P1 -Unit 8: Business Communication Through Documentation

Introduction

John Lewis, as a business, was founded in 1864 when it was just a shop on Oxford Street, which expanded over the years to become the third largest retailer in the UK. John Lewis is a Public Limited Company, this means that anyone with the right capital can buy (or sell) their shares within the business, in order to become a share-holder and receive dividends from profits.

In addition, as a business, John Lewis sells various products and has a variety of over 80,000 products ranging from clothes to furniture, in order to suit and cater to the needs of any of their customers . Furthermore, in this assignment I will be investigating the retailer John Lewis and its operations; in order to determine examples of effective written business communications, with the use of documentation. Written Business Communications Effective communication within a business (John Lewis) is essential, in order to ensure their success and profitability.

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But Firstly, What is Communication? Communication can be defined as “the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another” [2]. This means that without communication, information or ideas cannot be utilized and no aspect of John Lewis can function properly. For example, if the delivery department cannot communicate with individual stores; therefore this means that John Lewis can’t coordinate with the individual stores, in order to determine what new stock is needed at any particular time.

This results in John Lewis being unable to restock their stores properly, meaning products not needed are delivered for example. As a result, John Lewis looses out on potential customers and repeat sales, because consumers who wanted to purchase a specific product couldn’t due to the stock unavailability, leading to a loss in potential sales, repeat sales and profits for the business in the short and long term. Secondly, communication within John Lewis happens in various different methods, such as written, verbal and electronic.

However in this assignment we will only be discussing the written communication aspects of John Lewis. There are various written documentation which are communicated throughout john Lewis. For example, letters, memos, text, faxes and emails are just some of the formal or informal communication methods used by businesses in the modern age. A written business document is a way of getting a message across internally and externally by employees or customers of John Lewis. There are various ways of written communication that are used by businesses.

For example, depending of the situation an employee of john Lewis may need to contact their branch manager and the quickest, but maybe not the most formal way of doing so, would be by texting them [3]. Additionally, there are many forms of written communication, such as agenda’s, e-mails, letters, memorandums, reports, notices and minutes. A written business document is used as a type of communication as it is seen as a more formal and professional way to communicate internally and externally within a business.

Purposes of Written Communication Most businesses understand that communication is crucial for successful business operations. The ways we conduct our business activities is changing rapidly, as a result communication, especially written has become essential, in order to deliver messages and information to any aspect or individual within the business. As a result, if used successfully the purpose of written communication, in my opinion, is to deliver information, in order to coordinates and establish successful business activities.

This leads to an increase sales, and an increase in the profit in the long term for John Lewis. The purpose leads to the crucial question why do we use written communication? Written communication can be used in various ways, depending on the sender and receiver of the information. For example, a manger will inform the owners or directors, by producing a written report telling them which products are selling better than other’s within a period of time. This form of written communication will be strictly professional and formal, informing them about changes in the business and there actives.

However if an employee wanted to inform another member of staff about other issues then they could just email or text them, meaning a simpler, reliable and effective written communication process. Furthermore, it’s not only the internal customers but also external consumers who can communicate in a written manner with john Lewis. For example, a customer would communicate in a written manner with john Lewis if they have a complaint with any aspect of the business; such as a faulty product, leading to a customer having to email John Lewis regarding replacement of the product.

In addition, a customer can also communicate with John Lewis because they have an inquiry to make regarding products or services provided by them. These are just some of the various reasons that customer make written enquires to John Lewis. Types of Written Communication Business Context| Document| Context(manager-employee or employee-costumer )| Purpose| Formal| Letter| Supplier to John Lewis,| To make an appointment to see the manager about supply of raw materials needed to produce the products in the production department of John Lewis. | Formal| Agendas | Set out topics to be covered at a meeting.

An manger will send it to the employees he wants to come to the meeting | Usually sent out before a meeting to all the people that are meant to attend and inform attendees| Formal| Reports| Information, research and analysis on a specific aspect of a business,| Provides detail to help the businesses with decision making. So the purpose of this will be to inform an employee | Formal| Minutes of the meetings| A record of what actually took place at a meeting between manager and employees | It also records who attended the meeting, what was discussed nd how long and when the meeting took place and to confirm meeting feedback| Informal | Memorandums| They are mainly used for quick communication within a business, college to college | They are short, simple information meant to get your message across within a business, to the receiver and its purpose is to inform a staff member of manager what is going to happen or needs to happen | Formal | Schedules| Schedules are lists of planned activities or tasks that need to be completed and could be used between staff and managers | It is almost like a plan for the business, which can come in many forms such as lists or timetables and it is used to instruct people what to do | Informal | Notices| Important information on displays, or boards in order to inform employees or anyone associated with the business for example the marketing department and employees | This is done in order to notify and display general information which should be accessible to all members of staff. | The table above shows the various types of written communication methods, and their purposes. Conclusion

In conclusion I would state that this assignment has highlighted the importance of communication and especially the importance of written communication within John Lewis. Also I have discovered the various types of communication and why the different parties (such as customer, employees, suppliers) involved would use each method that suited their needs, as explained within the assignment.

Bibliography

1. NW-Link http://www. nwlink. com/~donclark/leader/leadcom. html Accessed on 24/09/2012
2. E-How http://www. ehow. co. uk/info_7785121_types-written-business-communication. html Accessed on 24/09/2012
3. E-How http://www. ehow. com/about_5563166_purpose-business-communication. html Accessed on 24/09/2012
4. John Lewis http://www. johnlewis. com/ Accessed on 24/09/2012

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