Corporate Communication Strategy Strategic Management and Leadership

Question: Discuss about theCorporate Communication Strategy for Strategic Management and Leadership. Answer: Introduction Corporate or business communication strategy is an important tool used for planning communication by employers with customers, employees, investors and suppliers. Business communication strategy is especially important for Baxters Food Group Company which makes up to about 150 different kinds of products including fresh and canned soups. To create a better image on the food products that the company makes, it must develop good business communication strategy. According to Foreman and Argenti (2005), a solid business communication strategy is important in effectively enhancing communication within all the Companys stakeholders. The other importance is streamlining of communication among the functions of the business helping the human resource and management to keep consistent messages. These in turn assists in thriving of the business and avoid costs that occurs as a result of miscommunication. Corporate Communication Strategies Purpose There are several significant roles played by corporate communication strategies that lead to the success of any business. Communication strategies at Baxters have contributed in the running of the internal business by ensuring there are efficient and effective running of business processes. The purpose of communication strategy at Baxters Food Company is to ensure the responsibilities of every employee are defined and elaborated to the employee in a way that they understand. The task is usually done from the higher to lower levels of the workforce. Business communication strategies are arranged in the order of which different members of the workforce will understand even if they may not have the same interests. According to Selwood (2016), there are stakeholders like consumers, employees, media and shareholders in any given company. At Baxters Food Group, it is important to build a positive image of the companys brand for customers to rely on the food products. This can be made possible by making sure the company forms a cordial relationship with the media. Strategy development process will require business corporate strategies that correspond to diverse audiences that have different interests or tastes for different kinds of food (Selwood, 2016). A good image can be portrayed through good communication and this enhances transparency and good relations with the stakeholders like customers even when serving them. Assessment of How Corporate Communications is linked to Corporate Objectives There is an important relationship between corporate objectives and corporate communication. For Baxters to link corporate communications and corporate objectives there should be a number of responsibilities in ensuring the business objectives are well communicated to both the higher and lower management that relate with the customers. This ensures that all the business strategies are aligned to the main business objective. Failure of the management to effectively communicate the overall objective of the business may bring barriers to implementation of the corporate strategies. It is important to note that there is a difference between corporate strategies and objectives. Business objectives are specific and precise (Adkins, Thornton and Blake, 2009). The objectives should be developed in respect to the value of the organization. Corporate objectives entail revenue targets of the future, markets shares, percentage growth, and increasing value of the shareholders than before. Thus, there is a strong relationship between business objectives and corporate communication. In order for Baxters to have efficient and effective corporate operations, the Companys management ought to have proper communication of the business objectives to the whole domain of the company. Analysis of the Relationship Between Corporate Branding and Corporate Communication The relationship between corporate branding and corporate communication at Baxters Food Company is crucial. Corporate or business branding should be built with a firm foundation of business communication from production of the food from delivery to the customer. Proper synchronization between corporate communication and corporate branding at Baxters will enable the Food Company to meet its main objectives or goals easily (Aspara and Tikkanen, 2008). Every company aims at formulating most of the efficient communication strategies in order to have good brand image. Branding Baxters Food Company should distinguish the company from any other Food companies and its competitors that have the same products by creating a brand image. This is possible by having proper communication with stakeholders. Creation of a brand image will influence the customers and the customers will be able to distinguish the product from that of the competitor companies. According to Aspara and Tikkanen (2008), proper business communication strategies are ideal in improving the brand image of the companys product and hence the product is sustainable in the minds of the customers who begin to treat the products as brands that are premium. For Baxters to maintain a good customer relationship there must be proper branding and effective business communication. This is so because communicating the details of the product to the customers will enhance their brand awareness of the particular product. The result is that customers get brand awareness and they develop loyalty to the brand. In short, retention of customers is achieved through business communication and branding strategies. A Plan for an Audit for Internal Corporate Communications Business communication strategy cannot serve the role of business effectiveness. It is the reason why companies perform business communication audits externally and internally to calculate business communication strategy efficiency. When planning for an audit, evaluation can be conducted through exploration of the communication strategys delicate areas. This forms the main part of communication audit (Dortok, 2006). To have a communication audit that is detailed calls for Baxters to have a considerable amount of expenses or fund utilization that are related to bills and invoices on travelling, stationary or any other expenses. Baxters should then plan for a financial budget on communication audit before the audit is conducted and approved by the authority concerned. Transparent communication between the representatives of the town and the auditor is important for the auditing process to run smoothly. The practice of assessing techniques like observation, interview and content analysis should be practiced during auditing by the auditor (Dortok, 2006). The entire audit should be pre-determined to make sure every auditing aspect is completed successfully. Conduction of an Audit for Internal Corporate Communications Because the main purpose of internal communication audit is to evaluate and identify the methods used in internal communication process, the conduction of an audit for internal corporate communication would be as follows; the personnel in Baxters senior management and other employees in the company should first be interviewed (Greenbaum, 2014). This is done in order to understand the thoughts of the employees concerning the current strategy used in communication and whether it is effective. Surveys can also be carried out through using questionnaires. It is a useful way of carrying out a communication audit to evaluate the responses of the employees concerning the communication strategy. Such steps will enable the concerned authority to collect information or data that is quantitative. Achievement of qualitative data can be done by holding group meetings with the individuals concerned within the Company (Greenbaum, 2014). This assists the auditor at Baxters to understand the effects of the communication process in real business executions and advice the authority accordingly. Critical Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Current Practice Levels Evaluation of communication strategies that are up to date in Baxters would promote the companys effectiveness in the society. Considering that Baxters Food Company a UK based multinational company, the strategies used in business communication for the company should be effective (Hutt, 2015). This is because the company has other several retail shops in the UK even where corporate communication can be a challenge (Iacob, 2015). Increase of customer base and the supply management chain are some of the other challenging aspects that would require effective business communication strategies in Baxters Food Company. Clarity and transparency in communication in both external and internal stakeholders of Baxters would strengthen stakeholders bond with the company. Doing this ensures loyalty and reliability in stakeholders starting with customers, employees, dealers and suppliers. The other benefit is that business operations would be run more effectively because of strong and complete support from all the stakeholders. Evidence of the existing practices of communication in an organization and its effectiveness depends on the success of business communication in different branches of the company in the whole country or outside (Hutt, 2015). It can also depend on the rise of number of customer base, supply chain management that is effective and loyalty of employees. A Plan for an Audit for External Corporate Communications Another important task for Baxter Company would be to carry out a plan for external audit. Handling of communication audit should however be done by an expert. Baxter should start by deciding whether to get an expert auditor through hiring or by entrusting the duty to one of the employee working as a PR. To avoid having issues when carrying out an external audit, the time allocated for each audit should be planned before the act. Baxters Food Company should also make sure it plans for all the sources of data collection that proves the current external communication effectiveness (Iacob, 2015). This can entail individuals or the business to approach while performing interviews to the stakeholders. Conduction of an Audit for External Corporate Communications Conducting an audit for external corporate communication can involve a number of stages. To begin with, Baxters has to come up with a way of identifying the elements that are important in the company. This may be things like letterheads, symbols, business cards and even logos in the Food Company (MacGran, 2009). The concerned individuals can then carry out a survey on external audit preferably on a one on one interview. Alternatively, the concerned individual can involve themselves in discussions, telephone surveys or customer surveys. Each external audits method of research should be independent and different form the other. When conducting the external audit, proper research must be carried out to find out some of the problems and loopholes that were there in the previously present communication audits. The other step in conduction an external communication audit is encouraging the stakeholders suggestions and feedback at all costs from suppliers, employees and customers (MacGran, 2009). This would help in formation of another important part of external communication as well as knowing the current status of Baxters Food Company. Critical Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Current Practice Levels It is important to carry out a critical evaluation of the current practice levels at Baxters Food Company in order to ensure the Company has proper growth. Being a multinational company, the external environment of Baxters is a significant aspect. According to Dirsmith and Covaleski (2013), this is because the external environment forms political downs and ups, media and economic trends that are continuously changing and demand for external strategies of communication. To carry out a research on the current Baxters methods of communication effectiveness, creates a need for investigating every aspect of the company. An individual can start by evaluating whether the synchronization between the stakeholders is well communicated with the allocation of resources or whether there is proper mobilization of business dealings. Any successful company has outstanding external communication strategies for proper touch of the experts and coordination of the available stakeholders. This ensures the widening of business activities all through and the Company supporting the external activities gained from external communication (Dirsmith and Covaleski, 2013). Transparent and reliable communication at Baxters is key asset that leads to the success of the company. Plan Corporate Communication Strategy Objectives The objectives of any corporate communication strategy are determined by strategy business communication at the planning stage. Relevance and clarity is important in each step of planning because it enables the communication strategy more effective and more applicable. The most important step in planning for business communication strategy is monitoring the effectiveness of the set objectives which can always be improvised when need be. According to Kochhart and Hitt (2008), planning for business communication strategy must entail all the main goals and objectives of the company in question. This ensures that there is easy running of business communication whether externally or internally. Selection of Target Audience with Corporate Communication Strategy At Baxters there are a number of audiences that can be influenced using business communication strategy. The first audience can be the food customers at Baxters. Customers are the core part of the company because they make a major impact on the Companys amount of profit or the number of sales made (Greenbaum, 2014). Influence of the audience has a direct relationship with good corporate communication strategy. For instance, the more the employees have good communication about a given product to the targeted customers, the more the customers get to understand the product and the more they get attracted to it hence increasing amount of sales. The above explanation elaborates why customers are the main audience that can be influenced by use of corporate communication strategy. It is therefore important for Baxters and other firms to use more effective and efficient communication strategies that can attract a greater number of customers. Most customers seek for reliability and clarity via communication strategies. At Baxters for instance, customers would want to know whether they can rely on the Company to get the kind of food they want at a particular time (Greenbaum, 2014). In order to get the best audience base, every company should incorporate corporate communication strategies. A plan for measures to Monitor Planned Corporate Communications Strategy Appropriate measures need to be put in place in order to monitor business communication strategy that is planned. Monitoring the reliability and corporate strategy effectiveness at Baxters is crucial (Brinsden et al., 2013). This will help the Food Company be able to know where there are pitfalls. Knowing that will enable Baxters Food Group management to take corrective measures as soon as possible. Planning for appropriate measures to monitor business communication strategy will boost the communication between external and internal stakeholders. Some of the most important elements to consider when planning to monitor planned business communication include measuring the objectives of the company. Planning would involve taking care of both the qualitative and quantitative business communication strategies aspects (Brinsden et al., 2013). The last thing to do when planning to monitor is evaluating the outcome of the Company so as to identify places that require rectification. Conclusion Corporate or business communication strategy is an important tool used for planning communication by employers with customers, employees, investors and suppliers. Companies can use this tool or framework to increase understanding of the companies stakeholders. Solid business communication strategy is important in effectively enhancing communication within all the Companys stakeholders. The other importance is streamlining of communication among the functions of the business helping the human resource and management to keep consistent messages. These in turn assists in thriving of the business and avoid costs that occurs as a result of miscommunication. At Baxters Food Group, it is important to build a positive image of the companys brand for customers to rely on the food products. Evaluation of communication strategies that are up to date in Baxters would promote the companys effectiveness in the society. Most customers seek for reliability and clarity via communication strategies. A t Baxters for instance, customers would want to know whether they can rely on the Company to get the kind of food they want at a particular time. In order to get the best audience base, every company should incorporate corporate communication strategies. References Adkins, G. L., Thornton, T. J., Blake, K. (2009). 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Baxters adds street food-inspired Deli Toppers range. Grocer, 32.