process of communication with these diverse entities of the business organization and thus the use of social media has gained prominence within the various business organizations (Aral, Dellarocas and Godes 2013).

Role of Social Media in Contemporary Business Communication

“Woolworths Limited” founded by “Percy Christmas, Stanley Chatterton, Cecil Scott Waine, George Creed and Ernest Williams” in the year 1924 is “one of the largest retail business organizations not only of the nation of Australia but also of the world” (Woolworths.com.au. 2018). The business organization offers retail services to the customers and is known for the wide range of products as well as services which it offers to the diverse customers (Woolworths.com.au. 2018). It is significant to note that it is “the second largest company in Australia by revenue, after Perth-based retail-focused conglomerate Wesfarmers and the second largest in New Zealand” (Woolworths.com.au. 2018). In addition to this, the concerned company is also “the largest takeaway liquor retailer in Australia, the largest hotel and gaming poker machine operator in Australia, and was the 19th largest retailer in the world in 2008” (Woolworths.com.au. 2018). The net revenue earned by the concerned company for the year2017 was “$25.7 Billion” (Forbes.com. 2018). Therefore, it can be said that concerned business organization forms the backbone of the economic framework of the country of Australia.

The most important kind of communication which the majority of the business organizations including “Woolworths Limited” require for their business purposes is the communication with their customers or the end users of the products or the services offered by them (Guffey and Loewy 2012). It is significant to note that the customers or the end users of the “products or the services offered by a particular business organization form the most important part of the various business organizations and it is on them that the prospects of a particular business organization” (Guffey and Loewy 2012). It is here that the role of the social media becomes very important as this particular platform is utilized by the various business organizations to convey their messages most effectively to the customers or the end users of the products offered by them (Chaney and Martin 2013). The various platforms of social media is utilized by the company “Woolworth Limited” not only to provide relevant information about their existing products as well as services to the customers or the end users but also relevant information about the new products or the services which they are about to launch or have already launched in the market (Chaney and Martin 2013). Furthermore, it is also seen that the various business organizations take the help of the various platforms related to the social media to address the various questions as well as the grievances of the customers (Chaney and Martin 2013). It is seen that in the present times the customers like the take the help of the products or the services offered by a particular company which have a positive image over the social media and they often “get influenced by the reviews of the other customers who have already utilized the products or the services offered by the particular business organization” (Guffey and Loewy 2012). Therefore, the various platforms related to the social media become very important for the business organizations like “Woolworths Limited” not only to communicate effectively with the various customers or the end users of the products or the services offered by them but also to create a positive brand image for themselves (Chaney and Martin 2013).

Overview of Woolworths Limited

The employees are another part of the business organization which plays a significant role in the business process and therefore an effective communication with them is very important for the better performance of the employees (Wang, Yu and Wei 2012). The process of communication gains special significance as the business organizations need to convey “their goals as well as objectives in the most effective manner to the employees so that the personal goals and the objectives of the individual employees are in synchronization with that that of the business organization” (Wang, Yu and Wei 2012). Furthermore, the concept of communication is utilized by the various business organizations to effective convey information to the employees about the diverse job roles which they need to perform (Erdo?mu? and Cicek 2012). It is significant “to note that in the opinion of many people this particular process helps the various business organizations” like “Woolworths Limited” to maintain coordination not only between the concerned organization and the employees but also among the diverse employees as well  (Erdo?mu? and Cicek 2012). It is here that the role of the various platforms related to the social media becomes very significant. The various platforms related to the social media not only provide a very inexpensive medium to the concerned business organizations but also a very medium. It is generally seen that if the business organizations use traditional forms of communication medium it is not only time consuming but also requires a considerable amount of resources of the business organizations  (Erdo?mu? and Cicek 2012). Therefore, “the various business organizations take the help of the various platforms related to the social media not only for the purposes of delivering the desired message to the employees” but also to maintain coordination among the various employees. It is significant to note that the various researches suggest that the use of social media also helps the various people to reduce the level of stress felt by them (Wang, Yu and Wei 2012). Therefore, the various business organizations take the help of the various platforms related to the social media not only for the purposes of effective communication but also for the purposes of reducing the level of stress faced by them (Wang, Yu and Wei 2012). Thus, it would be apt to say that the use of social media for the purposes of communication provides several benefits to the business organizations like “Woolworths Limited”.

Effective Communication with Customers Using Social Media

The various shareholders also form an important part of the various business organization and they are “the people have invested in the business of the concerned business organization and therefore take an active interest in the business process of the concerned organization” (Thill and Bovée 2013). Therefore, an effective communication with these shareholders related to a particular business is very important and in a bid to achieve the process of effective the various business organizations take the help of the diverse platforms offered by the social media (Thill and Bovée 2013). The business organizations like “Woolworths Limited” need to convey the relevant information about the various strategies as well as the decisions related to their business operations to the various shareholders of the business organization (Kim and Ko 2012). It is here that “the importance of the various platforms offered by the social media” comes into prominence. The introduction of the social media has drastically changed the way the various business organizations communicate with their shareholders. It is “significant to note that the business organizations in the traditional times used to communicate with their shareholders with the help of the various traditional means like meetings, conferences, seminars and others” (Kim and Ko 2012). However, the introduction of the social media has drastically modified this and now the various business organizations take the help of the social media to communicate with their shareholders. Therefore, instead of using the traditional means of meetings, seminars and others the various business organizations in the present times take the help of emails, social media, video calls and others for the process of communication with their shareholders (Kim and Ko 2012). The company “Woolworths Limited” takes the help of this innovation for the purpose of their communication with their shareholders.

The major problem which most of the business organizations like “Woolworths Limited” in the present times face is the problem of “cross cultural miscommunication” which has become one of the most significant problems for the organizations operational in various diverse locations (Kwok and Yu 2013). The problem of “cross cultural miscommunication” arises when the people involved in the process of communication are from the various diverse cultural backgrounds (Argenti 2015). Therefore, the various business organizations like “Woolworths Limited” take “the help of various platforms related to the social media” in a bid to overcome this particular problem. The use of social media for the purposes of communication not only obliterates the various barriers in the process of effective cross cultural communication but also helps in a better conveyance of the message to the diverse entities of the workplace (Grunig 2013). The process also helps in reducing the amount of conflicts and misunderstandings. Therefore, it is “seen that most of the business organizations take the help of social for the process of communication”.

To conclude, communication “forms an important part of the various business organizations and the concept is used by the various business organizations” to effectively deliver their desired messages to the various people who are related to the business. Furthermore, the ‘recent advancements “in the field of technology and also the recent innovations has drastically modified the way the various business organizations communicate not only with their employees and the shareholders of the business organizations” but also with the various customers who are related to the organization and form the main source of their income”. Therefore, the platform of social media is used by the various business organizations for the purpose of effective communication. The various platforms related to social media not only provides a very fast medium for communication but is also very inexpensive and helps to reduce the amount of misunderstanding among the employees.

References

Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issue—social media and business transformation: a framework for research. Information Systems Research, 24(1), pp.3-13.

Argenti, P.A., 2015. Corporate communication. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Chaney, L. and Martin, J., 2013. Intercultural business communication. Pearson Higher Ed.

Erdo?mu?, ?.E. and Cicek, M., 2012. The impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 58, pp.1353-1360.

Forbes.com. 2018. Forbes Welcome. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/companies/woolworths/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2018].

Goh, K.Y., Heng, C.S. and Lin, Z., 2013. Social media brand community and consumer behavior: Quantifying the relative impact of user-and marketer-generated content. Information Systems Research, 24(1), pp.88-107.

Grunig, J.E. ed., 2013. Excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge.

Guffey, M.E. and Loewy, D., 2012. Essentials of business communication. Cengage Learning.

Kernbach, S., Eppler, M.J. and Bresciani, S., 2015. The use of visualization in the communication of business strategies: An experimental evaluation. International Journal of Business Communication, 52(2), pp.164-187.

Kim, A.J. and Ko, E., 2012. Do social media marketing activities enhance customer equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal of Business Research, 65(10), pp.1480-1486.

Kwok, L. and Yu, B., 2013. Spreading social media messages on Facebook: An analysis of restaurant business-to-consumer communications. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(1), pp.84-94.

Thill, J.V. and Bovée, C.L., 2013. Excellence in business communication. Pearson.

Wang, X., Yu, C. and Wei, Y., 2012. Social media peer communication and impacts on purchase intentions: A consumer socialization framework. Journal of interactive marketing, 26(4), pp.198-208.

Woolworths.com.au. 2018. {{metaController.metaData.title}}. [online] Available at: https://www.woolworths.com.au/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2018].