DEPARMENT OF COMMERCE

FULFILLMENT OF ASSIGNMENT ONE ON BUSINESS COMUNICATION AND ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES

COURSE CODE: BUS 211 PRESENTED BY:

TO: MRS. JACINTA KINYILI

DAYSTAR UNIVERSITY,

ATHI RIVER CAMPUS

1.Communication definitions include:
Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another,whether or not it elicits confidence.
Communication is giving,receiving or exchanging ideas,information,signals or meesages through appropriate media enabling individuals or grups to persuade,to seek information,to give information or to express emotions.
Communication is a process of exchanging information,thoughts,feelings and emotions through speech,signals,writings or behaviour
2.Forms/types of communication. * Oral communication, * Verbal comunication, * Non-verbal communication, * Face-to-face communication,

3.Directions of communications in an organisation include * Downward communication:this flows from executives to employees, conveying executive decisions and providing information that helps employees do their jobs.

* Upward communication :flows from employees to to excecutives,providing insight into problems,trends,opportunities,grievances and performance.

* Horizontal communication floes between departments to help employees share information,coordinate tasks and solve complex problems.

4.Importance of communication in an organisation * Strong decision making based on timely,reliable information * Faster problem solving,in which less time is spent on understanding problems and more is spent on creating solutions * Greater employee engagement with their work,leading to higher employee satisfaction and lower employee turnover * Better financial results and higher return for investors * Both employees and employers have a chance to give and air their views to the organisation * Commuincation brings about more understanding between the workmates in the organisation * There are clearer and more persuasive marketing messages * Stronger business relationships 5 .Barriers to effective communication * Noise and distractions: externals distractions range from uncomfortable meeting rooms to crowded computer screen with instant messages and reminders popping up all over the place. * Competing messages: * Filters:messages can be blocked or distorted by filters,any human or technological interventions between sender and the reciever.Filters can be intentional or unintentional. * Channel breakdowns:sometimes the channel breaks down and fails to deliver messages. * Language barriers:difference in language spoken between the sender and reciever of a message may distort the message meaning this also includes accent variations. * Physical barriers:differences in geographical areas * Wrong message interpretation * Use of inappropriate medium to deliver the message

6.Strategies of overcoming barriers of communication * Reduction of noise and all sorts of distractions. * Choose correct medium to relay the messages * Eliminate all possible filters * Monitor the channels for any frequent braekdowns * Use compatible language and images

7.The role of IT in organisational communication

2.What is meant by organisational structure?
This is the framework,typically hierachial within which an organisation arranges its line of authority and communications,and allocates rights and duties.
b).Briefly discuss the product,geographical,customer,functional, matrix, centralized and decentralized structures enumerating the advantages and disadvantages of each of these structures.

c).Enumerate the elements of organisational structure * Work specialisation:
Describes the degreevto which tasks in an organisation are divided into separate jobs.Thte main idea of this organisational design is that an entire job is not done by only one individual. * Departmentalisation
It is the basis by which jobs are grouped together.For example every org has its own way of classifying and grouping jobs. * Chain of demand
It is defined as a continous line of authority that extends from upper levels to the lowest organisational levels and clarifys who reports to whom * Span of control
It is important to a large degree because it determines the number of levels and managers an organisation has.Also determines the number of employees a manager can efficiently and effectively manage * Formalisation
It refers to the degree to which jobs within the organisation are standardized and the extent to which employee behaviour is guided by rules and procedures.

d).Factors affecting organisational structure * Size
Size is many times the driving factor for a company.smaller or home based organisations do not usually have a vast structure because the business owner is responsible for all its tasks. * Business Environment
The external business environment can also play an important role in a companys organisational structure.Dynamic environment with constantly changing customer desires or behaviour is often more turbulent than stable environment * Strategy
High growth companies usually have smaller organisational structures so they can react to changes in the business environment quicker than other companies.

4.Importance of communication in an organisation