Assignment: Required Assignment 2—Communications Plan and Presentation

Communications policy

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Abstract

A communications policy can be defined as an initiative in a company or organization designed with the aim of availing information to the stakeholders. As such, a communications strategy (an alternative for communications policy) is essential for small and already established business ventures (Edelman, 2006). This report takes into account a fictitious company. The report covers an example of communications policy of a sole proprietorship in the the field of Catering. Some of the areas covered in the communications plan include: organizational or strategic changes, procedural changes, information important to organizational subgroups and confidential information. The communication plan further elaborates on: the kind of media used the required approvals relevant for the plan as well as the tools and tactics employed on the communications policy. It is often essential to avail a reliable communications portal with the business goals in mind. The identity of the Company under discussion is Mavis Catering Services. The goal of the venture is to provide its customers with the best food services at affordable and reasonable prices. This is a business venture which is about to start and therefore the audience is not that large.

Communications policy

Objectives

The first step in the communications policy is to determine the relevant audience for the business venture under discussion, that is, Mavis Catering Company. There are some tools that are crucial in the realization of the business goals. As such, social media and the internet at large are emphasized on as they are essential for accomplishing the business objectives. They also help in getting in touch with the customers. The start-up venture will require staff members in order to distribute workloads and for its general operations (Veil & Husted, 2012). As such, the communications policy covers how to handle confidential information as well as information sharing.

Audience

The business audience in this case includes: the internal and external stakeholders.

Internal stakeholders

The internal stakeholders of a business organization play an important role in the management of the business. They are people who have pledged their commitment in serving the organization towards realizing its long term goals. Examples of internal stakeholder are; the board members, the staff members and perhaps those who have voluntarily offered their service to help the company.

External stakeholders

The external stakeholders refer to the market segment served by the business venture or organization. This is the part of the business environment that feels the effect of the work carried out by a business organization. An instance is when a business organization adopts the use of modern technology in its production. The customer base will enjoy the high quality products offered by the company. As such, the external stakeholders are indirectly impacted by the efforts and work output of a business organization. The external stakeholders in the case of Mavis catering company are the travelers, tourist and other parties interested in their products since the company’s premises is based at an International Airport.

Media used in the Communications policy

The means of storing and passing out information to the public, that is, the customer base is very important. Since Mavis Company is a catering based venture, promoting brand will be the most important business move possible. The company will have its own website which offers every detail of the company’s products online. The website will be shared in almost all social media platforms. The website will act as the leading source of the company’s message. Other platforms that are also considered for sharing the company’s message are the newspapers, television advertisements and many more to be determined.

Social media as a communication tool is also considered essential in sharing the company’s message. The social media policy covers the official dealings of the company and the employees in the organization. The aim of the social media platforms is to promote the company’s brand hence creating a sense of value on the customers. It involves sharing the Company’s external information via social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. It also involves usage of video representations, digital forms and multimedia details to improve communication and lastly maintenance of the social media policy (Veil & Husted, 2012).

Approvals required

The business will require various permissions guarantee in order to be deemed valid. The stakeholder committee is the main party to approach for an approval of the communications policy. The board members, the staff members and the government’s approval are deemed important in business venture of this nature.

Tools and tactics used in the communication

The tools and tactics in this case are essential towards building a good brand for the company (Edelman, 2006). Social media being the leading tool in making sure the company’s message get to the target audience in time. It involves building a large friend list in facebook and also in twitter. Another good way to promote the company is by use of infomercials in platforms like facebook and YouTube. Advertisements in newspapers will also reach a large number of people overtime. Other ways include; use of e-mails and search engines.

Company’s message; organizational or strategic changes

Organizational change refers to the dynamics in an organizational structure, objectives, processes, technological factors and its strategies. A good communications policy should always cover the organizational changes. Strategic change is more or less the same as organizational change only that it involves reshaping the company’s marketing approaches and methods in order to achieve a particular business goal (Edelman, 2006). The communications policy attempt to address organizational and strategies in the best way possible since it attempts to focus uncertainties. Transparency should therefore be applied in this section in order to build trust in the midst of the stakeholders. The company’s message in this section consistent and should be specifically geared to the target audience.

Procedural changes

Procedural changes can also be referred to as the process changes. It entails attempts to enhance a business’ tasks, goals and dealings. Therefore, therefore various ways a business may opt for in an attempt to communicate these changes to the target audience since a slight process change in a business can result into a large outcome on the company’s productivity and its effectiveness. Communication in this section involves passing the message to the staff members. The significance of communication at this point is that the employees and other stakeholders will be fully aware of the changes and will be in line with the current business objectives and initiatives (Veil & Husted, 2012).

Information crucial to organizational subgroups

At this point, communication is important at an organization’s dealings. The management should therefore define the initiatives of this section in the communication’s policy well. Information important to the organizational subgroups should be safeguarded and availed the concerned parties in the best way possible. As a result, trust and confidence will be achieved in the workplace (Edelman, 2006). The section of the communications policy that addresses this part of the organization should ensure non disclosure of the information to unwanted parties as this will put the organization running the risk associated with its reputation. As such, stakeholder meetings should be programmed at regular intervals within the company’s calendar to ensure openness and to achieve accountability.

Confidential and unwelcome information

Confidentiality of information is a vital factor in any business organization since they do not imagine the risk of having their crucial information at the wrong hands. Communications policy should therefore cover for this section in the best way possible. A company should therefore opt for various Acts related to privacy in order to boost the security of its information. Apart from that, the communications policy should also articulate on the confidentiality and disclosure of information with the internal stakeholders being addressed (Edelman, 2006). There are three types of information with a business organization. The employee details, the management details and the business details as a whole. A company should therefore adopt various ways to protect these types of information. A company can opt for a set of written confidentiality procedures and policies.

Unwelcome information refers to the unwanted information that is irrelevant to the business goals. Employees should therefore have business etiquette to help them carry out themselves in the best way possible. Since the employees have a reflection on the company’s brand, what they do or the activities they are engaged in whether in or out of the business have a direct impact on the company’s brand. Unwelcome information may also entail bad news and therefore the company’s message should also be considered. The company’s message to the target audience may sometimes be bad news associated with maybe the procedural changes in n organization. It is upon the business organization to determine the best way to communicate this kind of information to the target audience without running the risk of ruining the company’s reputation (Veil & Husted, 2012).

Conclusion

A communications policy gives a clear vision of an organizations processes, initiatives and tasks, it also aligns these elements with the company’s objectives thereby steering the organization towards realizing its ultimate goal. It also addresses various issues in the internal and external stakeholders and attempts to integrate them in order to work together towards a common goal.

References

Edelman, A. (2006). Take your feet out of your mouth: Avoiding the most common managerial communication pitfalls. Business Credit, 108(8), 57

Veil, S. R., & Husted, R. A. (2012). Best practices as an assessment for crisis communication. Journal of Communication Management, 16(2), 131–145 (Veil & Husted, 2012)