Business Communication Theories and Practices - Communication Methods Used by Greenpeace - Case Study Example

Client inserts his/her name Student’s number Tutor’s name Course title Date of submission Table of contents 1. Executive summary........................................................................................................3 2. Introduction....................................................................................................................4 3. Communication methods used by the Greenpeace organization..................................4 4. Business communication theories..................................................................................7 4.1. Social network theory..................................................................................7 4.2. Schramm's Theory of communication......................................................10 5. Contemporary business communication examples......................................................11 5.1. Top down....................................................................................................11 5.2. Multi-flow..................................................................................................12 5.3. Involvement.............................................................................................. 12 5.4. Upward.......................................................................................................13 5.5. Sideways....................................................................................................13 6. The effective method for Green peace’s audience.......................................................13 7. Conclusion...................................................................................................................14 8. Recommendations........................................................................................................15 9. References....................................................................................................................16 Executive summary The report presents a brief history of the Greenpeace nongovernmental organization whose major focus is on environmental conservation. It further explores the communication methods employed by the organization to reach the target audience which is basically done through the internet. Further, the report outlines systematically the business theories of communication that are applicable to Green peace’s communication strategy as well as an analysis of the suitability of the various methods that are used to reach the external audience. Either, an illustration of contemporary communication strategies used by various organizations is given with emphasizes on how the Greenpeace organization applies the various methods. Moreover, factors that influence the choice of communication made by Greenpeace organization are outlined. Finally, some recommendations are offered on how the Greenpeace organization can improve its communication network in order to reach all its audience effectively. On the other hand, a conclusion is given describing the significance of effective communication on the wellbeing of any organization. Introduction Greenpeace organization was established in 1971 in Vancouver, Canada. It is an international organization with its head quarter in Amsterdam, Netherlands and it has established its full presence in forty countries across Europe, Asia, America and the Pacific. The non-profit organization has based its interest on the world’s common troubles. Basically, environmental matters have raised concern among many nongovernmental organizations and Greenpeace is not exceptional. Therefore, the organization stands out in the battle to curb environmental issues such as global warming which has become the greatest danger in the current society. The Greenpeace community is the largest group online consisting of the youth who are interested in global issues and have come together to set up suitable strategies to be applied in creating positive change thus make the world a better place to live in. They believe that the world needs a representative voice since it is flimsy and needs a solution through proper action. The global organization therefore employs internet communication links such as face book, twitter, blog and you tube to pass information regarding the most significant global threats with the major aim of salvaging biodiversity. They institute campaigns that advocate for climate stabilization through forest protection, salvaging the water bodies, eliminating genetic engineering, keeping nuclear threats at bay as well as other toxic substances. Communication methods used by the Greenpeace organization Since the organization began, it has attempted to employ an assortment of communication forms over the years to spread their message about the dangers of an undefended environment as well as further their cause of action regarding the global issues. The organization’s communication approach range from conventional methods such as websites, mailers and flyers to extremities such as rallies, campaigns and petitions. The methods used thus may bring much exposure to their advocacy or smash up their reputation in the society. In my point of view, green peace’s communication strategy is very effective because they are able to reach numerous audiences rather than basing their target on one demographic group in the society. The target groups are diverse just as the green peace members themselves and the communication differences drawn from these groups give the organization a great advantage, helping them to achieve the organization’s objectives. The most effective communication strategy employed by green peace is the webpage, http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/. The strategy offers both visual and textual information to the audience regarding what the organization does. The webpage operates as a guide to basic aspects of the organization such as its history, press release, organizational issues, contact information for members and government officials as well as picture and blogs of the organization’s advocates. Their home page gives very vital information and links to similar environment friendly organizations. Besides, it has information regarding methods members could use in volunteering within their own communities. Most importantly, information on matters arising concerning the conservation of wildlife habitats, energy and global warming is provided. Ethos is obtained from the technical and scientific studies as well as scholars who are referred to in their site. Pathos is achieved from the various pictures and stories of people who have been previously involved in fighting to salvage the environment and assist in protecting the globe from pollution. Every aspect of the rhetorical triangle is available on the web page. The organization provides logos that are presented in technical language that break down the intended message to understandable expressions suitable for any person. Thus, the green peace web page is reader friendly as it communicates messages which are well formatted, good linking and navigational clues and availability of visual rhetoric to match the text. It is a well executed page that makes an example of what makes web pages effective communication measures in the world today especially to the external audience. Green peace organization uses conventional methods of communication to reach their target audience. They dispatch letters to people with the information they intend to pass across in regards to environmental matters. Nevertheless, they use stickers and slips for donation to various people who belong to related advocacy organizations such as PETA and ASPCA. In addition, the communication strategy used above is informative and it is applied only to those believed to positively return to the organization. However, this seems to be a discriminatory method although it realistic as it helps in assessing the groups who may show greater interest in the organization’s cause of action. The stickers used encourage the recipient to make it more visual by sticking it to a car or house. This in return communicates the message to not only the person to whom the sticker is sent, but also to every individual who is able to see the form of advertisement used by green peace organization. This is the best indicator of the organization’s willingness to employ multiple communication methods in an attempt to spread their concern within the globe. Every small communication is planned within the advocacy group and offers the best opportunity for the organization to communicate their cause to the external audience. Most extreme methods employed by Green peace are also used by other advocacy groups such as pressurizing various government branches to advocate for environmental awareness and security. This is done through petitioning and lobbying and the petitions are sent by e-mail to green peace members. They also sign implicit petitions on their web site as well as sign up to have petitions related to issues sent occasionally by mail or home address. This method of communication is effective since it helps saturate each communication opportunity with the organization’s logos, petitions and informative texts. Green peace is an effective advocacy group since it provides its members with liberal opportunities to facilitate their concerns through the internet, letters, papers and petitions. It allows anyone interested to become a member because it is extremely proactive in its communication techniques that eventually open up the organization to the external groups. The organization uses an array of communication methods that work collectively as well as independently to expose the audience to further communication with the organization. Their willingness to mix visual and textual strategies and the use of numerous outlets has been invaluable in reaching all categories of audiences. Positive results are inevitable in any organization that applies multifarious communication methods such as Green peace. Business communication theories Social network theory In the social network business theory, the major focus is on the emergence of social systems and the implication of such structures on social actions. The actions carried out by the involved people are entrenched in a web of social networks (Granovetter, 1985). Therefore, the social network theory is based on relationships and interrelation aspects rather than characteristics of single actors as described by (Scott, 2007). According to Van Dijk (2006), the theory analyzes social networks differently from the way we perceive them in our daily life. Fundamentally, it is associated with a network that is non- hierarchical, open and efficient in any form of organization. In this regard, organizations strive to look to contemporary and describe themselves as social networks. They stress on the cooperative form of organization with well developed social movements. In this form of network formation, the internet is regarded as the technological infrastructure which assists in developing a networked form of organization. The network research literature describes a social network as a structural condition with distinctive nodes related to one another through ties. In network oriented organizations, the nodes are presented as individual stakeholders or the corporate actors (Monge and Contractor, 2003). The ties are differentiated by their level of directness, the intensity and strength of the ties. Asymmetrical relationships are considered to be directed and have one sided influence. In addition, the social network theory employs the concept of communication roles in order to develop strong relationships rather than weak and fluid attachments (Friemel, 2008). The organizations that apply the social network theory infer the actor’s position as well as the relationship in which such an actor is intertwined within the organization. Friedland et al (2006) illustrates that it is significant to distinguish social networks from any networked forms of communication or transfer of information. In communication studies, the internet has been found to provide a new boost to network analysis. Presently, communication networks are studied by means of online content analysis as well as link analysis. From the above description, it is apparent that the general conception of social networks may be misguided to be the aspect of public arenas as a network. However, the public sphere contains the participating individuals and it is actually more than a network (Coombs and Holladay, 2010). According to Bohmann (2004), the internet linkage used by the Greenpeace international organization becomes a public sphere through the various agents who are involved in democratic and reflexive activity (p. 140). Therefore, it is precise that online communication may not in itself generate a network public sphere as described by (Beck, 2010). In the present business communication arena, there is a strong link between social networks and computer networks or any technological networks. In regards to green peace organization, the common features, differences and the interrelatedness between the social networks and the technological aspects help in keeping the external audience informed. The internet is thus used as a public forum that helps interlink the social systems within and outside an organization. Therefore, the social network theory is applicable to the green peace organization. It shows how various audiences are interlinked through a social communication network which is the internet. In this manner, social relationships are developed and are represented by virtual and direct communication to the external audience of the organization. The relationship is maintained by a common reference to any emerging issue or any point of interest through web links. The Green peace organization has been able to establish such strong social networks since online networking offers more opportunities for social networking and thus keeps the organization at the top in regards to communication on their concerns. Conclusively, the internet alone or the society may not be considered as a sole social network. The public sphere is the social network, the stakeholders are perceived as nodes and the ties are formed by the communicative relationships between the two. Business communication within any organization is thus facilitated by various communicative agents who are interrelated through the common interest that arise from the information communicated. The public sphere is formed and grounded in actions that arise from communication and the relationship that arise from the actors. Green peace organization demonstrates this kind of communication deeply since its major interest is to establish and maintain relationships among its members and its external audience. Besides, the internet linkage forms their basic networking facility. Schramm's Theory of communication In 1954, Schramm studied communication as an independent subject and he developed various models that could be important in providing answers to various communication issues. He considered closely the aspects of the receiver and the sender in regards to communication experience. The sender encodes information based on his or her experience and the extent to which the receiver decodes the message depends on his or her field and level of experience. Another model propounded by Schramm is the idea of feedback within the communication channel where the sender expects a reaction to the sent message from the receiver. Feedback may be verbal, visual or pictorial depending on the nature of the message. Through this model, it can be concluded that communication is a continuous process where message and feedback completes the cycle. This model allows the sender and the receiver to interact within the communication process. Schramm’s theory presents a convergence aspect which is very necessary in any organization’s communication strategy. Just as what occurs within Greenpeace, human communication as described by schramm is a dynamic and cyclical process. For the intention to be felt and objectives achieved, there has to be mutual causation rather than a one way mechanism. Interdependence among participants is encouraged rather than a biased relationship between the communicating parties. In this manner, mutual understanding and agreement is reached in any cause of action or issue of concern as the primary goals of the organization. Contemporary business communication examples In many organizations, business communication is assumed to be the exchange of information and ideas within and outside the organization systems and it takes various forms. The form of communication chosen by a particular company is part of its corporate culture and it is a necessity for every business structure. The styles used in many corporations currently range from democratic strategies to more egalitarian models that involve interaction between participants more fully than before. Some of the examples of communication strategies used in businesses are described below. Top-Down This kind of communication method was commonly applied in the United States and Western Europe in the past years of 1980s. In the strategy, communication begins with the senior most managers in an organization and moves down hierarchically to the juniors win the organization. The person at the end of the communication channel has less input to decision making in the organization and is often sidelined in many organizational activities especially the critical ones. The Greenpeace organization however does not apply this form of communication since it regards each individual’s input to organizational matters as well as decision making. Multi-Flow Multi- flow communication involves and empowers everyone within an organization. It involves the use of multi- channels and multi- communication methods to reach out to all stakeholders in an organization. The variety of methods used by Greenpeace is a perfect example of such a network. This is an effective method of communication in an organization since it allows everyone to interact freely without any feeling of superiority or inferiority with the aim of achieving organizational objectives. Involvement This kind of business communication involves team discussions and briefings through e mail exchanges, meetings and informal communication methods. Just as in Greenpeace, organizations that use this communication method use various channels to pass information to the target audience and thus incorporate a multi communication approach. Through this strategy, multi- disciplinary groups are established whose members bring in expertise as well as experience in specific organizational areas. The members are empowered and do not rely on orders from the superiors. The external audience gets involved in this kind of communication. Upward This type of communication motivates the low level participants to present their feedback the higher levels in an organization. It is thus the opposite of top-down communication in terms of the concept it puts across. The communication strategy applied in this manner allows the managers to obtain vital information from the grass root levels thus allowing for greater organizational development. In reference to Greenpeace organization, this type of communication has been manifested reasonably although it does not come out as a major form of communication to the external audience. Sideways This kind of communication ensures that the organizational ideas are shared among the audience who are the same level in the company. Sideways communication is not applicable in the Greenpeace organization since their aim is to pass information to the external audience evenly and obtain their feedback in order to execute a certain cause of action. The effective method for Green peace’s audience In regards to the methods above, business communication may be made effective if there is a suitable sender in terms of experience regardless of the hierarchical structure of any particular organization. Recipients who are open to the message will obviously interpret it well since there is no preconception. There is no single business communication theory or form of communication that perfectly explains or predicts business outcomes. All that is important is the application of a productive theoretical diversity that could best offer an understanding of the role of communication in establishing and maintaining human relationships in numerous complex dimensions. The multi-flow form of business communication is suitable for Greenpeace organization because of its diverse audience and the nature of issues it deals in. A diverse approach will enable all types of people to obtain the information dispatched and channel their feedback as well. In this manner, the cause of action that will be finally taken in regards to the issue in question will be appropriate because of the weighty consideration given to a multitude of ideas. Many people will join the organization and those already registered as members maintain their loyalty because of the strong sense of belonging attained through a democratic communication strategy. This is very significant in capturing the external audience fully. Conclusion and Recommendation Conclusively, Green peace’s communication strategy is influenced by the evolution of digital media which is a major driving force for the transformation the organization’s public communication sphere. The idea is to present public relations from a societal perspective, something which has been the area of concern for numerous years (Taylor 2010). With close observation of Green peace’s communication approach, there is a clear conceptual framework of incorporating the society in general. The concept of the public sphere as the center of communication as the major factor for the particular form of communication selected by Green peace shows that the target audience is general. The organization is better off in terms of communication although it has to devise a methodology that highlights the aspects of the public sphere more. The higher visibility of the organization depends on the organizational network and the strong interrelatedness in the plurality of social relationships. A relational dimension of communication is important rather than an informative methodology employed by Greenpeace. Recommendations From the above findings, the following recommendations, if implemented, could make the Greenpeace organization a center of excellence in terms of communication strategies that attract the attention of the target audience effectively: Shared responsibility: the organization needs to assign its members communicative duties such that it can reach a multitude of an audience across the globe. Individual communicative roles may include controlling, defining issues, seeking for basic information and analysing feedbacks. In addition, other roles include motivation for participation, expressing audience feelings and assumptions and setting the organization’s standards. All this is done with a major aim of reaching out to the external audience. Enhancing interpersonal relationships: It is prudent to share the outcome of team efforts as a group. This will satisfy the whole team since each member will feel that their efforts have been acknowledged and they are valued. Self evaluation of the organization will lead to better communication strategies. The external audience will thus feel as part of the organization. References Beck, K., 2010. Soziologie der Online-Kommunikation. [Sociology of online communication.] In W. Schweiger & K. Beck (Eds.), Handbuch Online-Kommunikation [Handbook online communication] (pp. 15-35). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag. Bohmann, J., 2004. Expanding dialogue: The internet, the public sphere and prospects for transnational democracy. Sociological Review 52, Issue supplement s1, 131-155. Coombs, T. W., and Holladay, S. J., 2010. PR strategy and application. Managing influence. Malden, MA, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Friedland, L. A., Hove, T., & Rojas, H., 2006. The networked public sphere. Javnost - The Public, 13(4), 5-26. Friemel, T. N., 2008. Netzwerkanalytische Methoden zur Identifizierung von Kommunikationsrollen. [Identifying communication roles with methods of network analysis.] In C. Stegbauer (Ed.), Netzwerkanalyse und Netzwerktheorie. Einige Anmerkungen zu einem neuen Paradigma [Network analysis and network theory. Some comments on a new paradigm] (pp. 179-190). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag. Granovetter, M. S., 1985. Economic action and social structure: The problem of embeddedness. American Journal of Sociology, 91(3), 481-510. Monge, P. R., and Contractor, N. S., 2003. Theories of communication networks. New York: Oxford University Press. Scott, J., 2007. Social network analysis: a handbook (2nd Ed.). London: Sage. Taylor, M., 2010. Public Relations in the enactment of civil society. In R. L. Heath (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of public relations (pp. 5–16). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications. Van Dijk, J., 2006. The network society: Social aspects of new media (2nd ed.). London: Sage. Read More