Toyota Company - How Business Has Changed - Case Study Example

Business Communication Name Instructor Course Business Communication Introduction Business communication can be described as sharing of information between individuals both internally and externally in a business organization (Beamer and Varner, 2001). Business communication entails some business aspects such as public relations, marketing, advertising, corporate communication, and brand management, among other topics. Some of the media channels that are used for business communication include the ambient media, television, radio, print media, as well as the internet (Beamer and Varner, 2001). Technology, and more so, social media has altered the way business is carried out in numerous ways. In the same light, it is argued that the effect this technology has on communication is the most significant (Beamer and Varner, 2001). Following this, the paper will evaluate the impact of social media on the contemporary business communication. Precisely, the paper will use the Toyota Company as the case study company to assess how the changes in business communication have affected the way modern business operates currently. The Toyota Company is an automobile company which has been in operation since the year 1937 (Osono, Shimizu, and Takeuchi, 2008). It has been in operation ever since and is regarded as one of the most successful businesses in the world. Just like any other competitive companies in the world, the Toyota Company has also undergone some changes in their business communication primarily thanks to the changes in technology (Osono, Shimizu, and Takeuchi, 2008). How Business Has Changed Over the last 20 years, the aim of business communication in the customer relationships context is to try to sell their products while currently, the goal of business communication is to make connections with these clients (Du-Babcock, 2006). Business communication has changed in that the companies have resorted to making use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to interact and form these customer relationships with people. This communication has changed since in the past companies used to communicate about their services or products so that they can lure customers to buying them (Du-Babcock, 2006). Currently, the business communication is focusing more on communicating to people about some of the things which will enable their consumers to get to understand the personality and the people who are involved in a company. Thus, the goal of business communication has changed over time which has turned out to be less regarding ‘selling’ and has become more of ‘engaging’ (Du-Babcock, 2006). Another aspect that business communication has changed is that it has shifted from involving massive campaigns towards just entailing some ‘small actions’ (Du-Babcock, 2006). With some internet platforms like Twitter and Facebook, it is like the business has their personal broadcasting network. Therefore, instead of the companies spending a significant amount of resources on the traditional advertising campaigns which were the trend years ago, they just make use of some small actions which have proven to be more valuable to the customers and the other stakeholders (Du-Babcock, 2006). About 20 years ago, if the people or consumers either had a good or a bad experience with a given business, it could take them a significant period, probably several weeks or days to spread the information to other people. Currently, it just takes several minutes to do that thanks to the changes in the platforms that are used for business communication (Du-Babcock, 2006). Business communication has also changed in that there are increased unified communications as compared to what was the case about 20 years back. These unified communications include the ability of business to connect through the videos, emails, social media platforms among other significant ways (Du-Babcock, 2006). These unified communications have proven to be very beneficial when it comes to social engagement which has, in turn, boosted productivity. The changes in business communication allow people to obtain the information concerning a business at any moment that they want and at any time (Du-Babcock, 2006). Additionally, the current business communication has led to increased efficiency and productivity and in the same light has increased the social connectivity which is very necessary for business (Du-Babcock, 2006). The business communication has resulted in the current workplace generation to have collaboration tools which have turned the place to become more exciting. Following this, the new ways of business communication has made the new working style productive and possible as well as has become more desirable (Du-Babcock, 2006). Challenges Businesses are Facing about Communication Diversity One of the problems that the businesses in the 21st century are facing with communication is concerning diversity (Decarie, 2010). Every individual has a particular and specific frame of reference which filters the way they perceive the world. The differences in religion, ethnicity, gender and age among other factors tend to create different viewpoints (Decarie, 2010). However, these same filters usually lead to the receivers of information to interpret messages in a different way other that what was intended for them and therefore develop different expectations (Decarie, 2010). Toyota is an international company with many branches across the world which means that their workforce as well as audience is highly diverse. This has then over time, created significant risks of misunderstanding of information as well as other barriers in the communication channels as well (Osono, Shimizu, and Takeuchi, 2008). Technology It is true that the mobile devices, the Internet, social media, as well as emails among other platforms have enabled individuals in the business world to communicate even globally at very high speeds (Decarie, 2010). However, on the other hand, the same technology has also presented some unique challenges. Information that is shared and is not face-to-face does not often have the cues as well as the non-verbal communication which people usually obtain from the body language and the facial expressions (Decarie, 2010). There are usually very high chances that the information which is often posted online could be misunderstood or even taken out of context whereby the sender of the information may not manage to clarify the particular message quickly. In the same light, technology often allows people in the business world to communicate through teleconferences and web conferences. However, some technical glitches, telephone static, and time zones usually create significant barriers to efficient communication (Decarie, 2010). Inexperienced Workforce The companies which typically employ workers who are not trained or are used to working in the underdeveloped countries may experience significant challenges when embracing the new ways of business communication (Decarie, 2010). This means that for them to be efficient, they will still need to rely on the traditional communication methods or take them through training. Language barriers and different levels of education are also common issues when it comes to communication challenges (Decarie, 2010). As the Toyota Company has been expanding its branches all across the world, it has penetrated in markets both in the developed and the underdeveloped countries which mean it has had a workforce which is both knowledgeable and not knowledgeable of the modern business communication trends (Osono, Shimizu, and Takeuchi, 2008). It has then undertaken to train its workforce thoroughly even if it meant flying them to the countries where they could get the highest quality of training regarding business communication. Impacts on Business The changes that have been encountered in business communication have significantly affected the ways in which people carry out businesses. Currently, thanks to the changes in business communication, companies are now making use of the social networks to connect with their clients as opposed to just luring them to buying their services and products (Qualman, 2010). Therefore, the businesses are now shifting their focus from selling their services and products to engaging more with their customers. Rather than just companies sharing or posting information on their lowest-priced products, they are instead sharing the details of some personal business issues like their being related to a given social problem that the audience is passionate about or a given charity work or organization (Qualman, 2010). This change in the way business is being carried out tends to enhance trust with the clients which in turn makes them more motivated to undertake business or be affiliated with the given company (Qualman, 2010). With the changes in business communication, it has become easier and the focus of firms to oversee some extreme levels of customer segmentation (Qualman, 2010). Following the rapid flow of data, it is continuously becoming very easy for the businesses to know what the needs of their clients and therefore, become aware of what the consumer is searching for. Additionally, the analytics services are also expanding significantly which has then enabled the businesses to segment their prospects into smaller groups so that they can target their customers in a more individualistic manner (Qualman, 2010). As companies continue to enhance their customer segmentation, then they tend to acquire more bangs for their marketing buck. This means that the more rigorous and detailed services there are in business communication practices, the more it enables the firms to refine their approaches, offerings, and processes, which in turn significantly increase conversions (Qualman, 2010). Social media has significantly enabled business to enhance their participation and interaction within themselves as well as their customers as well (Qualman, 2010). Social media largely provides companies with an alternative platform for promotion and marketing as well as for disseminating information (Qualman, 2010). This means that social media tends to give the public and consumers a voice. Following this, various businesses are starting to increase their capitalization on the opportunities of obtaining feedback on their particular services and products and even make use of that collaborative environment which social media has created for crowdsourcing initiatives. Such crowdsourcing efforts include crowd-wisdom, crowd-voting, and crowd-creation (Qualman, 2010). The advertising and marketing strategies of companies have also changed a whole lot. Internet marketing has necessitated the businesses to take into consideration the needs of their consumers because they have come to the realization that competition is not localized anymore as it is something that is experienced all across the globe (Qualman, 2010). Following this, businesses are increasingly coming up with ways to try and understand the needs of their customers and strive to meet these requirements. Some of the ways in which companies try to obtain this feedback are through questionnaires, feedback forms, surveys, as well as the comments from their websites (Qualman, 2010). In the side of business advertising, firms have started to allocate budgets which are channeled towards striving to attract customers from all the corners of the world to the identifying the particular business and the services and products that are offers (Qualman, 2010). Toyota has invested massively in adapting to this communication of activity changes so that they could stay aloof in the competition. For example, it has is using its websites to connect with their consumers on a personal level as well as strive to understand how their products have changed their lifestyles (Osono, Shimizu, and Takeuchi, 2008). Also, they also seek to know whether or not their models are addressing their needs and meet their expectations as well. Also, Toyota significantly makes use of its social media platforms more so Facebook and Twitter to try and interact with their consumers, show their personality to the world, and trying to handle competition that is faced all across the globe (Osono, Shimizu, and Takeuchi, 2008). Conclusion It is evident that business communication has changed significantly over the years in numerous ways. Some ways in which business communication has changed over the years include the increase in unified communications, a shift from holding large campaigns to just undertaking small actions, as well as focusing on enhancing customer relations as opposed to just selling their products. Some of the challenges faced in communication include diversity, technology, and distance. Finally, the changes in business communication have changed the way people carry out business in that there is increased customer segmentation, focus on customer relations, and investment on internet marketing and advertising as well as in social media. Just like the Toyota Company, many businesses need to know that competition is not only localized but also globally and therefore has to take the issues to do with the changes in business communication seriously. References Beamer, L. and Varner, I.I 2001, Intercultural communication in the global workplace, New York, McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Decarie, C 2010, Facebook: Challenges and opportunities for business communication students. Business Communication Quarterly, vol. 73, no. 4, pp.449-452. Du-Babcock, B 2006, Teaching business communication: Past, present, and future. The Journal of Business Communication, vol. 43, no. 3, pp.253-264. Osono, E., Shimizu, N and Takeuchi, H 2008, Extreme Toyota: Radical contradictions that drive success at the world's best manufacturer, Wiley, New York. Qualman, E 2010, Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Read More