Topic Statement To determine the importance of positive communication at Singers Jamaica Ltd

Thesis Statement
An investigation into the importance of positive communication at Singers Jamaica Ltd

Aims * To determine the factors that contributes to positive and negative communication. * To determine the effectiveness of positive communication on employees.

Objectives * To determine the advantages of having positive communication among employees.

* To determine the disadvantages to the firm when positive communication is not practiced by employees.

* To determine the main barriers to effective communication in the firm.

Background
“Communication is a transactional process of exchanging messages and negotiating meaning to establish and maintain relationships. It is generally agreed that we communicate with a purpose in mind and that the most important purpose is to satisfy a personal or social need. The communication process includes people, messages, signs and codes, meaning, interpretation encoding and decoding and medium and channel. Thus communication is always contextual meaning it is influenced by the time, place, status and relationship of the participants. –Sheila Steinberg (2007).
Communication is not just simply just a matter of face-to-face exchange of information. In organizations people communicate in different levels of communication such as interpersonal, intrapersonal, organizational, small groups, public and intercultural. Strong communication skills is the most important attribute a manager can possess which means they have to master the four basic elements of communication: reading, writing, listening and speaking. –Michael Fielding (2006).
Communication is one of the most important fundamentals in a business organization for it to be successful thus the researcher chose to explore exactly how important it is. The researcher also aspires to become a business manager and since communication is one of the most important fundamentals in an organization this School Based Assessment (SBA) will significantly edify and expand the researcher’s knowledge on communication especially in a business organization. This assignment will also educate readers about the importance of communication. Thus, the project will require crisp and comprehensive information about the importance of communication at Singers Jamaica Ltd.
Literature Review
The firm that will be studied is Singers Jamaica Ltd. (Oasis Plaza, Spanish Town Branch). It is located at Shop 31, Oasis Plaza, Spanish Town, St. Catherine an provides retail furniture and appliance sales as well as customer service. The branch carries out its social responsibilities which is fostering the growth of Jamaican small manufacturers and assisting many schools through the provision of sewing machines and has taught children to sew through joint programs with children’s homes and government institutions. The branch certainly carries out its mission statement which is providing employment to Jamaicans across the island and to ensuring that Jamaicans can live comfortably with items bought on Singer’s Flexible Credit Plans. Our dedicated personnel in our stores share our commitment to providing exceptional customer service and work tirelessly to ensure that now, more than ever, our customers will “Love to Shop at Singer.” Direct and positive communication from employees to customers must be used in order to keep them 100% satisfied. Due to certain confidentiality by the firm, information on the level of productivity could not be obtained by the researcher. Singer Jamaica Limited has had a presence in the world for 160 years and in Jamaica for over 100 years. The company began its operations in Jamaica by selling sewing machines. The company has experienced significant growth since and today sells a wide range of electronics, appliances, furniture and bedding in addition to its sewing machine line. Singer has 19 branches island-wide and employs over two hundred Jamaicans directly. As a branch, communication must be carried out effectively in order for the goals of the organization to be met. As stated by Jeffery H. Davis ‘communication is effective when the recipient of the message understands its meaning and can express that meaning back to the sender. As such communication is the key factor for any organization to course smoothly and efficiently.
Methodology
A methodology is a system of principles used in a particular area of study or activity. To collect information for the completion of this S.B.A, the questionnaire and interview methods were used. Quantitative data was used. Quantitative data is data that can be measured and verified and is amenable to statistical manipulation. Both Primary and Secondary sources were used to collect data. Primary sources are documents that were created during the time of study, example an interview. Secondary sources interpret and analyses primary sources, example articles.
Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Large amounts of information can be collected from a large number of people in a short period of time using questionnaires. Questionnaires can be analyzed more scientifically and objectively than other forms of research. Questions were both open and closed ended. Ten (10) questionnaires were handed to ten (10) randomly selected persons at the firm. Ten persons were selected because that is the sufficient amount needed to gather data.
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the interviewer to elicit facts or statements from the interviewee. Interviews provide information about behavior of individuals and groups; they also provide good opportunities for identifying unanticipated outcomes.

41 Clayton Crescent
Willowdene
Spanish Town
St. Catherine

January 30, 2015

Manager
Singers Jamaica Ltd
Shop 31 Oasis Plaza
Spanish Town
St. Catherine

Dear Sir(s)

I am a sixth form student at Jose Marti Technical High School pursuing a course in business education. In order to complete my School Based Assessment (SBA) in Management of Business I need to conduct a research in your firm. The topic of my research is to determine the importance of communication at Singers Jamaica Ltd. I am therefore seeking permission to carry out my investigation in your organization.

My email address is ramsaygerald89@yahoo.com and my contact number is 298-0024, looking forward to a favorable response.

Yours Faithfully,

Gerald Ramsay
Student
Questionnaire

1. Gender:

Male Female

2. Age:

18-25 26-30 over 30

3. Do you have a good relationship with your employees?

Always Most Times Seldom Never

4. What are some of the benefits that accrue to the department when positive communication is displayed between employees?

Good communication Good attitude Constructive Criticism

Other: ______________

5. Does positive communication among employees impact on customer service?

Yes No

If yes how does it affect customer service?

Positively Negatively

6. Does positive communication among employees affect the level of productivity?

Yes No

7. How often does positive communication among employees contribute to good team work in the Marketing Department?

Always Seldom Never 8. What kind of relationship do you have with your employees?

Good Fair Bad

9. How do your employees cooperate when working as a team?

Excellent Minor Problems Poorly

10. When employees have disagreements what effect does it have in the Marketing Department?

Positive Negative No effect

11. What are some of the problems that accrue to the department when negative communication is displayed among employees?

Bad criticism Poor attitude other: ___________

12. What are some of the factors that contribute to negative communication in the Marketing Department?

Poor Management Bias Lack of listening

Other: ____________

13. Does negative communication in the firm lead to conflict?

Yes No

14. What is the main cause of conflict in the firm? Poor Communication Laziness Lack of Discipline

15. What is the main barrier that affects the flow of communication in the workplace?

Noise Role Culture Misinterpretation

Interview Questions

1. What is the purpose of having positive communication among employees?

2. What are the factors contributing to positive communication among employees?

3. What are some of the factors contributing to negative communication among employees?

4. How often is there negative communication among employees in the department?

5. What are some of the effects of negative communication on the department?

Presentation and Analysis
The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of positive communication at Singer Jamaica LTD (Oasis, Spanish Town Branch).
Before carrying out the study the researcher assumed that communication was a minor problem in the work place. After doing the research the researcher was proven correct in the previous assumption.
The first objective of the research was to find out what are the advantages of having positive communication in the marketing department.

Fg.1

Fg.1 shows some of the advantages of having positive communication within the Marketing Department. According to the questionnaires, 50% of the respondents said the main advantage of having positive communication is good attitude. In the interview according to the manager “when positive communication is practiced among employees they all have good attitude towards each other which speeds up working progress. Good Team work is another main advantage of having positive communication as this builds a positive working relationship among employees. Constructive Critism is another advantage as this lets employees give fair opinions of each other which prevent gossip.”

The second objective is to find out the disadvantages to the firm when positive communication is not practiced by employees in the Department.
Fg.2

In the questionnaire the respondents when asked, ‘How often is there negative communication among employees? 90% of them replied not often as shown in fg.2 above. The manager was asked “what are some of the effects of negative communication on the department?’ he replied by saying:
“A negative effect to negative communication in the workplace is conflict. When one employee spreads false rumors about another staff member, the result can often be a verbal or physical altercation between the two employees.
Negative communication can also have an effect on staff morale. Persistent intended negative communication can add stress to the workplace that makes it difficult to develop a productive work environment.
It also affects their interaction with customers negatively.”

The third objective of the research is to determine the main barriers of effective communication within the organization. Barriers to effective communication refer to obstacles in a workplace that prevent effective exchange of ideas or thoughts.
Fg.3