Gap Analysis: Global Communications Albert Einstein said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” This concept is one that must be taken into consideration by Global Communications when deciding on how to best overhaul/steam line the company to be able to produce a quality product. The end goal is to become a competitive powerhouse within the global marketplace. This will negate the certain demise of GC due to a lack support from stakeholders, insuring that the company does not have to shut down completely.

Such an overall will demand careful attention to all stakeholders involved. Global Communications must take the time needed to get to the root of the problem. Recovering from the current state of destruction will mean making decisions that may not be supported initially by all parties involved. It is in these areas that GC must strive to maximize the communication process of transmitting an effective message that the company understands the concerns and questions of each stakeholder. Furthermore, GC must strive to minimize the amount of noise that will act as barrier blocking the desired communication from achieving the goal of smooth transition and plan acceptance by all. (McShane,Von Glinow, 2005)

Situation Analysis
Issue and Opportunity Identification The decision to outsource work to India and Ireland has been made my Global Communications as an attempt to produce a better product, decrease expenses for labor, and increase overall market value. This decision though requires effective time management for releasing of information. The company must recognize that is stands to lose all support of stakeholders because of questions that will arise as a result of deciding to move the company aboard. At this stage buy-in to the move is very important so each use of the nine step process as for problem solving would truly help identify when to notify each of the four more stakeholders.
The questions that will be asked by each stakeholder must be considered before announcing the plan and to do this the problem must be properly framed. (Mual,n.d.,p3) Another technique that can be applied is mention by Bateman and Snell in their Decision Making and Problem Solving article, here the managers would consider the three main areas where questions arise. The first being what structure will be put into place once the plan is initiated. The second area of preparation involves answering the questions of risk and unforeseen events or uncertainties. And last area of question that GC must prepare for is conflicts which will arise as a result of the decision to move operations. (2004)

Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas
The first and most important group of stakeholders is the board and share/stock holders. The concerns that the company become profitable, offer a quality product, and have a goal for future development must be included into the plan for the overhaul of the company. In meeting the desires of these stakeholders though GC must not compromise its current commitment to other stakeholders, namely, the union and employees. There are ethical issues that arise from choosing to move the company.
After review, it is clear that union and employees were not included in the decision making process which has resulted in more complications and noise in the communication process. Due to the limited release of information to the employees and union, GC is now faced with information overload in the hierarchy of media richness. Employees are now finding it hard to process all the information about the move and workers being laid-off, and why it is mandatory in order for GC to stay in business. (McShane, Von Glinow, 2005) Had the union and employees been included in the process of problem solving and decision making another alternative to moving and laying-off workers might have been discovered or suggested. (McShane, Von Glinow, 2005)
Global Communications if it wants to become a true powerhouse will need to actively listen to all stakeholders involved. The union and employees now faced with certain unemployment feel abandoned by the company which will result in low company morale and lose of public support if not addressed because of the companies’ present verbal commitment and contract with the union/employees. Actively listening will involve sensing, evaluating, and responding to the concerns of the stakeholders. ((McShane, Von Glinow, 2005)

End-State Vision The company must produce a vision that will make it a leading domestic and international power house company in the Telecommunications industry. Increase is market value, international stock offerings, and overall view of the company as a whole. Furthermore, GC must transform into a new company. The new image as global company offering the latest in technical products will require new values, logo, and mission statement to address new growth targets. High employee morale supporting the new vision for the company will be the result if communicated effectively and if it addresses the concerns that arise after actively listening to stakeholders. Next, GC must reach an agreement between the union and the company. One means of closing the gap between the union and company maybe to offer the potential for 15% retainer bonus, career development for employees losing jobs, and job security for future after plan implementation. Also, cross-training can be offered for sales jobs to union members who would be participants of the layoff, to fill the 1000 open sales jobs that result from new company sales/profit goals. Lastly, I believe GC can achieve complete stakeholder buy-in to plans for change by implementing a five to ten year redevelopment plan for international and domestic future. Operate internationally while rebuilding the domestic locations once profitable.

Gap Analysis The gap that is currently present between the company and union/employees is a direct result of bad communication. The medium for message transmission was low on the hierarchy of media richness as a result the message did not achieve the desired goals. Another major problem is noise in the communication stream. Noise includes perceptions, filtering, ambiguity, gender differences, and bad language. The GC has not truly considered any of these barriers and as a result is experiencing all of them now in the communication of their message to all stakeholders. The public/consumer wonders why the product they currently receive is more expensive, and of less quality than what is being offered by the competition. Stockholders and board members wonder why market value is down. All these areas are now the result of bad business decision making, time management, and bad communication. ((McShane, Von Glinow, 2005)

Conclusion In conclusion GC must first: state the problem clearly, second: analyze the problem, third: brainstorm possible solutions, fourth: explore each solution, fifth: choose and execute the best solution, sixth: evaluate the solution, and seventh: continue to refine the solution. (Gross, 2003)
In order to do all these thing the goals which GC decides to implement must be specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timely (S.M.A.R.T.). (Author Unknown, Top Achievement Articles, 2007) Whatever plan is implemented must have structure, address issues of risk and uncertainty, and provide resolution for all conflicts resulting from the implementation of the plan. (Bateman and Snell, 2004)

References
Bateman, S., & Snell, S. (2004). Management: The New Competitive Landscape, Sixth Edition,. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Gross, R. (2003). Peak learning How to create your lifelong education program for personal enlightenment and professional success (Rev. custom ed., University of Phoenix). Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing
Maul, J. (n.d.). Defining the Problem: The Critical Step to Realizing Opportunities Landscape,Retrieved December 24, 2007, from University of Phoenix, Week Four, Resource. MBA500—Foundations of Problem-Based My rEsource Web site.
McShane, S.L., & Von Glinow, M. (2005). Organizational Behavior: Emerging realities for the workplace. (3rd ed.). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies
Top Achievement Articles. (2007) Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals. Retrieved December 24, 2007, from www/topachievement.com/smart.html