External Communication 1 External Communication 6 External

External Communication 1external Communication 6exter

Effective external communication is important in the proper management of crises. In the 21st century, organizations are subject to more public scrutiny hence they should have an effective external communication framework to manage various crises as they develop. To this end, a proper crisis management plan must factor in a seamless external communication framework as the manner in which an organization manages disasters determines its success or failure. In this particular case study, it is important to appreciate the fact that Research in Motion is in a crisis that needs a proper external communication framework to aptly manage the situation with the company’s external stakeholders.

The external communication should be able to assuage the fears of the company’s customers and other important external stakeholders, such as suppliers and service providers (Ahmed, 2018). A proper external communication channel will ensure that the intended message reaches the target audience and works towards improving the company’s shattered public image.

Medium

There are several communication channels that the Research in Motion may use to disseminate information to the public. These media have different characteristics and scope hence it is vital to identify the appropriate medium bearing in mind the target audience, message and costs. To this end, there are certain external communication channels that are more effective in delivering information to particular target audiences than others.

However, it is important to note that certain communication experts of international repute advocate for the use of two or more external communication channels when dealing with a crisis. This pragmatic approach ensures that the organization benefits from the various strengths of each of the channels thereby effective achieving its communication goals (Burdstrom, 2018). From the created communication synergy, the organization is able to reach a wider audience and quickly disseminate the intended message efficiently and effectively. Also, it is noteworthy to state that in certain instances costs play an important role in determining the type of external communication media to use. In this particular instance, Research in Motion will use online external communication channels to effectively disseminate the company’s position with regards to the leaked letter to the management.

In contemporary times, there has been an increase in the use of smart media in external communication. More companies are embracing social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate with their customers. This is informed by the fact that information technology has revolutionized the communication sector with billions of people interconnected through these platforms. The increased uptake of the internet and the use of computers have enabled customers to quickly access communication about various ongoing developments in companies (Hall, 2014). In a similar vein, Research in Motion may also use their website in disseminating information to external stakeholders.

In this regard, the company may put up a statement on its website highlighting the issues that it is grappling with, the interventions it has put in place and the way forward. The use of online platforms in the dissemination of information is advantageous on numerous fronts. Firstly, disseminating information across online platforms is considerably cheaper and cost-effective in comparison to using other traditional methods. Particularly, opting to upload the message to the company’s website and social platforms does not cost the company significant financial resources to do so. Also, the use of online platforms enables the company to appropriately reach its targeted audience considering that the letter was leaked through similar online platforms.

As such, using the same medium to counter the narrative and set the record straight gives the company an equal opportunity to pass its message its external stakeholders who may have got wind of the damning letter through online platforms. Finally, it is important to appreciate the fact that the use of online platforms in disseminating information enables the company to efficiently and effectively reach its millions of customers from wherever they are in the globe (Lazzari, 2018). Secondly, the company may issue a media statement specifically addressing the issues raised in the leaked letter to management. The media statement will allow Research in Motion to respond to the various issues affecting the company and reassure its customers and other stakeholders of the initiatives it is undertaking to remedy the situation.

Target Audience

In this particular case scenario, the target audience for the external communication comprises of the company’s clients, shareholders, service providers, the general public and other external stakeholders. Research in Motion is currently facing a crisis that has led to poor share performance in the stocks market and reduced profits. The leaked letter to management highlighting the leadership deficiencies in the organization seems to have had a negative impact on the company's corporate image. With the perception among shareholders that the company is being poorly managed, the share prices of Research in Motion have been severely hit as investors lost confidence in the company. Additionally, the general public and potential investors shied away from the company’s shares as it seemed that the company was experiencing significant leadership and organizational challenges.

Investing in a business with significant leadership and organizational challenges is such a serious risk that both short-term and long-term investors consider before investing (Ahmed, 2018). Also, it is important to reassure the general public of the high levels of professionalism and competence that the company ascribes to. The general public should be made aware that Research in Motion advances principles that are espoused by the community for them to embrace the company and identify with it. Various researchers of wide acclaimed have severally opined that people like to associate with successful brands that promote their ideals and public policy (Cardon, 2016). To this end, the general public is an important target audience as they are the consumers of the organization’s products and services. The public should have faith in the company as it is directly linked to the sales that the organization achieves in a particular financial year. This is reflective of the poor performance posted by Research in Motion in the recent past as the market refrains from purchasing its products and services.

Draft External Communication Media Statement by Jones Whitaker About the Leaked Letter to the Management of Research in Motion

Research in Motion is a dedicated and responsible company driven by high standards of corporate governance. The company has learnt of the public dissemination of the contents of a letter to the management. As an organization, Research in Motion encourages its employees to continuously critique and make suggestions of how the organization may improve its operations. Through this policy, the company has tremendously improved its capacity and organizational efficiency thereby enabling the organization to meet its objectives.

As such, the leaked letter is a testament to the expanded freedom of employees to air out their grievances and highlight areas in need of improvement. To this end, Research in Motion has forwarded the issues highlighted in the latter to a special task force, as is ordinarily the case, to investigate the allegations raised therein. The company assures its stakeholders that appropriate action will be taken to address these organizational weaknesses, if any, upon receiving the official taskforce report. Thank you for your continued support.

For interviews contact: Alex Maine Head of Public Relations Phone number: [email protected]

Conflicts

One of the anticipated conflicts expected by the issuance of the above media statement is the possible misinterpretation of the message. The company's external stakeholders may have numerous questions arising from the statement and there may be a need for certain clarifications. Even though the company has appointed a special contact person to conduct further interviews and queries, most of the stakeholders will not raise their emerging queries with the contact person thereby holding on to certain misinformation. With this type of misinformation, various stakeholders may not fully appreciate the company’s efforts in addressing the various issues highlighted in the leaked letter (Cardon, 2016).

References

• Ahmed, Anam. (2018). Types of External Communication. Bizfluent.
• Burdstrom, G. (2018). When You Need to Make a Statement to the Media. Retrieved from
• Cardon, P. (2016). Business Communication: Developing Leaders for a Networked World (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
• Hall, J. (2014). How To Choose The Right Medium For Your Message. Retrieved from
• Lazzari, Z. (2018). Importance of External Business Communication. Small Business - Chron.com.
• Additional scholarly sources as needed for depth and credibility.