Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY

BTEC HND DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS (MANAGEMENT & HUMAN RESOURCES)
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET 2014/2015
UNIT TITLE &
CODE
STUDENT NAME
ASSESSOR
ASSESSMENT

F/601/0650
Unit 16 : Managing Communications,
Knowledge and Information

CREDITS

15

Nasiq Ahamed Munafdeen

STUDENT ID

CT/HNDBM/60/21

Mrs. Inoka Gunarathne

Report + Presentation + classroom
activities

IV by

Mr. R.A.R.G. Ranaweera

Word Count

Report 3000 words

ASSIGNMENT
ISSUE DATE

ASSIGNMENT
SUBMISSION
DATE
ASSIGNMENT
RESUBMISSION
DATE

26th March, 2015

ASSIGNMENT
DISCUSSION
DATE(s)
FINAL GRADE

LEVEL

ORIGINAL SUBMISSION

RESUBMISSION

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA TO BE ASSESSED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT

(Identify all criteria to be assessed in this assignment)

AUTHENCITY STATEMENT
I certify that the attached material is my original work. No other persons work or ideas have been used without
acknowledgement. Except where I have clearly stated that I have used some of this material elsewhere, I have not presented
it for examination / assessment in any other course or unit at this or any other institution

SIGNATURE: ..

DATE:..

This assessment brief has been internally verified for use.

Feedback issued to the student

Date of Issue:

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

ILO

Description

D1

Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and have been justified

D2

Take responsibility for managing and organizing activities (substantial activities, projects or
investigations have been planned, managed and organized. The depth of the discussion is
appropriate at this level in all tasks)

D3

Demonstrate convergent/lateral/ creative thinking (ideas have been generated and decisions
taken in relation to given scenario)

M1

An effective approach to study and research has been applied in all tasks

M2
M3
LO 1.1

Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques

Present and communicate appropriate findings

LO 1.2

Examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking

LO 1.3

Assess internal and external sources of information and understanding

LO 1.4

Justify recommendations for improvement

LO 2.1

Identify stakeholders for a decision-making process

LO 2.2

Make contact with those identified and develop business relationships

LO 2.3
LO 2.4

Involve those identified in the decision making as appropriate

Design strategies for improvement

LO 3.1

Report on existing processes of communication in an organisation

LO 3.2

Design ways to improve appropriateness

Implement improvements to ensure greater integration of systems of communication
in that organisation

LO 3.3
LO 3.4
LO 4.1
LO 4.2
LO 4.3

Discuss the range of decisions to be taken

Create a personal plan to improve own communication skills

Report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and
dissemination of information and knowledge
Carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and
Dissemination of information and knowledge
Implement a strategy to improve access to systems of information and knowledge.

Assessors Name
Signature
Grade

Mrs. Inoka Gunarathne

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

UNIT AIMS & OBJECTIVES

The aim of this unit is to show how communications, knowledge and information can be
improved within an organization including making better use of IT systems.
Objectives of this unit are to give the learner the necessary ability to;

Understand how to assess information and knowledge needs

Be able to create strategies to increase personal networking to widen involvement in

the decision-making process

Be able to develop communication processes

Be able to improve systems relating to information and knowledge

ASSIGNMENT BRIEF

Task 01 Report (3000 words)

Suppose that you have been selected as a Management Trainee in a bank or any other
financial institution of your choice, after successfully completing your Edexcel HND in
Business. Prepare a report on understanding how to assess information and knowledge
needs not exceeding 3000 words and submit it for grading.

Discuss the range of decisions to be taken in the selected organization (1.1)

Examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking
(1.2)

Assess internal and external sources of information and understanding (1.3)

Justify recommendations for improvement (1.4)

Report on existing processes of communication in your organization & Design ways

to improve appropriateness (3.1, 3.2)

Report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination

of information and knowledge (4.1)

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Task 02: Presentation

Prepare the power point presentation on Business Networking, not exceeding 7
minutes by addressing on following aspects. Attach your presentation slides to the report.

Identify stakeholders of the selected business and the significance of making

network with them by using Stakeholder Analysis (2.1)

Identify the ways to make contact with those stakeholders and develop business
relationships (2.2)

Identify the ways to get the involvement of those stakeholders in the decision
making as appropriate (2.3)

Design strategies to improve the business network of the organization (2.4)

Task 03 Classroom Activities

Discuss how would you implement improvements to ensure greater integration of

systems of communication in an organization (3.3)

Create a personal plan to improve your own communication skills (3.4)

Carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and
dissemination of information and knowledge (4.2)

Discuss how to implement a strategy to improve access to systems of information

and knowledge (4.3)

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

REPORT FORMATTING GUIDELINES

Report Structure
Title page

Acknowledgements

Table of contents

Executive summary

Introduction

Presentation of information

Conclusion

Recommendations

Reference list

Appendices

Rules of Formatting

All reports must be typewritten on A4 size white paper. Do not include watermarks

Font and size : point 12, font Times new roman/Arial

Keep a margin of 1.25 inches on the left-hand side and 1 inch on all other sides. Maintain
a uniform margin on the right hand side of the paper.

Spacing: one and half spaces must be maintained, between every two lines

Reports must be error free. The entire report must be carefully checked for grammar and
syntax and spelling mistakes before submission. The use of English (United Kingdom)
and spelling is recommended

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Name - Nasiq Ahamed Munafdeen

ID No. - CT/HNDBM/60/21
Name of the Lecturer - Mrs. Inoka Gunarathne
Subject - Managing Communications, Knowledge and
Information

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Acknowledgement
I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who supported me to
complete this assignment. I am thankful for their aspiring guidance, invaluably
constructive criticism and friendly advice during the project work. I am sincerely grateful
to them for sharing their truthful and illuminating views on a number of issues related to
the project.
In addition I would like to thank my lecturer Mrs. Inoka Gunarathne, ICBT for giving me
a good guideline for assignment throughout numerous consultations.
And at last I would like to thank my family members and all other people helped me to
complete my assignment.

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Executive Summary
The purpose of this report was to have a clear understanding on how communications,
knowledge and information can be improved within an organization including making
better use of IT systems. Commercial Bank that operates in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
was selected to support the arguments in the report.
This report identifies the organizational hierarchy and different levels of management in
Commercial Bank. It further discusses on a decision taken by the strategic level to
maximize access and opportunity to all customers which was then backed up by the
tactical and operational level decisions. Furthermore, the information (quantitative and
qualitative) both internal and external and knowledge (tacit and explicit) required to make
effective decisions was discussed. Giving a critical evaluation to the assessed information
and knowledge further recommendation and suggestion was discussed for improvements.
The report also discusses the existing methods used to collect, format and store
information and knowledge. Commercial Bank is mainly using computerized systems
such as the MIS system in order to store and format information, where it further uses
manual systems to some extent in order to collect information about their Customers and
their employees. Giving a critical evaluation to the existing process used by Commercial
Bank this report further discusses on how improvements can be done in order to upgrade
its process.

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................1
1. Management Decision-Making.................................................................................2
1.1

Levels of management and decisions taken by each level.................................2

2. Information and Knowledge needed to make above decisions.................................4

2.1 Strategic Level........................................................................................................4
2.2 Tactical Level..........................................................................................................5
2.3 Operational Level....................................................................................................5
3. Improvements that can be made when using information and knowledge...............6
4. The existing process of communication in Commercial Bank.................................7
4.1 Communication Structure of Commercial Bank.....................................................9
5. The existing methods used by Commercial Bank to collect, format, store and
disseminate information and knowledge....................................................................10
Conclusion..................................................................................................................13
References...................................................................................................................14

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Tables and Figures

Table 1- Communication structure of Commercial Bank....................................................9
Figure 1-Levels of Management (BBC, 2014).....................................................................2
Figure 2- Levels of decision making in an organization (Montana & Charnov, 2008).......3
Figure 3- The Communication Process (mybusinessprocess 2012).....................................7
Figure 4- Application to open savings account (Combank 2015)......................................11

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Introduction
Business communication is the process of sharing of transmissions between the three
levels of managements for the commercial benefits of the organization.
This report is based on Commercial Bank of Sri Lanka which is established to provide
financial support to people. The current chairman of Commercial bank is Mr. K G. D. D.
Dheerasinghe. This report discuss about how the three level management (strategic,
tactical and operational) of Commercial bank by carrying out communication effectively
and transfer of information and knowledge within the line of management.
For the business to function properly and to carry out its services it is important to have a
proper communication network. As the organization is in financial sector, they must
provide the management and people to access information without any interruption. For
this Commercial bank uses latest technical communication method such as internet
(http://www.combank.net/newweb/) to make it Convenient for them to carry out their
communication without any interruption.
Our Vision
"To be the most technologically advanced, innovative and customer friendly financial
services organization in Sri Lanka, poised for further expansion in South Asia"
(Combank 2015)
Our Mission
"Providing reliable, innovative, customer friendly financial services, utilizing cutting
edge technology and focusing continuously on productivity improvement whilst
developing our staff and acquiring necessary expertise to expand locally and regionally"
(Combank 2015)

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

1. Management Decision-Making

Figure 1-Levels of Management (BBC, 2014)

1.1 Levels of management and decisions taken by each level
Strategic level management decision making
Strategic decisions are those that determine the goals of the entire business organization,
its purpose and direction. These strategic decision-making function is largely the task of
top management. Top management has the big picture of all the elements of a complex
business enterprise, and it must be able to integrate all aspects of a business into a
coherent whole. The decisions made at this level also determine how the business will
relate to external environments. Because strategic Policies affect the entire business, they
can best and must be made at the highest level with in an organization. These policies and
goals are not very specific because they must be applied to all levels and departments in a
company. Strategic decisions are usually non-programmed in nature.
(Montana & Charnov, 2008)
The general decision taken by Commercial bank to enter Bangladesh was an example of
strategic decision.
Tactical level management decision making
Tactical decisions are those made on a lower level than the previously discussed strategic
decisions. They are usually made by midlevel management, such as divisional or
department managers. These decisions concern the development of tactics to accomplish
the strategic goal defined by top management. Although top managements strategic
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Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

decisions are nonspecific because they are applied to all departments within the
organization, tactical decisions express corporate goals in a specific departmental manner.
Tactical decisions are therefore more specific and concrete than strategic decisions and
more action oriented.
(Montana & Charnov, 2008)
The decision taken by commercial bank to introduce a specific type of loan in personal
loan category is an example of tactical decision.
Operational level management decision making
Operational decisions are made on the lowest or supervisory level within the company
and concern the course of daily operations. These decisions determine the manner in
which operations are conducted-operations designed to accomplish the tactical decisions
made by mid-management. These decisions concern the most effective and efficient way
to accomplish the goals stated on the operational (day-to-day) level.
(Montana & Charnov, 2008)
The decision taken by commercial bank in transaction processing, supervising, etc., are
examples of operational decision.
Figure 2 shows levels of decision making shown for each part of the organization.

Figure 2- Levels of decision making in an organization (Montana & Charnov, 2008)

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

2. Information and Knowledge needed to make above decisions

Once data is been converted it becomes information. Information can be arranged in a
way that people can understand and use. Information is often vital for any business when
making decisions effectively and can be obtained either internally or externally. Internal
information is a substantial amount of information and knowledge relating to the
organization, whereas external information is information obtained from outside the
business. And information can be divided as quantitative and qualitative information as
well. Quantitative information consists of measureable information whereas qualitative
information consists of facts, opinions, preferences and perceptions. Knowledge is the
ideas or understandings which an entity possesses that are used to take effective action to
achieve the organizational goals. Knowledge can be of two types, they are tacit and
explicit knowledge in which Commercial bank can use to make decisions. Below discuss
how information and knowledge is used in making decisions.
2.1 Strategic Level
Loan interest rates and saving account interest rates are major components which
determines the possibility for the customers to access in loan or saving accounts.
Therefore, the decision to maximize access for more customers to invest in
Commercial bank is mostly influenced by the interest rates of loans and saving
accounts. Therefore, the strategic level management needs to consider on the
interest rates in comparison to its competitors such as The Sampath Bank.
Information can be obtained through external sources such as competitors
financial reports and website. Furthermore, internal sources such as the company
cash flow and Customer records can be used to assess interest rates. And above
competitors financial reports, company cash flow and customer records are
quantitative information whereas competitors website is a qualitative information.
The ability of Commercial bank to invest on infrastructure, improvement in
quality new innovations will be influenced by the organizations financial
strength. In order to measure its financial position the company can use some
internal sources such as financial information on profits, costs, margins, cash
flows and investments. And above financial information on profits, costs, margins,
cash flows and investments are quantitative information.

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

The knowledge used will be more of explicit knowledge at this level as the ideas and
views shared are verbalized knowledge and this knowledge is more of formal and
standardized.
Furthermore, this knowledge can be re-usable in a consistent and repeated manner.
2.2 Tactical Level
Information needs to be obtained on customers and employees so it enables to
review and update on customer data base and training programs which can be
obtained through research where the management can use questionnaires to get
the feedback. Moreover, industry requirements can be identified through external
sources such as statically information, research reports, journals and articles. And
statically information is a quantitative information whereas research reports,
journals, articles and questionnaires are qualitative information.
Information on customer progress is required in order to identify the customer
data base progress, this will help the tactical level management to design the
training programs and other relevant activities. These information can be obtained
internally through customer data base and it is a quantitative information.
The knowledge required is tacit as it simply discusses on the decisions made by the top
management and its just an implementation that has to be done by the tactical level
management. Therefore, the best possible decisions comes out through experience.
2.3 Operational Level
Operational level management would often require information about employee
performance, customer satisfaction which can be obtained internally from the
research reports done with in the bank and research report is a qualitative
information.
Details on resource allocation within the organization will be considered by the
operational level where the information is obtained from human resource
department which is an internal source of information.

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

The knowledge they mostly would use is the tacit knowledge. This is mainly because
employees at this level such managers and employee has little or no authority to make
their own decisions and needs to do what is said by the tactical level management.

3. Improvements that can be made when using information and

knowledge
Even though different levels of management of Commercial bank uses various
information and knowledge in decision making. Further improvements can be done to
make the most suitable and accurate decision. Improvements can be done in various ways
as follows:
Rather than keeping the knowledge within the strategic level management it can
be transferred to both tactical and operational level management so that both
tactical and operational level management can contribute with their suggestions,
which will overall improve their efficiency and motivation levels, thus
contributing in making effective decisions.
Keeping suggestion box at the work place or adding quarterly meeting with all
employees to give them equal opportunity to ask questions, present concerns and
make suggestions.
It is very important to have in-depth knowledge about the reputed other banks
when expanding the business to maximize access. The organization can conduct a
survey or research on the reputed banks with the help of employees or a
professional firm. These quality information will be very helpful for the
organization in decision making on how to expand the business, in guiding the
employees to make developments in the quality of their work, what facilities
should be provided to attract more customers and what are the training to be given
to administrative staffs by considering the current situation of the organization.
Another possible way that Commercial bank can use to improve its flow of
information at each level of the hierarchy is by reducing its levels; this will ensure
message passes to every level much quickly, easily and accurately allowing
connectivity to build up at each level of the hierarchy. However, organization have
to make sure that all the employees knows how the organization will act on their
suggestions and information gathered through research or survey.
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Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

4. The existing process of communication in Commercial Bank

The main aim of communication is to convey information more effectively that will be
understood by the receiver. The ideas and the concerns of the sender will be developed as
a message and then it will be transmitted through the communication media and finally
the receiver gets the message sent by the sender.

Figure 3- The Communication Process (mybusinessprocess 2012)

Context- Communication is influenced by the situation in which it happens and this
may be chronological, cultural, social or physical. Hence, any communication
continues depending on the situation or context and the sender of the message selects
it in reference with the context.
(Dilip Chandra 2014)
Sender / Encoder: The sender or the encoder is an individual who conveys the
message and to do this he uses certain symbols or signs (visual aids or graphic or
words) in order to send the message and to receive the needed response. For example,
a training manager who is training new employees. The sender may be a person or he
may belong to a group or to an organization. The impact of the message depends
highly on the views, approach, skills and competencies, background and the
experience or knowledge which the sender has. The verbal and non-verbal symbols
that he has chosen are important for understanding the message fully by the recipient
in the same manner as the sender anticipated.
(Dilip Chandra 2014)
Message: The message is the main idea which the sender wants to convey and is a
sign that brings forth the recipients reply. The process of communication starts about

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

the subject matter of the message to be communicated and therefore, the main goal of
the message must be comprehensible.
(Dilip Chandra 2014)
Medium: Medium is a method that is utilized for transmitting or exchanging the
message. Hence, it is important that the sender must select a proper medium for
conveying the message or else it may be misinterpreted or not conveyed properly to
the recipients. For this reason, it is important to appropriately select the medium in
order to convey the message efficiently and the recipient to be able to interpret it
correctly. The mode and choice of communication differs and is dependent on its
features. For example, when the message has to be conveyed to a tiny group of
persons the written medium is selected, whereas when an instant feedback is needed
from the recipient a vocal medium is selected to avoid any future misunderstandings.
(Dilip Chandra 2014)
Recipient / Decoder: It is a person or a group for whom the message is meant or
intended or expected to be conveyed. The extent in which the recipient understands
the message depends upon many factors like the recipients knowledge, their reply to
the message and the dependence of the decoder.
(Dilip Chandra 2014)
Feedback: It is the main element of communication as it gives permission to the
sender to evaluate the effectiveness of the message. This aids the sender in being able
to approve the proper understanding by the decoder. The feedback received may be
either verbal/oral or non-verbal (in the way of gestures, sighs, smiles or facial
expressions etc.). It may also be through written form using reports, memos, notes,
emails etc.
(Dilip Chandra 2014)

Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

4.1 Communication Structure of Commercial Bank

Table 1- Communication structure of Commercial Bank
Participants

Direction

Contents

Communication
medium used

Human Resource

Two Way

Staff details and

Email,

Manager - Deputy

employee

Teleconference, letters

General Manager
Front office

development needs

and Fax

Two Way

employees
-Customers
Chief Executive

Face to face, Email

customer complains

and Printed statements

Strategic level

Formal Letters, Email,

Officer Chief

decisions and future

Fax and reports

Operating Officer
Human Resources

organizational goals

Manager -

Two Way

Savings details and

Two Way

Payroll, events, and

Memos, Face to face,

promotions

Email and Notice

Employees

Board

Communication structure shows the process how the individual communicate with
one another in Commercial Bank and the content of the communication. The direction
has been stated whether its a two way communication or one ways communication.
Furthermore, the structure highlights the mediums used in order to transfer messages
effectively among different managerial levels.
For instance in the above structure communication that takes place between the
Human Resource Manager and the Deputy General Manager is considered as a two
way communication where information and message passes through effectively
between the tactical level managers and they further use different mediums such as
emails, fax, teleconferences and letters in order to communicate. The same process
applies to the other managerial level but with different messages and mediums used.
Use of current technology to communicate each other enables communication to
become much more effective. However, lack of technology or technological
knowledge within the organization can break down or make the communication
process ineffective. The limitation of the use of new technology in certain
departments will not allow for relationships to build up. For an example, while
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Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

communicating through mail the two participants must be aware of the technological
issues which may occur which can delay the message that is required to be send
therefore in such cases they can use fax and send letters in printed manner. Further
letters, emails, and memos doesnt express any further clarification and emotions as in
face to face and verbal communication methods. Therefore, the message passed could
be ineffective where it also can be ignored. In this case Commercial Bank can arrange
conference calls, group meetings or assemblies in order to communicate with the
relevant parties.

5. The existing methods used by Commercial Bank to collect, format,

store and disseminate information and knowledge
The Commercial Bank is mainly using computerized system to store the information,
even though they uses manual system in some extent. The organization use a specific
software to store information about the customers and employees namely Management
information system.
Collection of customer information begins with the enrolment form which provides all the
basic information about the customer. However, during transaction the information such
as applying for a loan is collected manually through a form. Moreover, the transactions
such as updating the savings accounts is done using the computerized system.
Information about the employees are collected from their CVs. After selecting an
employee, all the required information is being installed to a system which allows to
record all the moments of in and out by using the finger prints. This will help to identify
the overtime that a particular employee has worked which allows to calculate the payroll
easily.

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Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Figure 4- Application to open savings account (Combank 2015)

It is the responsibility of the information technology department to separately, maintain
information about the customers and employees and protecting these information by
allowing access to authorized people only. After storing these information in a computer
system, these documents must be kept safe without discarding them. Later it can be used
as evidence if any complain comes from customers or employees regarding this
information.
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Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

These information are very useful for the organization to take decisions. Discussions are
held in board meetings and employees meetings. If the organization need major changes,
its always discussed in annual general meeting (AGM).
The information about the organization, policies and procedures related to savings
accounts

or

about

loans

will

be

published

in

Commercial

Bank

website

(http://www.combank.net).

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Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

Conclusion
In conclusion organizational structure is important for the organization which states the
line of authority to the individuals in the organization. The decision making in
Commercial Bank is done by the levels of management such as strategic, tactical and
operational levels. Information and knowledge are required for the organization to make
decisions. And the information and knowledge can be derived internally or externally.
Furthermore, the information can be divide into quantitative and qualitative. And
knowledge can be divide into tacit and explicit. These information and knowledge
required to make decisions differs when making decisions in different managerial levels
of the organization.
Commercial Bank is using the computerized system to collect and store data where the
system is more accurate and quick. The internal or external information collected can be
stored in a system in an appropriate way. The communication structure further explains
the process and the technologies used within the individuals in the organization and still
the Commercial Bank can improve the existing process and the technologies used in
certain circumstances.

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Higher National Diploma in Business (Management & HRM)

References
BBC

(2014)

Decision-making

in

business

[Online]

Available

from:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/business_management/business_enterprise/decision
_making_business/revision/1/ [Accessed: 26 April 2015]
Combank

(2015)

Commercial

Bank.

[Online]

Available

from:

http://www.combank.net/newweb/ [Accessed: 26 April 2015]

Dilip Chandra (2013) Components of communication process. [Online] Available from:
http://dilipchandra12.hubpages.com/hub/Components-of-Communication-Process
[Accessed: 3 May 2015]
Montana P.J & Charnov B.H (2008) Management. 4th ed. Wireless Blvd HauppaugeBarron.
Mybusinessprocess (2014) The communication process. [Online] Available from:
http://www.mybusinessprocess.net/the-communication-process/ [Accessed: 2 May 2015]

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