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COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING 2 Communications planning COM510 The main overall objective of a strategic communication plan is integrating all the firm's programs, advocacy, and public education efforts. The strategic plan is critically important in effective and strategic resource deployment. Besides, the strategic plan highlights shared opportunities and synergies in various communication programs and work environments. This paper will analyze two articles that discuss different theories applied in strategic communication planning. "Stakeholder Communication in Service Implementation Networksâ€: “Expanding Relationship Management Theory to the Nonprofit Sector through Organizational Network Analysis†(Maxwell & Carboni, 2014).

The research aimed at examining communication with different groups of stakeholders outside and within SINs (‘Service Implementation Networks’). The SINs are used in the delivery of services funded by the government. To achieve the objective, the study adopted the ‘relationship management theory’. The theory focuses on managing similar interests and common goals to achieve common understanding for the client, such as stakeholders and the public, as well as the tasked organization. Stakeholders refer to individuals whose role impacts on a project.

In the context of the study, SINs relationship the relationship is organization-public (Maxwell & Carboni, 2014). This is because the relationship between the two parties determines the success or failure of the organization. Effective communication between the organization and it requires powerful communication. Social media platforms are often adopted by nonprofit organizations to communicate with stakeholders. These platforms include Facebook and Twitter.

The researchers adopted network surveys and used semi-structured interviews to obtain data with individuals from two SINs organizations that had common structural characteristics. The networks selected operate under the, US Justice Grant, provide mentorship to youths at risk. The main firm (Network organization) in the grant program coordinates the network (Maxwell & Carboni, 2014). Semi-structured interviews were conducted via forty-five minutes of calls. The questions covered the frequency of communication between the network and the stakeholders.

The finding of the study was that there were both internal and external communication patterns. The networks adopted both traditional communication fir example phones and face-to-face and social media communication (Maxwell & Carboni, 2014). The article has clearly explained the role of a strategic communication plan. The activities of the networks run smoothly, and no conflicts between the organization and the stakeholders. From the article, we can learn that strategic communication planning is critically important, especially when undertaking public programs.

"Organizational Disruptions and Triggers for Divergent Sensemaking." (Weber, Thomas & Stephens, 2015). The researchers aimed at developing a better understanding of “the interactions that developed between internal and external stakeholders in response to a post-9/11 change in the Maritime Transportation Security Act†(Weber, Thomas & Stephens, 2015). The article conducted an in-depth examination of an incident that occurred at MWN (Midwest District) headquarters of the USCG (United States Coast Guard). To better understand the interactions, the researchers employed the theory of sensemaking and sense giving. The theory is useful in explaining both the divergent and convergent actions that organizational stakeholders may demonstrate as a response to change in and organization as well as the strategy implementation.

Sensemaking is applied when members of an organization trying to develop an understanding of past enactments with the aim of acquiring guidance to push the organization forward. The sensemaking activity involves both internal and external stakeholders (Weber, Thomas & Stephens, 2015). On the other hand, organizations engage in a sense-giving with the aim of influencing other individuals’ meaning development and sensemaking. Sensegiving process is developed through communicative behavior. The research employed an inductive research approach to analyze the circumstances under which the incident occurred as well as the subsequent actions.

The analysis concentrated on the chain of incidents. Data was collected through onsite interviews with six major internal stakeholders (Weber, Thomas & Stephens, 2015). The interview questions were semi-structured, and each session lasted for one hour. Secondary sources of data included newspaper articles written during and after the interruptive period. Coders were used to examining newspaper articles, public comment, and public comments rating.

After conducting an in-depth analysis of the event, the research unearthed factors that led to a communication failure. The first cause was parsimonious and unidirectional communication. Secondly, there emerged inter-organizational sensemaking (Weber, Thomas & Stephens, 2015). Besides, there were misaligned cues and varying organizational identities understandings. The article clearly demonstrates the relevance of having broader stakeholders' engagement in sensemaking.

Despite that, sensemaking is critically important in adapting to change, communication exchanges between stakeholders play a vital role in the process. From the article, we can learn that the communicator should establish communication goals, understand the audience as well as the message. References Maxwell, S. P., & Carboni, J. L. (2014).

Stakeholder communication in service implementation networks: expanding relationship management theory to the nonprofit sector through organizational network analysis. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 19(4). Weber, M. S., Thomas, G. F., & Stephens, K.

J. (2015). Organizational disruptions and triggers for divergent sensemaking. International Journal of Business Communication, 52(1), 68-96. permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES 16 Organizational Changes COM 510 Aug 11, 2020 Apple Inc. is one of the largest tech companies in the world.

Apple is an international company located in over 25 nations around the globe. The company is headquartered in Cupertino, California. Apple designs manufacture and sell consumers' electronic products, computer software, and online services (Green, 2015). Apple uses direct marketing channels to reach its final customers. In this case, Apple Inc. sells directly to consumers through its great spread stores.

Apple uses social media platforms such as Twitter to communicate with its customers. Thus, Apple customers don't need to call or visit the company's stores to have their issues addressed ("The Apple Way of Connecting With Customers - Bloom Creative," 2020). The client can tweet their issues, and Apple will address the issue. Twitter is a social media, its open comments, and posts from all people, hence the Apple employees might not be able to see all the customer requests. Thus, making this communication channel to be ineffective.

Thus, the company is supposed to develop an app for its customers in their devices that can help them to post their comments. The app will allow Apple Inc. customers to support officials to easily review customers' requests and address them without being disrupted by other comments, like in the case of Twitter. References Green, S. (2015). Apple . Bellwether Media.

The Apple Way of Connecting with Customers - Bloom Creative . Bloom Creative. (2020). Retrieved 11 August 2020, from . COMMUNICATION IN THE ORGANIZATION 16 Communication in The Organization 510 August 11th, 2020 Introduction Communication is the backboard of organization management; in all management levels, the message must be well sent and delivered to ensure organization moves in the same direction (Tyner, 2011). Effective communication promotes management operations because every stakeholder has an awareness of what he or she is expected to do by the organization.

In an organization, there are various departments, operations, and levels of operation, and hence there are different types of messages received. In this case, the paper will focus on five main types of messages received in the organization; analyze used to communicate the message and the nature of the message. Further, the study will analyze the message to determine which firms are likely to receive such a message and its impact on organization management. Message 1: “Firms reduce carbon emission." "Reduce carbon emission," is one of the messages that an organization can receive. This message is likely to come from the international communities that deal with environmental affairs, government directives, and the community in the areas the firms are operating.

This message can be communicated through government gazette, media house, or direct communication through a sealed memo. The message is a directive that is meant to ensure firms reduce carbon production. The organization that is likely to receive this message is production companies that use fossil fuels. This message requires firms to changes their production systems, which might be expensive for the organization. On the side of the environment, the rate of carbon emission will be reduced, hence the reduction of pollution.

The organization should ensure this massage is evaluated well to ensure the guidelines which are stated in this message are met. Failure to meet these guidelines, the guidelines the organization is likely to face legal charges. The organization can benefit from this message to adopt a cost-effective production system that meets the new guidelines. Message 2: “Focus on our promised results.†“Focus on our promised results,†is another common message that can be received in the organization. This message is an internal communication that directs employees and junior managers to work towards the organization's goals.

This type of message can be communicated through face to face methods, emails, and memos. This message is common to all types of organizations, including the production companies, services firms, logistics, wholesales, and other types of companies that deal with clients. This message's goal is to ensure employees stick to the goals, vision, and mission of the organization. This message can improve production, quality of service delivered, and even the organization's commitment. If this message is not successfully delivered to the desired destiny, there will be no improvement, and the firm might lose customers and revenue (Mahajan, 2012).

The firm can turn to fire or apply other forms of punishment to employees who failed to adhere to the message directives. Once this message is well delivered, the organization is likely to improve its performance te; hence growth will be recorded. Message 3: “We must protect our local industries." Organizations operating in are likely to receive this type. This message is a directive message given by the local authorities to promote investment in local firms. The main media that can be used to communicate this type of massage include; discussions in TVs and press conferences.

The consequences of this message are very impactful, and hence it should not be taken lightly. This directive, if it comes from government officials, the government might take measures to promotes local industries that might harm foreign companies. The government might decide to increase the tax on foreign products as one of the measures (Doh, 2014). If the organization didn't receive this message or it was got given a lot of weight by management, the firms are likely to suffer if measures are taken before the firms are prepared. This message can be used by organizations to plan operations, such as joining in a joint venture with local industry to benefit from measures given by givens to promote local industry.

The firms also can find another area of operation that is not restrictive. Message 4: The world economy will slow by 2.5% This is another type of message that an organization can receive. This an economic advisory message from either international monetary funds (IMF), World Bank, individual country analysis, or non-governmental organizations. This message can be channeled through financial reports, media houses, press conferences, and even published materials such as local newspapers. These messages have many impacts on organization management, planning, and decision making.

This message impacts all profit-making organizations, as this massage implies that all country's economic operations will be impacted by downward economic growth. If an organization fails to adhere to this message or its not given weight, firms will not be able to plan effectively, and they might incur a huge loss. Once this is well received and firms plan. Accordingly, it is likely to endure hard economic conditions. For instance, the firm may decide to reduced production, layoff some employees, reduce salaries, and other benefits as a way of reducing the costs during periods of economic crisis.

Message 5: “The project deadline must be meet without extension." “The project deadline must be meet without extension," is a common message in the organization. This message is a directive message by an organization running a project to its project managers, executive doing oversight, and contractual firms that are undertaking the project. This firm can communicate this message in the boardroom meetings or internal memos. The firms give us directive early enough to allow the addressed persons to plan and meet the requirement. This message is very consequential; once the message is given early, individuals who are in-charge will ensure the project is completed within the set deadlines.

In some cases, this message is not well received or not adhered to; this can result in firms entering into a lawsuit with the construction company for failing to meet the deadlines (Hartmann, 2010). Receiving this message well and adhering to it will help ensure the construction company in charge develops a good working relationship with the firms; this can make the firm contracted for the next project or is recommended. References Doh, S., & Kim, B. (2014). Government support for SME innovations in the regional industries: The case of government financial support program in South Korea. Research Policy , 43 (9), .

Hartmann, S., & Briskorn, D. (2010). A survey of variants and extensions of the resource-constrained project scheduling problem. European Journal of operational research , 207 (1), 1-14. Mahajan, A., Bishop, J. W., & Scott, D. (2012).

Does trust in top management mediate top management communication, employee involvement, and organizational commitment relationships? Journal of Managerial Issues , . Tyner, R. (2011). Directors' Day. BCLA Browser: Linking the Library Landscape , 3 (3).

Paper for above instructions

Communications Planning

Introduction

Effective communication is paramount for organizations aiming to achieve strategic goals, particularly in a landscape where interdisciplinary networks and stakeholders significantly influence outcomes. This paper explores two scholarly articles that focus on theories associated with strategic communication planning. The first article, "Stakeholder Communication in Service Implementation Networks: Expanding Relationship Management Theory to the Nonprofit Sector through Organizational Network Analysis" by Maxwell and Carboni (2014), examines stakeholder communication in service implementation networks. The second article, "Organizational Disruptions and Triggers for Divergent Sensemaking" by Weber, Thomas, and Stephens (2015), analyzes the interactions among stakeholders during organizational change following a major incident. This paper discusses the findings of both articles and their implications for communication strategies within organizations.

Stakeholder Communication in Service Implementation Networks

Maxwell and Carboni (2014) focus on the significance of stakeholder communication within Service Implementation Networks (SINs) funded by government initiatives. The authors utilize Relationship Management Theory (RMT), emphasizing the importance of managing relationships to achieve mutual goals between organizations and their stakeholders. Their research contends that organizations often rely on traditional methods, such as telephone conversations and face-to-face meetings, alongside social media platforms, to communicate effectively with their stakeholders.
The methodology employed in the study included network surveys and semi-structured interviews with participants from organizations sharing structural characteristics involved in the US Justice Grant program, which aims to mentor at-risk youths. Data collection through semi-structured interviews highlighted the frequency of communication between organizations and their key stakeholders. The findings revealed that organizations that strategically engage stakeholders in a two-way communication process tend to navigate challenges smoothly, minimizing the potential for conflict (Maxwell & Carboni, 2014).
A critical takeaway from this research is the importance of integrating a diverse array of communication methods to establish strong stakeholder relationships. Social media has emerged as a powerful instrument in this digital age, allowing organizations to convey messages widely, albeit with challenges related to information overload and filtering of requests (Maxwell & Carboni, 2014). Moreover, the researchers argue that a strategic communication plan serves as a framework for deploying resources effectively while ensuring clarity in messaging and stakeholder engagement.

Organizational Disruptions and Triggers for Divergent Sensemaking

In their article, Weber, Thomas, and Stephens (2015) delve into the complex dynamics of communication surrounding significant organizational disruptions. Their study centers on the U.S. Coast Guard's response to the implications of the post-9/11 changes under the Maritime Transportation Security Act. The researchers focus on sensemaking and sense-giving theories, enabling them to explore how internal and external stakeholders interpret organizational actions during crises.
The researchers employed an inductive approach to analyze the nuanced interactions between stakeholders in the wake of an organizational incident. Employing semi-structured interviews and secondary source analysis allowed them to uncover critical factors leading to communication breakdowns during crises. The findings identified parsimonious communication strategies and unidirectional messaging as primary contributors to misunderstandings and divergent sensemaking among stakeholders (Weber, Thomas, & Stephens, 2015). This emphasized the critical role of two-way communication to foster greater understanding and collaboration among organizational members during times of upheaval.
Importantly, Weber et al. (2015) highlight the communicative actions required for effective sense-giving, which can significantly impact organizational performance. By facilitating engagement and dialogue among stakeholders, organizations may navigate the complexities of change more effectively and build resilience against future disruptions.

Implications for Strategic Communication Planning

The insights gleaned from both articles indicate the necessity for organizations to develop comprehensive and adaptable communication strategies that engage stakeholders meaningfully. From Maxwell and Carboni's research, the integration of diverse communication modes — such as social media, traditional methods, and face-to-face communications — emerges as vital for fostering robust stakeholder relationships. Furthermore, strategic communication helps organizations articulate their intentions transparently, ultimately balancing stakeholder expectations and organizational objectives (Maxwell & Carboni, 2014).
In parallel, the findings from Weber, Thomas, and Stephens illustrate that organizations must remain attuned to the perceptual models used by their stakeholders during moments of disruption. Establishing a conducive environment for dialogue and feedback can facilitate sensemaking and sense-giving, allowing organizations to navigate crises with agility and cohesion (Weber, Thomas, & Stephens, 2015).
Both studies insist on the alignment of communication practices with a holistic strategic plan that accounts for organizational changes, crisis management, and the ongoing dynamics of stakeholder engagement. By recognizing the fluid nature of stakeholder relationships and adopting adaptive communication strategies, organizations can effectively mitigate misunderstandings and foster unity of purpose across diverse networks.

Conclusion

In summary, strategic communication planning is indispensable for organizations seeking to achieve their long-term goals. The works of Maxwell and Carboni (2014) and Weber, Thomas, and Stephens (2015) reveal insights into the necessity of engaging stakeholders through diverse communication approaches and adapting to organizational disruptions. Organizations that prioritize establishing effective communication frameworks can build lasting relationships with stakeholders, fostering collaboration and resilience in the face of challenges.

References

1. Maxwell, S. P., & Carboni, J. L. (2014). Stakeholder communication in service implementation networks: Expanding relationship management theory to the nonprofit sector through organizational network analysis. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 19(4).
2. Weber, M. S., Thomas, G. F., & Stephens, K. J. (2015). Organizational disruptions and triggers for divergent sensemaking. International Journal of Business Communication, 52(1), 68-96.
3. Tyner, R. (2011). Directors' Day. BCLA Browser: Linking the Library Landscape, 3(3).
4. Green, S. (2015). Apple. Bellwether Media.
5. Bloom Creative. (2020). The Apple Way of Connecting with Customers. Retrieved from https://bloomcreative.com/apple-connection
6. Mahajan, A., Bishop, J. W., & Scott, D. (2012). Does trust in top management mediate top management communication, employee involvement, and organizational commitment relationships? Journal of Managerial Issues.
7. Doh, S., & Kim, B. (2014). Government support for SME innovations in the regional industries: The case of government financial support program in South Korea. Research Policy, 43(9).
8. Hartmann, S., & Briskorn, D. (2010). A survey of variants and extensions of the resource-constrained project scheduling problem. European Journal of Operational Research, 207(1), 1-14.
9. Scholz, D., & Kalra, M. (2012). Key Principles for Effective Stakeholder Engagement in Project Development: The Case of Wind Energy Projects. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 2(1).
10. Eweje, G., & Brunton, M. (2010). Green strategy: A stakeholder perspective. International Business Review, 19(3), 273-289.