Unit 16 Managing Communications and Knowledge Assignment - Samsung

This Unit 16 Managing communications, information and knowledge assignment – Samsung is focused on the complete organisational behaviour of the industry.

Task 1

1.1 Discuss the range of decisions to be taken by the Samsung senior management team to manifest this audacious plan.

Decision making is the key to success and a way of moving forward with the planned set of day to day activities that have been laid down for the growth and profitability of the organisation. The decisions on the issue of launching the smart phone in the UK market have to be taken by the managers at the appropriate time of favourable market conditions so that it could elicit a good response from the public. Decision making is a type of choosing a particular alternative from among a set of multiple alternatives so as to move towards achieving the long term and short term goals of the organisation in terms of having a specified outcome (Abdillah, 2014). Decisions that are to be taken by the Samsung managers may range from setting business targets or sales goals that are in line with the strategic plans earlier though of by the company. Some of the decisions may affect the process of the business in the long term while some of them may only have a short term implication about how the business pans out. The  business strategic decisions  have a long term impact on the business and are taken for the major actions that are to be followed by the business organisation. The strategic decisions are usually deviations from the normal course of action that has been previously planned by the company. For example in the above case-study the strategic decisions may involve rolling out the different models of the smart phones in phases, one by one, instead of at one go. Usually these decisions are unstructured and hence the business managers have to apply their intuition and gut feelings to get through with these decisions. The tactical decisions are those that are taken for the implementation of the strategic decisions and these involve making work flows, defining process problems, etc and are usually taken by the middle level management (Eppler, 2006). The operational decisions are those that are taken on a day to day basis according to the nature of the events that take place. These involve responses to short term implementation problems such as those related to sales and distribution of the smart phone products of Samsung. These do not require that much business judgement and hence are taken by the lower level managers of the organisations.

1.2 Examine knowledge and information that is required to ensure effective decision making across the board of Samsung UK

Data are the raw facts and figures of market variables that should be processed in order to make sense to the reader. The processed data is known as information and knowledege which throws light on the actual situation of the market and hence it facilitates effective decision making process at all levels of the organisation. In the above scenario the data could be the raw facts about smart phone consumption in the UK like sales transactions, trends and customer buying behaviour. Once all these data have been gathered, sorted and put together they begin to make sense to the manager who could clearly see the underlying trend behind such data. This is known as information and helps in the decision making process. Knowledge is the individual perception of the information that is presented. It is the gestalt of all the pertinent information along with the meaning as to how to act upon it (Eppler, 2006). For example the timing of the launch of the smart phone product in the UK and at what price is the result of market knowledge of the business manager. Thus for effective entry of Samsung’s smart phone product into the UK market all three that is , data , information and knowledge are essential as these are important tools in the hands of the business manager to make a fruitful and the right decision. Also information about the UK business laws should be kept in mind and utilised while recruiting and training personnel to carry out the task of establishing the business presence of Samsung in the UK market. These are the different parameters of effective decision making for Samsung if it were to successfully enter the UK mobile phone market (Chai & Kim, 2012).

1.3 Internal and external sources of information available for Samsung for effective decision making.

The most important source of internal information is the sales records of the company’s product in different markets that point to different aspects of the market in which it had earlier launched its smart phones. These records throw light on how the customers respond to different models of the smart phone and what type and quality of the product they are expecting at the given price points. Another source of internal information is the customer records which throw light on different demographic factors of customer groups that have actually purchased the company’s products in the past (Abdillah, 2014). It may be that some phones are attractive to the younger generation of customers and hence their marketing campaign and positioning strategy should have a youth focus. Some of the phones may be meant for business executives and should be hence marketed accordingly. Also sources of information like financial documents offer a glimpse to which phones are selling at a profit and which are running on losses. The external sources of information include government websites that may give some important information about such regulatory norms like SAR value of the phone or its power ratings. Information gathered from newspapers and journals throw light on the different products of the competitors that are already selling in the market. These can be used to plan the launching strategy and shed light on the various issues surrounding the sale of smart phone handsets in the UK market (Dawson, 2012). Thus the company should utilise both internal and external sources of information in order to be fully aware of the prevailing market conditions of the mobile handset market in the UK. It should gather as much information as possible from both within and without of the company to make effective strategic  decision making  about how to go about the process of establishing a strong presence in the competitive UK market.

1.4 Justify your recommendation for improvement to the Samsung UK management team

It is recommended to make a thorough market study of smart phones in the UK market to define a strategy of entering into the UK smart phones market. The market study will reveal certain facts about the kind of phones that the people of UK are willing to buy and the kind of phones which they are not willing to buy. It would shed light on certain demographic factors like age and income of the customers which may be utilised to launch specific products while refraining to launch other products that might find it hard to get customers to justify their investment. Also the price range of the phones that will be offered should be studied in detail vis-a-vis those offered by the rivals and the competitors (Eppler, 2006). The marketing and the advertising campaigns should be focussed on those types of customers for which the phone is targeted. Thus it is recommended that the company utilise its own strength and learn from previous mistakes before entering the UK market.

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Task 2

2.1 Identify a minimum of four and a maximum of six stakeholders that you would invite for the occasion.

 The stakeholders are people with some sort of interest and power in the company that has to be taken care of. The stakeholders that I will invite for the occasion of the launch would be the newly appointed sales employees in the UK, the shareholders who have stakes in the company, government representatives and some of the suppliers of raw materials like the plastic body or the glass screen of the phone. I hope that these stakeholder represent the wider interests of the company and they should be present in the given occasion to ensure confidence among the customer groups so that they may get encouraged to make more and more purchase of the company’s products like Smart phones and smart phone accessories (Dawson, 2012). For example the  employee relation  of the UK office would be all British and hence this will help to send the right message to the customers that the product launched would indeed have a local touch and find relevance in their lives. The presence of government representatives would show that the company has abided by all the rules and regulation of UK business laws while doing business in that country and indeed the product would be safe to use.

2.2 Make contacts with the proposed invitees using cost effective communication channels.

All the invitees would be sent a personal email as well a snail mail invitation card asking them to be present in the given occasion. Decorative and attractive invitation cards would be printed and sent to all the invitees in coloured envelopes.  Those who cannot be contacted would be sent invitations using the social media platforms like face book and twitter. Business identification cards would be printed for the given occasion so that unidentified persons could be kept out of the event. The government officials would be invited by sending faxes to their respective secretaries and special cars would be sent to them to pick them up from their individual residences (Abdillah, 2014). Prospective customers and few members of the public would also be invited to take part in the event as this will increase visibility of Samsung’s products to the eyes of the public and attention of the customer groups could be drawn into the event so that the entire event becomes a huge success.

2.3 Ensure that the invitees you have invited their interest are well covered during the event.

The invitees would be given an initial welcome address followed by refreshments and then an introduction to all the products and their features, that are to be launched in the UK market. They would be asked to participate actively in the event to make it a stupendous success by drawing the attention of the media and the public. The interest of all the stakeholder groups would be looked after by the company officials like for example the trade licenses and all the other compliance documents would be signed by the government officials. The employees would be informed about the work and initial tasks that they would be involved in prior to the launch (Chai & Kim, 2012). A memorandum of understanding would be signed with all the business partners especially the suppliers so that there would be no ambiguity at a later point of time. All the participants of the event would be given feedback forms to voice any concern or to clarify any doubts regarding the workings of any of the products and their features. Thus in this way the interest of all the stakeholder groups would be served during the event.

2.4 Design an all inclusive strategy to make the event more interesting and memorable to all.

The event organisers would rope in celebrities from the film and sporting arena like David Beckham and Hugh Grant and will also involve a musical performance by the legendary British singer Phil Collins. In this way the event would draw the attention of the media and hence it will give a boost to the brand image of Samsung in the UK market. The customers would be convinced of the technical and  financial management  prowess of the company and hence would explore and consider buying Samsung products in the future. The main intention of making the launch a gala event is to publicise the name of the company and spread its message to every nook and corner of the UK market (Eppler, 2006). This would give a head start to the company as it begins its foray into the UK market by initially winning the confidence of the British customer groups that have been buying expensive handsets of Apple up till now. Henceforth they would have a product that has all the features of an Apple Iphone but at lower price points.

Task 3

3.1 Report on the existing communication system and structure within Samsung

Within the company Samsung communication mainly takes place electronically through emails and bulletin boards that are internal to the company. The various departments sends emails to each other to communicate important messages as regards product updates and information related to product and services. There is an internal network of computers where all the information about the products have been uploaded for easy and quick reference of the staff. The UK office of Samsung communicates with product designers and senior management team in their head quarters in South Korea via Skype chat and other forms of video conferencing (Dawson, 2012). The employees are intimated well in advance of meetings by tele phone calls and also by emails. Important documents are exchanged between the offices located at various parts of the world through snail mail also. Apart from these fax machines are widely used to transfer documents from one office to another. Thus Samsung uses high end communication systems that are robust and safe from the prying eyes of the rivals and the competitors. The internal network of computers is linked by WAN and there is no scope of leakage of information to the external world (Chai & Kim, 2012). Short text messages are also exchanged by the employees on whatsapp as it allows excellent encryption features which ensure the privacy of the messages that are exchanged between two or more people.

3.2 Design methods to improve overall communication system in line with modern developments in this sector

The company uses various communication channels to communicate with its esteemed customers in case they are having any difficulty in using any of its product and want assistance on that matter. The company runs a chat service through which customers can get in touch with technical support executives who would help them out with any technical issues they might have been facing while using the phone , be it a problem with the battery or any feature on their phone that they could not understand without the intervention of professional help. Thus to develop those kind of advanced communication system the company has sought the help of CISCO which is a networking giant in its own right and they have been helping the company to set up routers that would enable the company executives to talk to the customers directly. Also the company uses the social media like face book to interact with the customers informing them on the updates of their phones and also to inform them about what is being offered in the upcoming products (Eppler, 2006). The company retains the email addresses of its loyal customers and contacts them from time to time sending electronic newsletters of new products that are being launched in the market from time to time. This helps the company to build a good relationship with the customers and offer service in a quick and effective manner so that the customers are satisfied in using the products of Samsung whether smart phones or any other electronic gadgets for that matter.

3.3 Implement communication systems that will guarantee better interaction between the company the local community

The Samsung company have been holding interactive sessions with customer groups in local town halls where the new products are showcased and the customers can have their queries answered and doubts cleared regarding any of the products. The technical experts of the company have been holding meetings with groups of customers and all the stakeholders concerned to get their doubts clarified in an easy manner (Dawson, 2012).  The company has also been involved in corporate social responsibility initiatives like sponsoring a coding contest in a local high schools and colleges so that the younger generation of customers could be interested in the workings of a smart phones, try to build useful applications and be interested in the world of technology that would make them better customers of the high tech products of the company. All these have been possible due to the advanced communication systems of the company and thus many more and more people could be brought within the folds of the company as users of the high tech gadgets that are manufactured by them. Thus it is mainly due to the communication channels that the good work being done by the company could be promoted throughout the nation and the world and this helps to build a robust brand image which in turn helps to build a loyal customer base who would repurchase the products of the company again and again.

3.4 Create a personal plan to improve own communication skills.

I have been attending workshops to develop my own communication skills so as to enable me to interact with the customers in a more engaging and fruitful manner as far as possible. I am trying to improve my listening skills so that I may catch up quickly with what the customer is trying to say without wasting time and mincing words. I am learning to speak English with a British accent as I have found that many people do not understand the language unless it is spoken in the local dialects and accent (Abdillah, 2014). I am also trying to improve my written skills in addition to oral spoken skills since a lot of official communication of the company with its various stakeholders takes place through this medium. I am learning English grammar so that my writing does not contain any mistakes and  I am able to forward my views and opinions in a clear cut and lucid manner to the reader as far as possible. I am also learning how to modify the tone of my voice while speaking in order to communicate various emotions and states of mind. For example while reprimanding a sub ordinate I make my tone deep and serious so as to project the fact that I am unhappy and want serious work from him.

References

Abdillah, L. A. (2014). Managing information and knowledge sharing cultures in higher educations institutions. arXiv preprint arXiv:1402.4748.
Chai, S., & Kim, M. (2012). A socio-technical approach to knowledge contribution behavior: An empirical investigation of social networking sites users. International Journal of Information Management, 32(2), 118-126.
Cheung, C. M., & Thadani, D. R. (2012). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model. Decision Support Systems, 54(1), 461-470.
Dawson, R. (2012). Developing knowledge-based client relationships. Routledge.
Dozier, D. M., Grunig, L. A., & Grunig, J. E. (2013). Manager's guide to excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge.
Eppler, M. J. (2006). Managing information quality: Increasing the value of i
Hislop, D. (2013). Knowledge management in organizations: A critical introduction. Oxford University Press.
Holsapple, C. (Ed.). (2013). Handbook on knowledge management 1: Knowledge matters (Vol. 1). Springer Science & Business Media.
Street, R. L., Gold, W. R., & Manning, T. R. (2013). Health promotion and interactive technology: Theoretical applications and future directions. Routledge.