Personal Networks and the Personal Communication System - Case Study Example

Entrepreneurship Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Personal communication networks of ‘The Gathering Goddess’ 3 Conclusion 10 Reference list 11 Introduction Personal communication networks refer to communicational channels of interaction between the entrepreneur and individual customers. This type of network helps organizations in maintaining proper utilization of resources and increase customers attraction towards the heritage clothing range. Personal networks help organizations to maintain line up process among the customers. According to Brammer (2011), customers can be able to provide the feedback about the service and products. Effective communication helps in maintaining exchange of information among the different stakeholders. Individual or group communication among the customers increases sharing of experiences and further requirements. Personal communication networks of ‘The Gathering Goddess’ are mainly the medium or channels that the management uses to interact with the customers. In the current study, critical evaluation of personal communication network (PCN) is made on the basis of small vintage apparel boutique based in London (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is developing new online stores to reach to more customers in the global market. Therefore, the organization must modify the personal networking policies as per the new platforms. Personal communication networks of ‘The Gathering Goddess’ ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is a small vintage apparel boutique based in the London area. The organization is producing female products for the Europe and USA clients. Initially, they started with sole physical store in the North Kensington area of London during the year 2002 (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). The organization is facing huge challenge both nationally and internationally. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is increasing their online presence for meeting challenges from competitors and increase market share and profitability. New partnership developed with the E-commerce firms like Fab.com and eBay helped the firms to meet global customers. Therefore, ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is modifying their Personal Communication Networks (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). Initially, ‘The Gathering Goddess’ was using the personal communication networks to make direct influence on the customers. The firm was able to share information of the products and the services they were offering to the clients. They were using different types of communication channels and tools for communicating with the customers or other organizational stakeholders. Since 2002, the firm has used the several techniques to maintain communication networks among the customers (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). The techniques are discussed below; Boase (2008) opined that telephones are one of the most common tools for maintaining lineup process among the customers. With this tool, ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is able to maintain effective verbal interaction among the customers. Telephonic communication offers the managers with instant response collection from customers. Customers can share their level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction regarding any products or service with the managers. On the contrary, telephonic communication has lower personal contact. Thus, managers can face higher risk of creating confusion among the customers. For these reasons, global managers use less telephonic communication channels (Chalkiti, 2011). Bygrave and Zacharakis (2008) stated that face-to-face communication is adopted by ‘The Gathering Goddess’ in designing their communication networks for the stakeholders. Such communication tool helped them to create visual impacts, intense personal contacts, and detailed explanation of various operational factors. In addition, managers gathered best possible customer behaviors and feedback. However, such communication increases manipulation among the communicators. Influential traits will increase due to such direct interaction. Powerful communicator will impose their decisions on the other (Cardon, 2008). Chalkiti (2011) opined that meetings are highly used among the corporate houses to develop internal communication. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ has developed their personal communication network in order to illustrate strategic policies, organizational goals and operational process. Different stakeholders of the firm can exchange their views and beliefs with the help of two way communication. However, meetings are more time-consuming, and it is quite complex to conduct any meeting. Meetings are empowering the leaders with the power to dominate their subordinates (Dulworth, 2008). ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is using Memorandum to maintain proper communication among the employees and managerial members. Franceschetti and Stornelli (2006) have stated that memos are helping the management in providing brief messages. Such personal contract networks are recording the communication for the future evidence. In addition, managers are able to convey the message among the employees and guide them to achieve the predetermined goals. On the contrary, these types of communication tools have low control over the receiver, lower personal communication. Memorandum uses one-way flow of communication and feedback collection is complex. Thus, customer orientation policy is quite tough (Grant, 2008). It is observed that using the abovementioned conventional tools will help ‘The Gathering Goddess’ in developing the physical storage personal contact networks. They are planning to develop online stores to attract the customers from different regions. Therefore, Jacobsson et al., (2010) suggested that management has to develop proper policies for maintaining contact among the potential and existing customers. Employees and management have to analyze the requirement and perception of the customers very well. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is implementing social media tools to develop personal contract networks. Social media policy will aid the apparel retail firm in supporting employees, collecting feedbacks from employees and customers. Customers will be able to gain higher insights on the products and services. According to Kameda (2014), social media based contact networking policy helps the management to delegate tasks, roles and responsibility to the employees. Operational, personal, and strategic networking forms of the employees are different but they are interlinked with each other. Social networking is drawing smooth transition among the roles. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ managers are constructing effective working relationships among the employees. Managers guide their employees to maintain operational roles (Keister, 2005). Social media personal contact networks are developing operational policies among the employees. Social networks help network partners in reporting performance statistics and problems to the superiors. Operational networks will help ‘The Gathering Goddess’ in controlling internal stakeholders. McCornack (2008) argued that employees or lower level managers are able to maintain sound relationship with the distributors, suppliers, and customers. This networking will increase the efficiency of organization while making the global expansion. Coordination and cooperation skills are required among the employees and stakeholders in order to increase quality of products or services. Effective teams will increase the compatibility of firm for the risk associated in the global market (Nicopolitidis, 2003). Managers evaluate the employee’s performance in order to provide performance appraisal and motivate them. This process will aid the managers to judge the limitations of the employees. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ will be able to identify the fluctuations of the performance of the employees as per the predetermined goals and objectives. In addition, ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is developing fragile teams which can be rebuilt as per operational requirement. Personal networking policies increase efficiency of the teams and human resources. Leaders are adopting various personal networks in terms of controlling traits of the team members or employees. Sandhu and Mehta (2007) critically evaluated that contemporary leaders are facing the threats of social diversity related issues. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is planning to offer online business set up, while they can face the challenge of lower knowledge regarding the cross cultural factors, and workplace ethnicity. Managers of the UK, USA and other European countries have to develop proper leadership strategies as per professional requirements, socio-cultural and economic demands of the employees (Sapp, 2004). Social media based personal network of ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is developing professional associations, clubs, and alumni groups which increases the perspective of developing plans for career growth (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). In addition, personal networking via social media will create more effective interaction among the employees. They can share their values and experience with colleagues and juniors. This network increases the interaction between the leaders and employees. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ have to make priority structure for the tasks in their new strategies. Prioritizing the jobs will increase possibility of getting success in the expansion strategy (Valentine and Sokuvitz, 2002). Franceschetti and Stornelli (2006) argued that managers have to recruit efficient employees to develop their own online marketing and E-commerce set up. Personal contacts will help ‘The Gathering Goddess’ in developing recruitment policies for global business. Existing employees can refer candidates, and share professional development information. Managers will be able to use this sort of information in terms of developing human resource base (Grant, 2008). Jacobsson et al., (2010) argued that managers have to provide developmental support to the employees. They need to coach and mentor employees to achieve the organizational goals. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ managers have to develop unique guideline for the global employees according to their expansion goals. Moreover, personal contacts will help them in developing proper remuneration scale. Thus, it is observed that personal networking is helping the leaders in developing proper transition among the organizational employees and various operational strategies (Boase, 2008). ‘The Gathering Goddess’ will use the strategic networking connections in order to increase feasibility of strategies. Bygrave and Zacharakis (2008) have stated that managers have to contrast various external issues faced by the firm in expanding into the online business segment. Thus, managers have to analyze different statistics of these markets, employees related issues and customers expectations. Such trait will increase the efficiency of decision making among the international managers related to the external business environment. Managers of ‘The Gathering Goddess’ have to analyze the factors of political, social, technological, economical, legal and environmental factors for global markets for their vintage clothing materials. They will be facing the challenge of diverse connection, backgrounds, and objectives among the customers and global employees. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ adopted social networking platforms for developing personal contact networks stating operational, personal, and strategic dimensions. Social media based platforms are going to aid them in managing the expansion strategies (Cardon, 2008). Advantages and disadvantages of social network PCNs ‘The Gathering Goddess’ can be using social or online networks in order to develop their personal contact network. Networks enable more speed in communication or sharing of views and beliefs. Managers or employees can transfer files through the networks quickly. The firm can be able to make instant decisions (Franceschetti and Stornelli, 2006). Cost of developing such networks is lower via sharing of software programs. In addition, shared programs are reducing the charges of upgrading programs. Online business policy of ‘The Gathering Goddess’ will be able to use various file servers (Dulworth, 2008). Franceschetti and Stornelli (2006) argued that online networks are more secured than the conventional ones as authorizations are restricted with proper identity and passwords. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ can protect their essential files and programs with encrypted mode and passwords. In addition, cloud based data storage can be used to access huge range of the heritage garments. The firm can get the advantage of using the Centralized Software Management (Jacobsson et al., 2010). Resources like the printers, servers, employees, textile materials, logistics materials can be shared with the help of personalized networks. Resource sharing will reduce intense cost and huge capital investments (Valentine and Sokuvitz, 2002). However, online personal contact networks have certain limitation that can hamper the expansion policy of ‘The Gathering Goddess’. Kameda (2014) criticized that availability of the apparel range related information can get hampered due to the server faults. Moreover, firm can lose essential data for the server faults (Nicopolitidis, 2003). Resource allocation can get hampered due to inaccurate analysis or database management. Decision making depends on the networks which can be hampered by the hackers. Such threats will reduce the scope of achieving success for the expansion plan and online store development (Sandhu and Mehta, 2007). Conclusion The study outlined the importance of personal contact networks for ‘The Gathering Goddess’. The firm planned to develop their online retail store in terms of meeting the global customer’s requirements. The study developed idea on the social network based PCN. Mainly, it is observed that ‘The Gathering Goddess’ planning to develop online stores for their heritage apparel products. In addition, such online store will be adopting effective relationship marketing, expeditionary marketing, real-time marketing and digital marketing. Moreover, the study refers that online personal contact networks will help the firm to manage their garment development, personal development polices, and strategic development policies. The Gathering Goddess Company must be emerging online networking with their conventional PCN polices. Online networking is effective enough for developing personal contact network in the organization. The firm can communicate with their employees as well as customers also. Thus, they can cooperate with the requirements of employees regarding their professional aspects, and customer’s expectation and perception can be obtained easily. The Gathering Goddess Company can develop more crucial strategies to increase their growth and sustainability. Reference list Boase, J., 2008. Personal networks and the personal communication system. Information, Communication & Society, 11(4), pp.490-508. Brammer, C., 2011. Eportfolios and Cognitive Storytelling: Making the Journey Personal. Business Communication Quarterly, 74(3), pp.352-355. Bygrave, W. and Zacharakis, A., 2008. Entrepreneurship. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Cardon, P., 2008. Online Social Networks. Business Communication Quarterly, 72(1), pp.96-97. Chalkiti, K., 2011. Book Review: Managing Knowledge Networks. Business Communication Quarterly, 74(3), pp.378-380. Dulworth, M., 2008. The connect effect. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Franceschetti, G. and Stornelli, S., 2006. 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