MIBS 11712(1): Business Communication

Lecture 8: Electronic communications

1.0 Introduction
Starting in the 1980s with the development of information and communications technologies, businesses
have increasingly come to rely on electronic channels as a primary means of communicating and of
conducting business. Such technological advances have been a tremendous boon, as businesses are now
able to transmit and store vast amounts of information cheaply and quickly. The use of electronic
communication in organizations helps in improving communications among the members of the
organization and mobile personnel by providing real time response and interactive form of
communication. Remote working is increasingly becoming an important element of effective execution
of organizational processes and employees are increasingly preferring to work from home - with the
current Covid-19 crisis - and distant locations from the workplace. At the same time, these
developments are not without risks or challenges, particularly where ethics and security are concerned.

1.1 Definition of Electronic Communication

Electronic Communication means any form of communication, not directly involving the physical
transmission of paper that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved, and reviewed by a recipient
of the  communication, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by the recipient through an
automated process (www.lawinsider.com). Different types of electronic communication include, but are
not limited to: email, social media newsgroups, chat rooms, blogs, video conferencing, instant
messaging, phone and fax.

2.0 Importance of Electronic Communication in Business

Moving from paper to electronic communications can actually help a business connect easier, while
saving time and money. They have definitely changed the way businesses communicate with each
other. Electronic communication can be very beneficial if the right tool for communication is used
effectively. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses will help businesses conduct effective electronic
communication.

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3.0 Strengths & Weaknesses of Electronic Communication tools
Knowing the proper medium to communicate your message is important to effective electronic
communication. Email is now a global means of staying in touch, passing data graphics, and
managing the flow of information needed to run a business. Businesses have shown increased
productivity and profitability by decreasing the time and money spent on correspondence. However,
email is not always the best method of communication when sending to mass numbers of people. 
Unfortunately, they also commonly display a lack of attention to exactly who has access to certain
information, and to whom such information is being transmitted. The likelihood for abuse of e-mail
and the Internet in the workplace is high. Many recipients of mass email will delete the email
without reading it. It’s also a gateway for unwanted spam and viruses. Properly managed, though,
email can become a productivity booster, a link to distant markets, and an essential communication
tool.
Finding a method for effective electronic communication that will best fit your goals: If you have a
message to communicate with many businesses, electronic newsletters are a decent alternative to
mass email. Blogs are a useful electronic communication method for marketing. Many businesses use
blogs to reach a new audience of potential customers.
Effective electronic communication has a clear message. For email, clarity begins with the subject line;
type in a meaningful subject line which directly gets to the point of your message.  The same goes for
blogging. The title of your post should tell the reader exactly what your post is about.  Breaking up what
you have to say into small paragraphs helps to keep your message clear.
One weakness of electronic communication is the lack of communication support. In a face-to-face
conversation, nonverbal communication such as tone of voice and body language help to clarify the
message you are sending.  The lack of communication support can lead to messages becoming
misinterpreted.
Another issue with electronic communication is security. Your computer can be hacked, and infected
with a computer virus. This can have an unfavourable effect on the computer system, and the network.
One more disadvantage is email privacy. An email is sent using data packets via computer networks.
These data packets pass through routers and computers, before the email reaches its destination.
Therefore, there is a chance of an individual tampering with the emails before the email reaches the
recipients.
(See Appendix for some Guidelines to Writing Effective Email, Writing for the WEB & Preparing for
Teleconference)

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3.1 Security issues in Electronic Communication
Data security is on everyone’s mind these days, and the ways that electronic communication can be
compromised seem to evolve as quickly as the technology. The following are just a few of the illicit and
illegal ways that people get their hands on electronic communications:
 Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. A computer virus is a type of malicious software program
(“malware”) that, when executed, replicates by reproducing itself (copying its own source code)
or infecting other computer programs by modifying them. A computer worm is a stand-alone
malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers. A Trojan
horse, or Trojan, is any malicious computer program that is used to hack into a computer by
misleading users about its true intent.
 Spoofing or phishing. Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames,
passwords, and credit card details (and, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons. Often the
sender of the electronic communication is disguised as a trustworthy entity.
 Denial-of-service attacks. A denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) is a cyber-attack in which the
perpetrator seeks to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by
temporarily or indefinitely disrupting the services of a host connected to the Internet.
The low cost and rapid delivery of electronic communication makes it the preferred method of
communication for both business and consumers, but there can be hidden hazards and costs. The
following are common ones:
 Electronic communications are forever. Electronic messages are permanent (this includes
communications such as email and also audio recordings such as voice mail). Even if a person
deletes the communications from his or her own server or account, there are generally other
servers that still hold this information. One way that these types of communications live in
perpetuity is when they are sent or forwarded to multiple individuals.
 Someone may be watching. In many cases, confidential information is leaked by someone else
sifting through his or her messages. The culprit may be a disgruntled employee or even a
competitor. Workstations left unattended, employees remaining logged on to networks and email
accounts when they are away from their desk, and even sharing passwords with co-workers all
make it easy for prying eyes to see information not intended to be shared.
 Innocent messages can still harm you. Civil litigation lawyers will warn you that even innocent
messages can get you in trouble if they are taken out of context. When a person writes an email
or text, he or she may have only one intent or meaning in mind. However, messages can be
misconstrued to apply to a completely different scenario.
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 Email avalanche. Managers, in particular, are vulnerable to relying on email too heavily for
communication. People use email because it’s quick and easy, and they can send the same
information to a lot of people at the same time. This can lead to information overload and
misunderstandings by recipients.
In summary, electronic communication replaces the hassle of coordinating face-to-face meetings
and productivity and provides a quick and easy way to communicate.  However, as with most
technological improvements, there are a number of ways that e-mail communication can create
potential problems in the workplace, but the positives out-weigh the negatives.

4.0 Electronic Communication Policy

Do you have an ICT Policy at Mauritius Telecom?

Organizations need to set up clear guidelines on how employees can use company platforms and how
data needs to be managed.
When it comes to essential security requirements for businesses, the electronic communications policy is
decidedly unpopular. A painstakingly detailed document is rarely read in full outside of the employee
onboarding process, and often languishes, unchecked, in the abyss of corporate paperwork.
That said, an electronic communications policy serves as the foundation for basic internet safety
guidelines, business instant messaging practices, email standards, and general corporate policy for
today's digital workplace. Without a solid policy in place, businesses open themselves up to a bevy of
security issues, potential employee mishaps, and sometimes serious legal challenges.

4.1 What does a good policy look like?

In general, an electronic communications policy needs to be comprehensive - meaning it covers all
forms of electronic communication - and well-defined.
"It's important to identify scope and purpose to help employees understand what you mean by electronic
communications, and why this policy exists," said Heidi Shey, a senior analyst with research firm
Forrester. "Does this only apply to email? What about VoIP calls, or texting, chat and messaging apps?
Without a well-thought policy, everyone makes their own assumptions about what is acceptable use, and
people may not know what they don't know about risks to the enterprise with using different forms of
electronic communications."

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It’s also important to avoid making assumptions about the reader and to use clear, concise language that
employees understand. A policy document should also provide a date for when it was last updated and a
contact person for employees to go to if they have questions or concerns.
The most comprehensive, well-defined communications policies are usually written by a team of experts
within an organization, spanning the departments of human resources, legal, audit and compliance, and
information technology.
As far as terminology goes, the common bullet points in an electronic communications policy include:
1. Guidelines on the appropriate use of email and other communication platforms
2. Retention policies
3. Proper internet usage
The policy should also contain clear language about prohibited uses of email, messaging platforms,
internet and other electronic communications, as well as consequences and disciplinary actions for
policy violations.
There are plenty of ways to be destructive with communication, whether that's leaking information
-accidentally or purposefully. At the end of the day, these policies are in place to establish the way
companies believe employees should act, or must act, given corporate culture or legal and regulatory
obligations.

5.0 The Future of Business Communications

The emergence of new technologies are revolutionizing the way we communicate both internally and
externally, but rapid advancements can make it tricky to keep up with what the future might hold.
Artificial Intelligence
Although it isn’t a new technology, the advancements made in Artificial Intelligence are front lining a
revolution in communication, particularly within business. In fact, it’s predicted that 50% of jobs could
be replaced by some form of AI in the not so distant future. Although this is worrying for employees,
from a business perspective it’s fast becoming an essential asset. Here are a few ways AI will benefit
businesses:
 Chatbots
Chatbots are an automated service that can be used to engage with customers by responding to queries
or issues and helping provide guidance on how to use a product or service. The advantage with chatbots
is that they can respond instantly to thousands of customers at once, something a human just couldn’t
do. Chatbots are already being used successfully in business, and as they used machine learning they’re
becoming more intelligent with every engagement
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 Artificial Personal Assistant
Technology such as Alexa, and now Google ‘Duplex,’ could be the future of internal communication
within business. These forms of AI are capable of making phone calls while adopting characteristics of
human speech, scheduling meetings, and organizing calendars. As it becomes increasingly intelligent,
businesses will soon be able to utilize this technology to operate all internal communications.
Gabriel Shaoolian, Founder and Executive of DesignRush, states, “Looking past these consumer
pathways, AI will radically transform how internal teams communicate and function. You can expect to
see AI integrate itself into everyday operations, creating meetings, transcribing discussions and more.”
 Hyper-Personalized Experience
Along with communicating directly with customers, AI can also make outreach strategies more efficient
as well. In a similar way to how chatbots cater their response depending on human engagement, hyper-
personalization uses Machine Learning to hit consumers with the right marketing strategies at opportune
times. For example, it would learn from your recent purchases and historical data to cater ads specific to
you. This will make businesses’ outreach communication more successful and more efficient.
 Virtual and Augmented Reality
Technology allowing people to immerse themselves and react to a virtual environment is a fascinating
concept, and when perfected will play a big role in business communication.
Heathrow Airport has introduced Virtual Reality (VR) into their services. This is a great example of how
early forms of VR are being used within business. The service allows passengers to look around the
airport from their smartphones, with the idea that they can avoid wandering aimlessly when trying to
find their terminal or a store in duty-free.
These are some of the trends experts in the digital communication industry believe will be setting the
pace for business communication in the near future. We are seeing signs of them being used today and
as they become more advanced, businesses that don’t harness new technologies could be at risk of
falling behind.

Conclusion
It is arguably evident that electronic communications facilitates the execution of organizational business
and communication strategies. Basing on this perspective, organizations can choose to adopt electronic
communication technologies and integrate it into its core business functions as a means of facilitating
both internal and external business communication. Despite the disruptive nature of the electronic
communications, that is they are subject to developments every now and then, the underlying fact is that

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business enterprises have to be abreast with the latest communication platforms in order for the business
to operate optimally in the changing business context.
Advancements in information technology have generally transformed the business environment, and
normally provide new techniques that can be used for gathering, manipulation, storage and
communication of information within the organization. A lot of business franchises and other
organizations have adopted electronic communication as a strategy for reducing the business costs and
improving business efficiency. The businesses that have already implemented electronic communication
in their business functions have proven efficient, and there is no reason whatsoever that the firm cannot
exploit the opportunity offered by these electronic communication technologies.
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Appendix
A 1: Fifteen steps for Effective Electronic Communication - Email
Haver.S(2013) proposes fifteen main steps to achieve effective electronic communications. The
author purports that getting to the point is priceless. An email is not typed as a story flooded with so
many details that the essential component/info is lost. The following fifteen steps will help one to
achieve effective electronic communications:
1. Include a specific subject line. Keep the subject clear and concise. It lets your recipients
know what the message is about before they even open it, and also helps them locate the
email easily in the future.
2. Keep your message short and sweet.  Your message will have a better chance of getting read in
a timely manner (or at all!) if it’s succinct and to the point. 
3. Make it meaningful. The number and importance of these messages may not be appreciated if
you’re sending unsolicited jokes, thoughts for the day, gossip, cartoons, etc.
4. Report the news. Anticipate the recipient’s questions and answer them within the first couple of
sentences.  Who?  When?  Where?  What?  Why?  How? 
5. Avoid creating large distribution lists  Large distribution lists allow lazy users to avoid having
to think about their intended audience.  Users get inundated with irrelevant information and tend
to ignore your future messages.
6. No exclusions., Don’t be afraid to use Reply to All when necessary(see 7. below).  If you omit
recipients on follow-up correspondence, you’re now creating bad feelings by dropping people
from the conversation.

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7. Think twice before you Reply All. However, if a message was sent to multiple people and you
only need to respond to the sender, simply Reply.  Don’t inundate everyone with information
they don’t care about by using Reply to All.
8. Go green. Avoid printing whenever possible
9. Watch your tone.  You don’t want to offend someone even if you were only joking.
10. Avoid unnecessary attachments.  If you can avoid attaching a file to the email, your recipients
will thank you for not clogging up the message.
11. Reply without the attachment.  If you’re not altering the attachment in any way,it may not be
necessary to include the attachment in the reply,else it may take up valuable file storage space.
12. Limit graphics. Every fancy graphic, signature, disclaimer, etc. is an unwelcome space
consumer in a mailbox that has limits
13. QUIT YELLING.  Avoid using all caps: it implies shouting and is more difficult to read.
14. Be mindful of Big Brother. Messages that are personal, not work-related or highly confidential
should not be exchanged using company resources.
15. And, lastly, use your common sense!  Proceed with caution.  Hasty replies can be dangerous! 
You can’t “undo” once you send.

Following these steps can make you a highly effective electronic communicator, becoming more
productive at work and making people pay more attention to what you say and how you say it!
Adapted from Haver.S,(2013),4C Technologies

A 2: Reducing your emailing time

 Establish a response time. The rule of thumb in business is to respond to emails by the end of
the same day. If it’s really urgent, use the telephone instead.
 Send less, get less.
 Escape the endless reply loop. If you wish to reassure someone that no reply is necessary,
finish a reply with “no reply needed”, or a request with “Thanks in advance”
 Think twice about “cc” box. Your message backlog may become unmanageable
 Don’t check your email constantly. Check it at regular intervals.
 Be disciplined about your email management. Aim to handle each message just once. It it’s
unimportant or irrelevant, hit the delete key.
 If a message is something you’ll need to respond to, decide whether to do it now or later.

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 Once you have responded, move the message out of your inbox and into an archive folder.

A 3: How to send a better Email?

Pick the subject line of the email carefully: make

it informative and brief so the recipient can
easily find and act on it

Now write the main body of the email, using

correct grammar, punctuation, and capitalisation

Avoid abbreviations and cyberjargon: most

business professionals dislike them. WIDLTO
(When in doubt, leave them out)

Be careful with criticism: be sure to provide

enough context and background to avoid a
misunderstanding

Keep it short. If you need more than three

paragraphs, phone instead or send the material as
an attachment

Use a signature to conclude your email, but keep

it simple: don’t be tempted to add humorous or
“inspiring” quotes

Before you send the emails, check your

attachments. Send only those that your recipient
needs or wants to see.

Avoiding the pitfalls

 Before sending any email, always check the “To” field before you click “Send”
 Make sure you’re sending this message to the address you intend.
 Double-check to make absolutely certain you haven’t clicked “Reply All”.
 Make sure your computer – and your company’s email server – are set to the correct time and
date.

A 4: Writing for the WEB

The way that people read a website is very different to the way in which they read other written
information. It is not sufficient to simply repurpose content written for print; you need to write
specifically for the internet, thinking carefully about your audience and what they need.

Engaging your readers

Why is writing for the internet different? First, people rarely read websites word-for-word. Instead
they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences.

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Guide your reader by highlighting the most important or useful points in your document using
headings, lists, and eye-catching typography.
Web readers generally do not read pages in sequence. Instead, they jump around on a website
looking for content that interests them, navigating back and forth across pages, ideas, and words.
When your content lends itself to such treatment, use lists rather than paragraphs.

Preparing content for the web

 Avoid fragmentation. Ensure that each segment is sensibly organised, coherent, and easy to
scan.
 Think about length. Limit the length of each paragraph and each page to about half of what
you might consider for a printed page.
 Use Summaries. Include brief but comprehensive summarises of longer documents.
 Ensure Easy Access. Your principal goal should be to provide access to the information
people are most likely to want. Provide easy-to-follow clues.
 Prepare for Print. Make it easy for your readers to find, print, and save information.

A 5: Running a Teleconference

Recent improvements in both the cost and quality of teleconferencing equipment have made the
prospect of connecting people with audio and video technology over vast distances seem increasingly
attractive. It is vital to plan carefully, however, to avoid technical hitches and make the experience
rewarding and successful for those involved.

Preparing for a teleconference

Running a successful and productive teleconference depends largely on the time you spend planning
and preparing for it. If you’re in charge, it is up to you to make sure that the setting has everything
you need. Try to meet the support technician, and learn what your physical responsibilities will
involve.

Appearing well

On the day, dress conservatively: avoid busy patterns, thin stripes, and small prints and draw
attention. Act always as if people are watching you, and refrain from mannerisms.
Sit up straight, pay attention, and project a professional image. Do your best to look at the camera
lens when you are speaking.

Sounding good

Once you’re in the room, avoid idle talk or being unguarded – assume that someone may be watching
and listening. Speak a bit more slowly than usual, to ensure that everyone understands you.
Don’t read a speech or a prepared statement, but keep summarising key issues as you move along

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How to plan a teleconference?

Identify the purpose of the teleconference: explain
to people what they will be doing and why.

Visit the facility in advance and try to identify any

aspects of the location or equipment that affect how
you need to plan of the teleconference

Identify a chairperson who will be responsible for

starting, stopping and running the teleconference

Plan the agenda, don’t just try to “wing it” as you

go along. Place easily accomplished items first on
the list.

Distribute the agenda so other people know what

will be discussed and will have come to gather
necessary information.

Schedule the teleconference for a time and date that

suits everyone.

Confirm the teleconference with all the participants

and send a reminder just before it is due to take
place.

Share important resources in advance, send through

any materials that are important for everyone to
see.

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