Assessment 1 – Individual Assessment Marketing Material

CFPBUS004 Business Communication

TASK DESCRIPTION - Assignment 1 (30%)

Assessment 1 – Individual Assessment Marketing Material

You work as a Head of Communications and Creative Design for the company, Trendline Retail which is based in central London. TrendLine Retail operates multiple fashion stores across London, offering trendy clothing and accessories. The company coordinates between store staff, online customer service teams, and international suppliers of merchandise.

While sales volumes are high, profits have declined due to frequent customer complaints about product availability and fit. As a result, there is an increasing refund requests due to negative online reviews citing incorrect product descriptions and poor customer service.

You need to provide 2 leaflets to send to all TrendLine Retail employees to highlight significant communication challenges affecting customer satisfaction and operations as identified by the Management. Please discuss the communication barriers below and provide relevant solutions.

• Structural Barriers – There is lack of real-time communication between warehouse, store staff, and online teams. As a result, stock information and customer feedback is often not shared promptly.

• Disengagement Barriers - Sales staff earn bonuses based mostly on how much they sell. As such, this can make them rush when helping customers and not fully understand what the customer needs.

• Physical Barriers - Overseas suppliers sometimes send products that are the wrong size or quality. As a result, delivery dates can be delayed or unclear, causing confusion.

• Cultural Barriers - Marketing and purchasing teams work in different countries. As a result, different ways of communicating and time zones can cause misunderstandings.

• Insufficient Staff Training – Employees lack the knowledge, skills or confidence needed to communicate clearly with the customers. As such staff body language or tone can accidentally make customers feel unhappy.

TASK

Prepare 2 leaflets and 1000 words of notes. The leaflets should include relevant images and text. Please provide references in the Harvard style.

Your leaflets and notes should highlight:

• Common challenges and barriers to effective communication

• Effective strategies for overcoming communication barriers.

• Awareness of cultural influences on communication.

 Marks will be awarded for achieving the learning outcomes and your ability to provide well-designed leaflets with a balance of images and text.

TASK DESCRIPTION - Assignment 2 (70%)

Assessment 2 - Individual Report (2000 words maximum)

Sales have improved, and you need to write a report to the Management to bring them up to date. Your report should discuss some general theories of organizational communication. It must also evaluate the communication barriers you identified and outline the strategies implemented to solve these.

In your report, you should address the following:

• Discuss some general theories of organisational communication.

• Evaluate the communication barriers that were affecting TrendLine Retail.

• Develop the strategies you identified to overcome these.

Marks will be awarded for achieving the learning outcomes and your ability to provide a well written report. This assignment addresses the learning objectives below:

 Report Structure:

Ensure that the report has the following structure and contains the details outlined:

•  Abstract

• Table of contents

• Introduction

• Analysis and discussion of all questions

• Recommendations

• Conclusion

• Reference List following Harvard references and in-text citations throughout

Maximum LENGTH 2000 words

FORMATTING AND LAYOUT

Please note the following when completing your written assignments:

1. Writing: Written in English in an appropriate business style.

2. Focus: Focus only on the tasks set in the assignment.

3. Document format: 1. 2 leaflets and 1000 words of notes 2. Report – 2000 words

4. Provide a clear title, course, and ID number on a cover sheet. 

5. Provide a reference list using Harvard referencing throughout.

6. Research: Research should use reliable and relevant sources of information e.g. academic books and journals that have been peer reviewed. The research should be extensive.

 These assignments address the following Learning Outcomes:

•  LO1: Describe and analyse the purposes and principles behind different forms of organisational communication.

• LO2: Identify common challenges to effective communication.

• LO3: Devise and develop strategies for overcoming communication barriers.

• LO4: Apply principles of effective communication to enhance their practice.

• LO5: Evaluate the communication practices of themselves and others.

• LO6: Demonstrate awareness of cultural influences on communication.