Background Information
Communication is an integral part of business conduct as it allows all stakeholders to understand what the business is about. Internally, people need to understand how they fit in and what is expected of them. Whilst externally, it helps to educate people on how the business (or products/services) may fit into their life.

This assignment
You are required to write an essay on:
“Contemporary issues in professional business communication.”

Research, discuss and explain the fundamental opportunities and challenges that this creates for modern businesses.

For the purposes of this assignment you should also choose one core business as a case study and provide relevant
examples to support your thinking and analysis.

Maximum length 2500 words.
Guidance
This assignment has been designed to assess your academic writing, therefore you should focus on essay writing.
Research will be required on this assignment, and it is important to demonstrate the ability to reference (Harvard
Reference system) where information sources have been used.
To achieve higher grades, you will have to demonstrate the ability to use compelling arguments whilst making the reading both visually pleasing and interesting.

Other
You should get to the point and avoid wordy repetitions (i.e. be succinct and clear). Any source references used in the
essay must be appropriately referenced (Harvard system). However, try to avoid copying or stringing together lengthy quotes
leaving little said in your own words. Finally it is extremely important that you are familiar with the institution’s policy on plagiarism that is included in the unit outline.

Group Assignment: In groups of 4 students must:

• Select an international business or company and write a formal business report on the organisation’s “Communication and E-Communication” strategies.

• The nominated company must be approved by your lecturer. Each group must do their report on a different company. This will be approved on a ‘first-come first-serve’ basis.

• You will be required to perform academic research on the nominated company to identify and assess the effectiveness of its current “Communication and ECommunication” strategies.

Therefore your business report must include the following sections:

o Title Page o Executive Summary o Brief Introduction and Background o Section 1: Synopsis of the key non-electronic communication methods and practices that the company uses to engage customers, suppliers, staff members and the public.
o Section 2: Overview of the key electronic media and communication strategies used by the company, including websites, social media and electronic platforms.
o Section 3: Perform a SWOT Analysis on the company’s overall communication methods and practices, and describe your findings.
o Section 4: Assess and compare the communication practices of the company’s 2 main competitors
o Section 5: Provide an assessment of your suggestions and recommendations for how the company can improve its communicationo
o Conclusion o Reference List (10 – 15 references) o Appendix (if required)

Further details will be made available on Blackboard.

Group Presentation
Group presentation on the report. Presentation to be maximum of 10 minutes long and also the include use of PowerPoint slides.