MKT 690 Milestone Two: Conditions Communication Strategy Guidelines and Rubric As a marketing consultant, you will need to advise clients on the development of a communication strategy that has contingencies to address situations such as the one presented in the scenario. This project is designed to help you understand the types of strategies that can be adopted and address the various audiences you will encounter. Milestone Two Scenario An overseas contractor that is a major supplier to your chosen company has recently been revealed as one that operates with poor working conditions for employees (uses child labor, pays low wages, requires long hours, no benefits, etc.). In Module Three, you will submit the conditions communication strategy for presented scenario. For the communication strategy, select either informational, educational, or persuasive communication strategies, or you may choose an approach that utilizes a combination of these strategies. Your strategy will depend on the nature of the message along with the target audience. Examples of each type of corporate communication: a) Informational Example: When a new product is launched, the public will know nothing about it. Consider the situation when Apple launched the iPad, a totally new class of technology. In order to generate interest, the company first had to tell people about the product. b) Educational Example: Once the target audience is aware of the new product, they often need to be educated as to why the product could be useful to them. c) Persuasive Example: Once a new product has become successful, it is highly likely competitors will have entered the market. Communication therefore needs to persuade the target audience to purchase the version that the corporation provides rather than a competitor’s version. For the assignment, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Communication Context: Provide an overview of the scenario that your communication strategy will address, in the context of the company you have selected for your final project. II. Communication Need: Considering both internal and external audiences, explain the stakeholder management issue(s) that must be addressed due to this scenario. What specifically caused the need for the identified communications? III. Internal Communication: a) Explain the type of internal communication and the purpose for the internal communication that you have chosen (i.e., informational, educational, and/or persuasive). Detail your process for selecting the type of communication that will address the scenario. Provide justification as to why the chosen strategy is appropriate for the scenario. b) Identify the intended target audience for the internal communication, and then explain why they have been selected as the target audience. Provide justification for selecting the identified target audience. c) Develop a draft communication that could be sent to the identified internal target audience addressing this scenario. Ensure that the appropriate tone and message are communicated in your draft communication. IV. External Communication: a) Explain the type of external communication and the purpose for the external communication that you have chosen (i.e., informational, educational, and/or persuasive). Detail your process for selecting the type of communication that will address the scenario. Provide justification as to why the chosen strategy is appropriate for the scenario. b) Identify the intended target audience for the external communication, and then explain why they have been selected as the target audience. Provide justification for selecting the identified target audience. c) Develop a draft communication that could be sent to the identified external target audience addressing this scenario. Ensure that the appropriate tone and message are communicated in your draft communication. V. Conditions Communication Strategy: Summarize the communication strategy utilized to address this scenario. Why was it the best approach for this scenario? What alternative strategies did you consider, and why was your approach the best option? Provide justification to support your communication strategy. Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Double-spaced Word document, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, APA format. Page length requirements: 3–5 pages, not including title page and references. Critical Elements Communication Context Communication Need Internal: Type and Purpose Internal: Target Audience Internal: Draft Communication External: Type and Purpose External: Target Audience Proficient (100%) Provides an overview of the scenario using the chosen company to provide appropriate context for the situation Explains the need for both internal and external communications addressed to appropriate audiences and outlines the stakeholder management issues Provides an explanation of the type of internal communication providing justification for selection, and provides support by explaining the communication’s purpose Identifies the target audience and provides an explanation of justification Provides an appropriate draft internal communication that appropriately addresses the scenario Provides an explanation of the type of external communication providing justification for selection, and provides support by explaining the communications purpose Identifies the target audience and provides an explanation of justification Needs Improvement (75%) Provides a limited overview of the scenario and does not fully utilize the chosen company to provide appropriate context Provides a limited explanation of the need for communication, and does not fully address both internal and external audiences, and/or does not fully outline the stakeholder management issues Provides limited explanation of the type of internal communication with little to no justification, and does not fully explain its purpose Not Evident (0%) Does not provide an overview of the scenario Value 5 Does not explain the need for internal and external communication and does not outline the stakeholder management issues 10 Does not explain the type of communication or its purpose 10 Does not identify a clearly defined target audience or provides a limited justification for that selection Develops a draft internal communication that does not fully address the scenario Does not identify the target audience or does not justify the selection 5 Does not develop a draft communication addressing the scenario 20 Provides limited explanation of the type of external communication with little to no justification, and does not fully explain its purpose Does not explain the type of communication or its purpose 10 Does not identify a clearly defined target audience or provides a limited justification for that selection Does not identify the target audience or does not justify the selection 5 External: Draft Communication Communication Strategy Articulation of Response Provides an appropriate draft external communication that appropriately addresses the scenario Provides a clear summary of the communication strategy that is supported with adequate evidence to justify the approach adopted Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, or syntax Develops a draft external communication that does not fully address the scenario Does not develop a draft communication addressing the scenario 20 Provides a limited summary of the communication strategy, and does not provide a complete justification for the approach adopted Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, or syntax that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Does not provide a summary of the communication strategy with justification 10 Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, or syntax that prevent understanding of ideas 5 Earned Total 100% Introduction “An organization’s reputation is the sum of how its various stakeholders view it. But all too often companies leave such stakeholder perceptions to chance” (Doorley & Garcia, 2006, pp. 384). Corporations that understand the role communication can have in the way their stakeholders perceive the company actively strive to use their communication approach to enhance their corporate reputation. However, such is the extent of social media today that communications about any event can come from almost any source, at any time, anywhere, and be transmitted around the world, not just by people viewing social media, but also by the mainstream media. What Can Affect a Corporation’s Reputation? Thirty, or perhaps even twenty years ago, if a major event occurred in a country, the reporting of that event was primarily in the country where the event took place, but that is no longer the case today. With the increasing growth in internet usage, and the ever-increasing number of social media networks, an event in one country can become news in many others within minutes of it happening. When US Airways Flight 1549 encountered difficulties and landed in the middle of the Hudson River in 2009, the event was captured live by people using their cell phones and transmitted around the world within minutes. This illustrates how anyone with a smartphone is potentially a reporter who can make an event very public, very quickly. When an earthquake struck Japan in 2011 and was followed by a massive tsunami that hit the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the events once again were transmitted live around the world within minutes. However, not only were the earthquake and tsunami reported, but so was the ensuing corporate storm that engulfed TEPCO and its senior management, leading to the resignation its president (Powell, 2012). This illustrates how events can very quickly become global news and how they can have significant ramifications on both a corporation and those who work for it. General Motors was forced to issue a number of recalls in 2014 “for problems ranging from unsecured floor mats to the ignition-switch defect been linked to at least 13 deaths. These 54 separate recall campaigns affected as many as 26 million vehicles in the U.S. The recalls have turned into a publicrelations nightmare for the company, raising questions about GM's management culture and its safety protocols. (Squire, 2014, para. 1–2) As a result, the career of the only female CEO of a major car company in the United States could be called into question even though she only recently took the helm. Irrespective of whether that is considered fair, she is the face of GM, she is the one having to report the corporate malfeasance to the world, she is the one having to answer to the questioning by legislators, and she is likely to be the one who could be called to be the corporate representative in any lawsuits that may result. The Impact of the Internet The internet can enable companies to present their viewpoint to their stakeholders on a range of issues. However, what happens after a message is transmitted and to whom the message is transmitted is outside companies’ control (Forman & Argenti, 2006). By way of example, a message from senior management to employees posted on the internal intranet about a sensitive issue, such as discrimination, could all too easily be transmitted to a far wider audience via the internet. This can then have far-reaching implications as investors and other external stakeholders react, causing downward pressure on the share price and the value of the company. Stakeholders could read customer complaints posted on blogs or other forms of social media. Such posts can affect the perception of the company and potentially have a negative impact the operation of the business. A case in point was the damage caused by a negative review of a restaurant posted by one unhappy customer in France. In an attempt to regain a degree of control, some companies have taken action against such blogs. In many instances, the company is not successful and could incur the wrath of the media for attempting to “gag” its critics. However, in the instance of the French restaurant blogger, the French judge ruled in favor of a company. The judge argued that the “scathing restaurant review was too prominent in Google search results” (Rawlinson, 2014, para. 1). Consequently, the judge ordered the post's title to be amended in addition to ordering the blogger to pay significant damages (Rawlinson, 2014). In this case, the company won the case in the courts, but the question then becomes whether the increased publicity generated by going to court made the result worthwhile. Did the corporation win in the court of public opinion? Only time will tell. Although, not responding could also create a problem, as Forman and Argenti (2006) explained: Jeff Jarvis, on his blog BuzzMachine, chronicled his negative experience with Dell's customer service, corporate communications, and head of marketing. Traffic to his site doubled to over 10,000 hits per day during this time, and the media and investors noticed the situation, calling into question Dell's customer service in a very public topic. (p. 359) Jarvis’s blog (2005) provided details of what happened and how news of the problem spread by word of mouth, and he also offered the following advice to Dell: • Read blogs • Talk with consumers • Blog • Listen to your bad press The advice is sound if corporations wish to avoid the problems these case examples illustrate. Consequently, when faced with a situation that could potentially become a crisis, a clear communication strategy is required, identifying what action is going to be taken, by whom, when and where (i.e., what media channel[s] will be used), and who the target audiences will be. Failure to adopt such a strategy creates the potential for the situation to spiral out of control, where any action could be perceived as being too little, too late. Conclusion A corporation’s reputation can be impacted by all sorts of events, some of which may be of the corporation’s making, some of which the corporation has little or no control over. How the company reacts to the reporting of issues and events can determine how its stakeholders perceive it, both internal and external. As the examples above illustrate, events can become public knowledge very quickly, and news spread across the globe in minutes. How the company reacts, what communications it provides, and how quickly it provides them can significantly influence public opinion. As Dell discovered, not reacting at the time may not be the best approach, and as GM learned to its misfortune, reacting well after the event can potentially make matters worse, with any communication viewed as too little, too late. References Cornelissen, J. (2014). Corporate communication: A guide to theory & practice. London, UK: Sage. Doorley, J., & Garcia, H. (2006). Reputation management: The key to successful public relations and corporate communication. Florence, KY: Routledge. Forman, J., & Argenti, P. (2006). How technology has influenced the field of corporate communication. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 20(3), 357–370. Jarvis, J. (2005, August 17). Dear Mr. Dell. BuzzMachine. Retrieved from http://buzzmachine.com/2005/08/17/dearmr-dell/ Powell, B. (2012, April 20). Fukushima Daiichi: Inside the debacle. Fortune. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2012/04/20/fukushima-daiichi-inside-the-debacle/ Rawlinson, K. (2014, July 16). French blogger fined over review’s Google search placing. BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28331598 Squire, S. (2014, August). GM recalls: The numbers tell a surprising story. Market Watch. Retrieved from http://projects.marketwatch.com/2014/gm-recalls-the-numbers-tell-a-surprising-story/ External Communication From: Starbucks Coffee Company To: Coffee Equipment Company To Whom It May Concern: Starbucks Coffee Company is devoted to improving and bettering the lives of our employees as well as the society around us. The management appreciates the presence of employees and their contribution to the success and competitiveness of the company. One thing the company does not compromise is the compliance issue, and it ensures that the employees are well compensated, enjoy all the benefits, and are not overworked. The company has realized that it’s reasonable to work with companies that are complaints to labor laws. “We expect our vendors to be compliant and act responsibly and promote safe practices." It has come to the company attention that you have been employing minors, underpaying and overworking your employs which violates our Business Ethics and Compliance code as agreed in our contract. By employing minors and allowing your employees to overwork and underpay them, you have breached our agreement and it sounds that you're not tenable to be our supplier. Our company expects you to observe and uphold each segment of the labor law. Starbucks appreciates your contribution to our company. We are sure that through complying with our Business Ethics and Compliance code you will also comply with the labor laws. We regret that we will not require your services until you fulfill all the requirements. Our company is committed to helping other companies to comply with its supplier responsibility code. We are optimistic that your company will come up with a strategy of addressing the in compliance in your company. Starbucks will be doing a follow up to find how your company will implement a good action plan. Sincerely, Starbucks Coffee Company Internal Communication From: Starbucks Coffee Company Sent: January 9, 2019 To: All Employees Subject: Coffee Equipment Company Non-compliance with Starbucks Business Ethics and Compliance Code Our department has received information that our vendor Coffee Equipment Company violates our company Business Ethics and Compliance code. We are informed that the supplier has been underpaying, overworking, and employing minor employees. Also, it’s reported that the supplier offers no benefits to the employees. You're aware that according to the company policy, the sourcing department is responsible for addressing such issues. However, it’s important to reassure the supplier that our company is willing to help in the process of developing an action plan. The supplier services will be terminated temporarily until they rectify the matter. If they are unwilling to change their actions, we will let the supplier understand that their relationship with the company will completely be terminated.
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