Introduction:

Business communication is a type of communication that promotes a product, service, or

organization. We can also define business communication as a process of transmitting information

and thoughts between various parts of an organization and also to people outside organization. As

we are living in a technological era the style of business communication has changed a lot. In early

days communication only was limited to paper works and telephone call. But in present the

scenario has changed a lot. Now we use cell phones, video conferencing, emails, satellite for

communication. Business communication plays an important role to the success of the business.

But to establish better communication system an organization needs new technology, effective

communication system, skilled people etc.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review about “Business Communication Process of

“UCBL.” in globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case

studies.

Scope of the report:

There are many scopes to do further research on this topics. Because there are many key factors

on which we can do research. We completed our work with great comfort as the employees of

UCBL were very much cooperative. They spent their valuable time with us during interview. Even

they ensured us to help in future on this topic.

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Methodology

Our research paper is based on both primary and secondary findings.

Primary research:

As for primary Research, We have taken personal interview of twenty employees of UCBL and

we have also prepared fifteen survey question related to research.

Secondary research:

For Secondary Research, We gather information from the company’s website about their external

communication approach, company’s communication sources. We have also gone through

different types of articles, journals to gather information about effective communication process,

business communication , poor communication etc.

Limitations

Time constraints, information barriers and other such boundaries might act as limitations while

conducting the research. Also, the sample size of 20 respondents may not be as effective in

reflecting the actual scenario and may have distorted the findings.

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Organization overview:

UCBL started it’s operation as a commercial bank in mid of 1983 and has been able to establish

one of the largest networks of 125 branches among the first generation banks in the private sector.

With it’s firm commitment to the economic development of the country , the bank has already

made a distinct mark in the realm of private sector banking through personalized services ,

innovation ,practices and efficient management. . United Commercial Bank Limited provides

various commercial banking services in Bangladesh. It’s deposit products include comprising

current deposit, savings deposit, foreign currency deposit, non-resident foreign and resident

foreign currency deposit, special notice deposit, and fixed deposits accounts . It also provides

transport, hire purchase, house building, auto, doctors, marriage, education, hospitalization, travel,

home mortgage, and household durable loans; consumer credit schemes; underwriting and bridge

financing services; and money transfer, SMS banking, online, debit and credit cards etc. Now a

days UCBL has A special offer known as ucash and green banking for it’s customer . UCash is the

brand name of the mobile financial services offered by UCBL.

Mission :

UCBL will be the preferred provider of targeted financial service in our communities based on

strong customer relationships. They will strengthen these relationships by providing the right

solutions that combine our technology, expertise and financial strength. Their goal is to create

customer loyalty, shareholder value and employee satisfaction.

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Vision:

UCBL is committed to provide the best financial service in banking sector. They are determined

to lead by example within the markets in which they operate. As well as contributing to economic

growth through their core business activities, they want to help protect the environment and to

have a broader positive impact on the societies in which they live and work. And as they engage

as a partner with governments and communities in addressing these wider challenges, they are

learning more about how the issues interact with each other and they core business objectives.

Products & Services:

UCBL provides all general banking services to its clients through its 110 branches all over the

country. Savings and current accounts, transfer of money, Western Union Money Transfer are

some of the services UCBL presents.

Deposit schemes , loan and credit services, remittance services, stock brokerage service,

innovative services, saturday banking, green banking, ucash etc.

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Performance of last 6 months:

United Commercial Bank declared it’s earning in the first six months of the present calendar year.

Company had made a profit of BDT 2.80 billion against BDT 2.26 billion for the corresponding

period of previous year 2010.

It can be confidently said that UCBL being established in 1983 had travelled a long way. The path

all along was not so smooth. Still it didn’t stop, rather took the challenges and ultimately made a

remarkable progress for the nation and for itself.

Tools of Business Communication

Below are some widely used business communication tools by the employees of bKash Limited:

➢ Email: It is the most prolific of all business communication tools used in UCB Limited.

Employees use email to communicate valuable information with one another. Managers and

executives use email to communicate with reports or with higher leadership. Because email

has such a wide audience, employees of UCB Limited use this tool to keep in touch with

clients, provide and receive feedback, solicit new customers and offer a venue for customers

to contact liaison or executives at any time of day.

➢ Telephone: For business and professional use, the telephone is an effective oral

communication tool and

One of the most important channels of communication. Often a telephone conversation can

Take the place of two written messages or a face-to-face interview. In most of the cases

Communication through telephone is comparatively less time taking and more economical.

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➢ Mobile Phone: It is a tool used in business communication of UCB Limited as it allows all

company personnel to remain in contact with each other at all times, whether in or out of the

office. It connects various members of the business on all levels, allowing them to always be

focused, reachable, organized, and up-to-date on business operations. Moreover, mobile

phones enable them to be in contact with executives and clients across the globe.

➢ Memorandum: Business memos are mostly used by employees of UCB Limited in case of

action requests. Sometimes management distributes memos among the employees to remind

them about a task that they must have to complete. Company announcements e.g.

announcements about new benefit programs, information concerning acquisition of a new

client etc. are also made through memos. In addition to that, when management changes a

company policy that affects all employees in the organization, memorandum becomes handy

to disseminate the information.

➢ Report: Business reports are used throughout the year. They are written for the employees of

UCB Limited to keep them abreast of the company’s goals and achievements. Sometimes

reports present problems to the employees along with possible solutions to help them correct

the problems. Reports are also written for specific purposes e.g. to present financial statements

or setting up marketing strategies.

➢ Video Conferencing: This tool is used in discussions and meetings involving individuals

sitting in different locations. Because of this, decisions can be made quicker and experts can

also be involved to improve the topic at hand.

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➢ Business Letters: Business letters are used in a minimal as the company has taken initiative

named “Going Paperless” in order to achieve environmental sustainability. Despite this fact in

some they use business letters including inquiry letter, acknowledgement letter, and adjustment

letters, refusal letter etc.

Hypothesis:

Our hypothesis is that efficient business communication system has positive impact on employee’s

performance. Communication skill, employee’s satisfaction level, strong teamwork, technological

advancement, positive work environment and problem solving skill all these factors are key

components of efficient business communication system .If these components exist in a business

communication system , these factors will help to improve employee’s performance.

Literature review:

Communication is the root of all events, daily interaction, social affairs and anything that requires

the purpose of human dealings. As communication is the basis of our lives, People will become

handicapped without it. By definition communication is a two-way process of reaching mutual

understanding, in which participants not only exchange information, news, ideas and feelings but

also create and share meaning .It is a continuous process, in which the sender or the encoder

conveys verbal or non-verbal messages through some medium to the recipient or to the decoder.

According to Peter R. Monge (Annenberg School for Communication & Marshall School of

Business, University of Southern California), communication is a process of transmitting and

receiving verbal and non-verbal messages. With the help of technology communication can occur

7
across vast distances in time and space. To communicate, people must consider the purpose of the

messages they wish to convey, the audience (whether readers or listeners) they are addressing and

the manner in which they give the messages. Their messages may be simple or complex, or they

may be formal or informal. Their audience may be above, below, or equal to them in their

organization’s hierarchy. And their message may be verbal or nonverbal (Wolford C. L.

&Vanneman G., 1992, p-6). In an organization communication plays vital role in employer-

employee relationship. People communicate to satisfy an interpersonal need, which, in turn,

influences their communication choices and behaviors (Rubin, 1979, 1981; Rubin & Rubin, 1992).

Therefore communication in any organization has great importance as it expresses objectives,

necessities, emotions etc

Communication process:

Communication is a continuous process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. Pre-

requisite of communication is a message. This message must be conveyed through some medium

to the recipient. It is essential that this message must be understood by the recipient in same terms

as intended by the sender. He must respond within a time frame. Thus, communication is a two

way process and is incomplete without a feedback from the recipient to the sender on how well

the message is understood by him.

The process of communication consists of several components. These components are inter-related

to form the model of communication.

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Context: Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place. This context may be

physical, social, chronological or cultural. Every communication proceeds with context. The

sender chooses the message to communicate within a context.

Sender :

A sender is the person who send message to the receiver. A sender makes use of symbols such as

words, graphic or visual aids to convey the message and produce the required response. Sender

may be an individual or a group or an organization.

Message:

Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response

of recipient. It must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear. While writing the

message, encoder should keep in mind all aspects of context and receiver .

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Medium:

Medium is a means used to transmit the message. The choice of appropriate medium of

communication is essential for making the message effective and correctly interpreted by the

recipient. This choice of communication medium depends on the features of communication.

Receiver:

The person to whom the message is being sent is called receiver. Receiver may be a listener or a

reader depending on the choice of medium by sender to transmit the message. There is a chance

of miscommunication if the receiver fails to interpret the message.

Feedback:

Feedback is the main component of communication process as it permits the sender to analyze the

efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by

the decoder. Feedback may be verbal or non-verbal.

Business communication:

Business communication is a type of communication used for the purposes of a business. . The

term business communication refers to both internal and external communication, meaning

communication within a business and communication between a business and the public with the

aim of promoting product, service or idea.

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Types of communication:

There are two types of business communication ,internal and external communication.(Wolford

C. L. &Vanneman G., 1992, p-3).

Organizations are growing bigger day by day. Without communication the four basic functions of

management (planning, organizing, staffing, controlling) is impossible. So constant flows of

information is must within the organization. The smooth transfer of information between different

departments can help to perform daily work properly and with in time. Without a smooth

communication network, information and request for action can be lost or delayed. As a result, the

company will miss deadlines, and revenue will also be lost due to delayed operational activities.

On the other hand the constant interaction between employees and their supervisors on day-to-day

11
issues can avoid misunderstanding and will create a friendly atmosphere. This will help employees

to achieve their goal in time. Employees will be more motivated toward their work. Therefore both

the organization and the employees will be benefitted.

Effective communication:

In the age of information, we send, receive and process huge number message in our daily life.

Effective communication is not only exchanging information but also understanding the emotion

behind the information Effective communication has become one of the vital factors for the

growth and success of today’s business. Therefore, businesses want people with good

communication skills. An effective communication system is necessary for achieving goals in

time, solving organizational problem, strong teamwork, faster decision making, and workplace

conflict resolution issues. All these factors directly or indirectly impact employee performance. .

An effective communication must have certain qualities which are completeness, conciseness,

consideration, correctness, courtesy, clarity, concreteness (Khan F., Khan M. E., 2012, p-46).

Effective communication skills:

Having effective communication skills is really important in every walk of life. Effective

communication skills can help people to overcome the basic complexities that they may face in

certain tasks of life.

There are several effective communication skills which are given below:

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 • Listening

• Observing

• Nonverbal communication

• Managing risk
• Emotional awareness

P
• Positive thinking

1) Listening: No one likes to talk to a person who just goes on and on without ever listening to

others. One also needs to be a good listener. This is one factor that is often overlooked by most

people. It is important to be a good listener in order to understand what the other person is saying,

and reply accordingly.

2) Nonverbal Communication:

Developing the ability to understand and use nonverbal communication can help employees to

connect with others, express, navigate challenging situations and build better relationships at work.

Not everything people convey to another is done verbally, where their actions and expressions

speak for others on several occasions. People use body language and facial expressions as

nonverbal communication.

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3) Managing Stress:

In small doses, stress can help you perform under pressure. However, when stress becomes

constant and overwhelming it can hamper effective communication by disrupting one’s capacity

to think clearly and creatively, and act appropriately

4) Emotional Awareness:

Emotions play an important role in the way employee communicates at work. Emotional

awareness provides employees the tools needed for understanding both themselves and other

people and the real messages they are communicating to other.

5) Positive Thinking

Think about your positive points before you start a conversation. This will help you overcome

the initial hiccups, especially if you are going to give a speech before a very large audience.

Being confident is the key element to effective communication.

6) Equal participation

Having good communication skills is not only about talking all the time but it is also about how

people get others interested enough to participate in the conversation with them. On the other hand,

if one is shy, it is important that he or she speaks up and puts his or her point during conversation.

Thus, one can gain effective communication skills which will help one to connect with others.

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Poor communication system:

If good communication does not exist, actions will not be completed. This will develop into

problems within the organization. If the management does not keep in touch with the staff it can

lead to de-motivation in the business and the business will not work to its full potential. If

customers receive poor customer service then they are unlikely to return and it can also affect sales

which also affect the businesses aims and objectives as they did not reach them .Poor

communication system can have negative impact on employee performance.

Poor business communication has negative impact on employee’s performance:

Decreased productivity:

Poor communication causes a breakdown in productivity. Miscommunication occurs between

employee and employer. Therefore employees cannot perform properly with inadequate

information .Overall productivity hampered.

Decreased Innovation:

If poor communication skills result in the inadequate handling of important projects, this can

cripple the company’s innovation and capacity to make positive contributions to society. The

capacity to innovate is proportional to the capacity to communicate directions, and to communicate

new and exciting ideas and improvements.

15
Employee Morale:

Business communication skills impact the motivation of employees. If communication skills are

poor, employees lack enthusiasm in doing their assignments and will question the value of such

products. Poor business communication skills will also demoralize the employees because they

will be forced to sit through dull and boring presentations where they are provided with unclear

instructions on projects, leading to confusion and monotony.

Mistakes:

If an employer has poor communication skills, chances are high that the employee can

misunderstand his expected duties. Likewise, if employees lack good communication, they are less

likely to ask for needed clarification or assistance. Poor communication leads to

misunderstandings, which often leads to mistakes being made on the job.

Data analysis:

This part of the report will show how an efficient business communication system can have

positive impact on employee performance. To prove this hypothesis we have selected some

factors such as technological dependency, problem solving skill, effective communication skill,

satisfaction level. Through data analysis if we found these factors present in the communication

system of UCBL ,we will be able to say that the communication system of UCBL is strong

enough to have positive impact on employee’s performance. We have surveyed total 20

employees of UCBL. So the best way to analysis the company’s communication process by these

16
graphical presentation. Below, we have shown the selective 6 questions column charts of the

company.

1. Does your company’s communication system highly depend on technology?

a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Strongly disagree e. Disagree

Dependency level on Technology

14

12

10

6 Column2

0
Strongly agree strongly disagree neutral
disagree disagree

Explanation: Among 20 of the respondents, twelve (12) employees’ response was ‘strongly agree’

while only one (1) employees’ response was ‘disagree’. Two (2) employees’ response was neutral

and five (5) employees’ agreed to this question. We got a mixed response from the survey. But

from the personal interview we got to know that the entire communication system is divided into

two parts and they are internal communication and external communication. For internal

communication employees highly depend on technology but for external communication

employees highly depend on paper work. Even in some cases, for external communication

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employees also use technology. Apart from this 85% employees believe that their company’s

communication system highly depend on technology.

2. Do you feel that communication system helps you to solve problems that you face in your daily

work?

a. Strongly agree=+2 b. Agree=+1 c. Neutral=0 d. Disagree= (-1)

e. Strongly disagree= (-2)

Problem solving skill

14
12
10 Strongly agree=+2
8 Agree=+1
6 Neutral=0
4 Dsagree=-1
2
Strongly disagree=-2
0
Strongly Agree
agree Neutral
Disagree
Strongly
disagree

Explanation: From the above survey result, we have found that employees of UCBL can solve

their problem with the help of communication system. Fourteen (14) of the employees are strongly

agreed, two (2) of them are agreed and four (4) of them are disagreed. The calculated mean is 1.3.

This implies that most of the employees really feel that communication system help them in

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solving problems in workplace. Therefore employees of the organization are satisfied with the

communication system already showed in (graph 3). But there are employees who believe that the

communication system does not help them to solve problems as they face network and server

problem during exchanging information. As they can’t give quick feedback to customers so they

end up having bitter relation with the customers. 4. Do you think good communication skill has

positive impact on employee’s performance?

3. Are you satisfied with your company’s communication system ?

a. Strongly satisfied b. Satisfied c. Dissatisfied d. Neutral

Satisfaction level
0% 0%

20%

Strongly satisfied
0%
Satisfied
50% Neutral
Dissatisfied
Strongly dissatisfied
30%

Explanation: This survey shows that among the respondents six (6) of the employees respond as

strongly satisfied, four (4) employees are dissatisfied while ten (10) of them are satisfied. So from

19
this survey we can understand that the employees are not fully satisfied with the communication

system of the organization. Employees who are dissatisfied with the communication system, feel

that the existing communication system do not help them in solving problem (showed in graph

2).This indicates that there must be some flaws in communication system . As 80% of the

employees are satisfied , we can say that the communication system is efficient enough to satisfy

its employees.

4. Do you think good communication skill has positive impact on employee’s performance?

a. Yes b. No

Good communication skill

20

15

10

0
Yes
No

Yes=20 No=0

Explanation: Our survey results show us that 100% of employees think that good communication

skill has positive impact on employee’s performance. A calculation shows us that the mean is

exactly 2 which means, employees have good communication skill. It helps them both in internal

20
and external communication. The communication system helps employees to nurture both problem

solving skill and communication skill. Employees listen their customers carefully and try to give

quick feedback. It increases overall productivity and customer’s satisfaction. Effective

communication skills help employees to build strong relationship with the customer.

5. Do the employees have free flow of communication with other departments?

a. Yes b. No

Free floe of communication

Yes=20 No=0

20

Yes No

Explanation: Above survey shows that all the respondents think that free flow communication

happens across the department. Through communication they will be able to reduce distance

among them. Thus their productivity will increase. Friendly and cooperative atmosphere is a must

in effective communication system. And this will have a positive impact on employee’s

performance.

21
6. Do you express your own opinion on communication process?

a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Strongly disagree e. Disagree

Expressing opinion

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree

Strongly agree=15 Agree=3 Disagree=2

Explanation: Survey shows that among the 20 respondents fifteen (15) strongly agreed, three (3)

agreed that they give their opinion on communication process while two (2) of the respondents

disagreed. Mix reaction was found from the survey. As more than 50% think that they give opinion

on communication process. Therefore we can say employees are enthusiastic and committed

towards their work.

22
Findings:

All the analysis shows communication skill, employee satisfaction level, technological

advancement, positive work environment, and problem solving skill are positively correlated with

efficient business communication system of UCBL. As a result we can say that efficient business

communication system of the organization is positively impacting employee performance of the

organization. Therefore, we conclude that the survey results have matched with our chosen

hypothesis that efficient business communication system has positive impact on employee

performance.

Recommendation:

Among all the respondents, there are many employees who are strongly satisfied with the

communication system. But there are also employees who are dissatisfied with the communication

system. Therefore we can say that there are flaws in the communication system. The flaws in

company’s business communication are acting as obstacles in employee’s day to day to works. As

a result employee performance and productivity are being hampered. We have come up with some

recommendations based on the flaws. We think they will be helpful for the company to diminish

the flaws in their overall communication system.

UCBL could use a program called ask me/tell me. Instead of waiting for employees to seek out

information, managers and supervisors can approach them directly and ask about employee’s

information needs.

▪ Company should use a server that will ensure continuous flow of information.

▪ Company should take necessary steps to improve the communication skills of employees.

23
Conclusion:

UCBL is in the early stage of their business. But the company is growing very fast and serving

the customer with unique services such as green banking, UCash. Efficient communication system

is the reason behind growth and success of the company. The efficient communication system

helps employees to achieve their goals in time, to solve problems, to strengthen teamwork etc.

So it has positive impact on employee performance which has also been proved from our

hypothesis analysis. Management should be concerned about the flaws in the communication

system. Because these flaws are the reasons behind customer’s dissatisfaction. If these flaws are

not controlled timely then both the company and customers will suffer. And in extreme cases may

be the company will end up losing customers.

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Greenwald D.,(2010).Business Communication.Changing the World of Business

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content/uploads/2011/04/ABC-2010-08.pdf [Accessed 12 December 2012].

Kushal, S. (2009-2010). Business communication. New Delhi-2.V.K. Enterprise.

Morley, M.(2010). Team Building to Improve Communication. Retrieved from

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/team-building-improve-communication-21653.html

Monge, P. and Noshir, C. (2003) Theories of Communication Networks. Illinois: Oxford

University Press.

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Patterson, M.G., West, M.A., Lawthom, R., Nickell, S. (2003) Impact of People Management

Practices on Business Performance. University of Sheffield: The Institute of Personnel and

Development.

Robinson, L. Segal, J and Segal, R. (2013). Effective Communication. Retrieved from

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/effective_communication_skills.htm

Salanova, M. and Agut, S. (2005) ‘Linking Organizational Resources and Work Engagement to

Employee Performance and Customer Loyalty: The Mediation of Service Climate’.

Journal of Applied Psychology, 90 (May/June 2005): 1217 – 1227

Weedman, J. (1992) ‘Informal and Formal Channels in Boundary-Spanning Communication’

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Appendix:

Additional graphs:

I.

Communication network
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Formal network Informal network

UCBL

26
 Effective Communication Network

15

10

0
UPWARD
DOWNWARD
LATERAL
INFORMAL

Lateral=15 Informal=5

Effective Communication Helps CustomerS

0% 0%

20%

Yes
no

80%

27
 Has Positive Work Environment
YES=17 NO=3

17

YES NO

communication Helps To Reduce The Degree

of Distance Between Employees
Stronglagree Agree Neutral Disagree

0%
0%
0%

100%

28
 company should bring some changes in
communication system
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
YES NO

UCBL

29