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The article offers information on "Stop and Think Before You Act" Campaign by Sappi Forests (SF) as risk tolerance mitigation strategy. Topics discussed include focuses to improve safety and eliminate fatalities in SF and its contractor businesses; views on SF unfortunate history of fatalities in the workplace regarding safety and communication issues; and initiatives of SF to remove safety communication issues.

The article focuses on the several core competencies needed by communication professionals to achieve business results and value. Topics include the ability to make decisions and judgment related to business and finance considering the open book management approach, the importance of improving strategic adviser skills considering the preferences of external and internal clients, and the significant of the ability to manage change process on improving productivity and distribution damage.

The article offers information on the distinction between internal and external communication along with the division between internal and external partly lies in the nature of communication in the 21st century. Topics discussed include the views of Gerry Corbett, chairman at Redphlag, on employee communication; influence of social media to make a permeable membrane between internal and external communication; and the views of Frank Thomas, Adidas's director of content strategy, on marketers.

The article focuses on several aspects of change communication within business enterprises. It mentions that from a strategic planning perspective, it can be very difficult to apply the rigor of a results based approach to a change initiative. It also mentions change communication success happens at an executive or leadership level and it is not a functional one. It presents views of pre-eminent management guru Henry Mintzberg on traditional communication plans.

The article discusses how to create a better employee experience. Companies are advised to define the relationship between communication and experience. A simple framework is suggested for reconsidering the employee experience. The need to reinforce a sense of shared responsibility among employees is also explained.

The article focuses on the change in communication management program for the members of the organization International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). It highlights the need of communication changes in the program for marketing and communication professionals. It mentions that IABC is offering two online workshop series for self assessment for the members of the association.

The article focuses on the Conversa campaign launched by Scotiabank Group Mexico in mid-2009 to engage employees and supervisors in a dialogue and feedback at every stage of the performance management review process. It says that the campaign's goal was to improve the communication among employees so that coaching would be a key part of achieving business and performance objectives. The ViewPoint survey which measured supervisor-employee communuication showed positive sentiment from the program.

The article presents the author's insights on business communication. The author states that poor corporate communication usually results to organizational dysfunction and incompetence. He says that challenges in communication must be recognized to improve business organizations. Furthermore, the author stresses the role of online management in promoting clarity and professionalism in corporate communication.

The article discusses the approaches and strategies for media organizations to manage challenges and opportunities in the print publication industry. It notes the realm where print publications are on struggle for survival upon tough times wherein public and media relation are challenged to achieve effective media relations. Moreover, the rise of social media makes media relations a more integrated marketing communication as online media allows more opportunities to interact with the audience.

An interview with chief executive officer (CEO) Brian J. Dunn is presented. When asked how he handled communication in 2008, he states that it was a terrible year for the people. He mentions that the people are looking for brands which can really cater their needs. He cites his engagement in social media and states that he is amazed on how people from different countries are able to access each other via electronic systems.

The article reports on the standards and tools which can help corporate communicators to communicate tenably on their sustainability efforts. It cites several sustainability communication principles including accountability, completeness and reliability. It also notes that these principles form the global standards which include the global reporting initiative (GRI) sustainability reporting guidelines, the accountability (AA) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). INSET: Creating shared success through social responsibility.

The article provides information on the steps on how to boost the creativity of the people working in business communication industry. It suggests to have frequent creative infusions such as reading creativity-related books and building a creative network. It also proposes to make a daily good and bad list in order to have a track that the good things did not outweigh the bad ones. Furthermore, the author suggests to release the contents of the mind and welcome all ideas, and embrace the best idea that will happen either by popping up or pulling out. INSET: Ideas help whip economic woes.

The article discusses the impact of accredited business communicator (ABC) towards the enhancement of the communicator's credibility. It pertains that IABCs accreditation process is a way to recognize those who manage the communication function with understanding on the professional ethics, measurement and strategic planning. Furthermore, IABCs accreditation was also considered as a professional development program. IABC Fellow Bobbie Resnick pertains that with the ABC, their degree of sophistication and liability to advise management has been indicated.

The article discusses the importance of publishing an employee annual report in strengthening the relationship between workers and the firm and help increase the latter's productivity and effectiveness. It states that the annual report could be used as a recruiting tool as well as a marketing piece. Also, it talks on understanding the elements of design including imagery, typography, and rhythm and its relevance for effective visual communication as well as its implications to employees annual reports.

The article presents a roundtable discussion of the successes of and challenges for communication departments within businesses today. The biggest trends affecting the communication field since the year 2000 are a greater need for strategic communicators, an increasing focus on return on investment for all actions taken, increased credibility within many organizations for communicators, an emphasis on delivering a brand that engages customers, and the ability of technology to democratize communication.

The article discusses the author's experiences as a business communicator trying to foster trust within his business organizations. The author stresses the importance of organizational trust, which is clearly linked to the level of employee performance within a company. He has found that by far the most important trust factor for employees is openness, followed closely by consistency. To build trust, culture change must begin at the top of organizations withe the leaders, and center on communication. INSET: the value of trust: recent studies.

The article informs that India-based Tata Chemicals Ltd. (TCL) has developed an index to assess the effectiveness of internal communication processes. According to an internal research conducted by TCL, different employees in different work groups and at different hierarchical levels had profound preferences about how they received communications from management. The Communication Effectiveness Index (CEI) tremendously helped the communication team in meeting their internal communication objectives. The first phase of CEI resulted in an increase in employee engagement score on the communication front and the participation levels in organization-wide communication platforms.

The article presents an interview with Rajesh Subramaniam, Federal Express Corp.'s (FedEx) Canada President. He was asked to name three factors that contribute to the outstanding reputation of the company. Subramaniam was questioned about how FedEx is changing the way it uses technology. He was asked how the company deals with issues related to cultural diversity in today's global environment.

The article reports that it pays to be aware of the direct and indirect messages one send to employees. If one is careful, one can help them see what better communication can bring to ones organization. Nobel laureate Herbert Simon described communication as the most ignored component of the administrative process. Ask any communication professional today, and one will likely find that he or she agrees. An organization's structure presumably has established a social architecture among employees that promotes the sharing of information necessary to achieve the firm's goals. A communication culture emerges when employees identify and adopt acceptable communication behaviors. Wittingly or unwittingly, managers send signals about what is appropriate conduct, and employees pick up on these cues. Being conscious of their own actions is crucial for managers seeking to build better communication. Aad Jacobs, the retired chairman of ING Groep NV, depended on straightforward, open and truthful information from associates at lower levels of the company. Although a strong communication culture may emerge from witnessing the behaviors of top management, research shows that offering rewards and incentives that acknowledge effective communication helps to strengthen and sustain that culture.

The article states that building trust inside and out is a key part of the communicator's role as the corporate conscience. A growing loss of confidence in organizations, their leaders and communication is well documented in the media. Trust is highly valued by the leaders of many high-performance organizations who clearly sec the connections between trustworthy, values-based communication and customer loyalty and employee engagement. Isadore Sharp, founder, CEO and chairman of the Four Seasons hotel chain, attributes much of his organization's success in building trust with employees and customers to communicating and practicing the Golden Rule. Corporate communicators have long capably served as the ethics stewards and corporate consciences of their organizations, mastering that delicate and vital task or balancing corporate goals with public expectations. Audits and surveys provide rich opportunities to capture feedback on and measure trust. Once communicators have taken all these actions, they will see that some vital connections have been made. Communicators must embrace trust building as a core part of their long-standing role as the corporate conscience and boldly champion the value of building trust throughout their organizations.

The article discusses the issues related to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Corporations today must act more aggressively and publicly to restore or maintain their reputations. Yet the world presents a seemingly infinite number of opportunities for them to demonstrate their good will. In many ways, corporations behave like individuals. Ethicists may debate the differences between being good and acting good. But there's no doubt that regardless of motive, corporations realize significant impact against the bottom line with well-managed CSR programs. Proponents of CSR programs argue that preoccupation with short-term financial returns results in profit loss over the long term, and that corporations ultimately succeed or fail on the basis of public trust and support. On the other hand, critics suggest that the corporation's only responsibility is to maximize profits for shareholders, and that corporate responsibility runs counter to the philosophy of free enterprise. Today's companies can no longer afford to ignore CSR. Scholars today acknowledge that a citizenship portfolio helps integrate companies into the social environment of communities by developing bonds between the organization, its employees and the local citizens. It helps a company build reputational capital.

The article focuses on the importance of corporate communication. Aligning the goals of the communication plan with the goals of the business is the first step to demonstrating value. The most common reasons why organizations fail to develop strategic communication plans are lack of time and money. These excuses also come up with regard to measuring the value of communication, a necessary component of a strategic communication plan. The good news is that communication measurement is more widely recognized as a standard global practice in public relations and communication. For an organization's communication activities to be worth the investment, communication must have measurable goals that support business goals. In fact, the goals of the most powerful communication plans are the same as the goals of the business, so that the achievement of business goals becomes the ultimate measure of communication success. Adding questions to measure the impact of communication on employees' knowledge, attitudes and behaviors as they relate to the business goals is easy. Measuring the perceived value of communication activities also provides meaningful information. Writing questions for surveys, focus groups and interviews is an important step. The challenge is to demonstrate to business leaders how communication that supports business goals might save the organization money over the long term.

A well-formed communication policy is to your organization what the International Association of Business Communicators Code of Ethics is to you, a set of guiding principles and behaviors to help ensure consistent, fair and ethical communication with all of your constituents. All firms with more than one employee should have a clearly written media policy that spells out who in the organization may respond to media inquiries, what kinds of information can or should be released to reporters and what information must be kept confidential. Your organization may already have a communication policy, albeit unstated, as seen in your overall behavior and attitude toward your constituencies. Conversely, if your corporate logo is on T-shirts worn by company volunteers cleaning a park, passersby may judge your company to be community-spirited and your employees happy to work for you. Written policies can define your communication philosophy as well as your practices and procedures on how to respond to media.

What keeps leaders awake at night? The increasing demands of stakeholders are probably causing them many sleepless nights. Among the challenges facing CEOs and other leaders are fostering individual thinking and innovative actions, while simultaneously ensuring that mindsets and behaviours are aligned. In business communication today, what one sees and experiences can be more important than what one reads or hears. For many companies, consistent profit growth, a steady stock price and solid asset growth would be sufficient, even enviable. Members of a new leadership team refined their communication skills to strengthen relationships with employees, shareholders, customers and strategic partners.

An informal survey of independent communication consultants finds that they focus on a variety of communication disciplines and come to entrepreneurship from many different backgrounds. Many external drivers, such as layoffs, reductions in job responsibility and leadership changes, steer communicators to entrepreneurship as a means of gaining increased flexibility and more personal control. The list of reasons consultants give for not making the entrepreneurial leap sooner is long and emotional: loss of benefits, fear of business development marketing or networking, loss of the social interaction found in an office environment, lack of contacts and consulting skills, and an uncertain economy.

More than 70 percent of all U.S. employers regularly conduct employee surveys, sometimes spending thousands or even hundreds of thousands annually. They delegate responsibility down the line most often to corporate communication or human resource professionals and have little involvement in the process. This lack of leadership interest can be costly. Most obviously, an ineffective survey can waste organizational resources the time, effort and money that go into conducting an employee survey. Employee surveys are more effective and productive when senior management leads the process and is fully engaged. Executives may not know that the science of employee surveys has changed dramatically over the past decade. The key to a survey is asking questions that drive continuous improvement. Senior management involvement helps to maximize the investment a company makes in employee research. INSET: ONE PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE.

The article provides information about events at the IABC international conference. Keynote speaker Malcolm Gladwell, journalist and author, offers some particularly timely comments about "The Tipping Point," that juncture when a fad or trend bursts into the mainstream, and how this phenomenon is controlled by people with "social power." Ned Barnholt, chairman, president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard spin-off Agilent Technologies, talks about how the company reduced its staff by one-third yet still ended up on Fortune's list of "Best Places to Work." Judith John's case study is about the United Way of Greater Toronto, which raises more money than any other charity in Canada. A Lifetime Foundation Friend Award is presented to Charles Pizzo, IABC member from New Orleans, Louisiana past chairman of IABC International, a former chairman of the IABC Research Foundation, conference presenter and past president of IABC/New Orleans.

Part I. Describes how the communications and employee relations program for the employees of the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games was vital to establishing the culture needed to deliver the Games. Vehicles used to inform and involve staff; Key aspects of the employee relations program.

Offers tips for communicating for faster change within organizations. Dimensions of change that need to be anticipated; Change acceleration situations; Role of leadership in change management; Lessons to be learned from the change management experience of Nordic Systems; Top ten drivers of successful communication. INSET: Tricks of the trade.

Presents guidelines for applying a customer service philosophy to the work of internal communication. Essential components of a thriving organization; True measure of a communication department's success; Customers of a communication department; Types of communicators; Cornerstone concept for implementing a dual customer strategy; Establishment of the basis of communication.

Discusses the need for electronic commerce business leaders to be effective communicators. Comparison between traditional and younger leaders in terms of organizational communication skills; Communication strategies by chief executives Frank Belatti at AFC Enterprises and John Horne at Navistar International; Advice on effective communication for executives.

Looks at whether employee publications still serve a purpose in the age of fax machines and computers. Reasons to keep publishing the employee newsletter; Employee use of the company intranet; Guidelines for evaluating employee publications. INSET: Why the Employee Publication Still Works..

Highlights the report `Best Practices in Global Communications,' by the Public Affairs Group Inc. of Washington, D.C. Conclusion that the communication function must take the lead in supporting the corporation; Companies that have the most recognized global brands; Strengths the global communication staff should have; Use of vast amount of research by best practices companies.

Discusses the need for business communicators to launch knowledge management initiatives to recognize the increasing value of information and knowledge to business success. Hewlett-Packard's use of a knowledge management that makes available the best practices of the company's internal trainers and educators; Benefits from these initiatives; Need for business communicators to have a better grasp of business strategy.

Provides guidelines on how business organizations can understand the issues and develop solutions for the cultural, social and economic problems associated with diversity on the global level. Alliances with the competition; Internal team that works together; Company's role in the industry; Threats and opportunities; Communication system; Realistic goals; Crisis communication and succession plan.

Reports on the growing number of corporate communicators launching their own consulting business. Trends affecting corporate communication departments as of 1998; Demise of middle managers; Growing demand for public relations talents; Typical clients of entrepreneurial communicators. INSETS: 21st century communicators: A new breed.;The international scene..

Focuses on business communicators' role in knowledge management. Definition of knowledge management; Doubts about the profitability of appointing chief information officers; Skills a communicator should have to become an effective knowledge manager.

Offers tips for setting up an international employee feedback system. Definition of contemporary organization communication; Benefits of an international employee feedback system; Barriers to employee feedback programs; Results of the joint 1997 International Association of Business Communicators-William Mercer survey on industrial relations. INSET: An international employee feedback system..

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various articles within the 2013 issue on topics including digitalization of the periodical; importance of employee communication and social media content strategy.

The article offers the author's insight on ways to have an effective business communication through business writing. The author offers five steps to keep readers from reading a certain document which include by offering advantages, use engaging style, and think as a reader. She explores the idea of Robert Cialdini, author of the book "Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive," which concerns about business communication.

The article focuses on employee communication and its significance. Topics discussed include the attributes and skills needed to be possessed by employee communicators, the role of two-way communication, and relabeling of organizations to their employee communication functions. The attributes and skills mentioned include organizational understanding, creativity and innovation and communication delivery.

The article focuses on issues related to business communication in the U.S., highlighting the growing number of people who use and rely on smartphones and tablets for news. Dean Debnam, chief executive of Workplace Options, mentions the increasing interest in greater flexibility and work-life balance and access to the technology that allows a workforce to be mobile.

The article discusses the roles of business communicators as profession sets a new pace in the U.S. It notes that as community organizer, one must create content and put it online where people can interact and form a community around it. It adds that with the emergence of technological innovations, executives must properly guided to succeed on the transformation of an organization. Moreover, the big-picture role also needs to show updates regarding the company by publishing reports.

The article discusses the ways to achieve the engagement goals of employees. It mentions the utilization of emotional relationship, encouragement of collaboration through community and demonstration of underlying value as some of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategy that will help the companies to attain their employees' objectives. It also notes that the connection between the employers and employees are important in the process. INSET: CSR building blocks for your communication strategy.

The article reports on the study from International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation which discloses the opportunities to improve employee engagement. The study indicates that it is a chance for communicators to influence the employees to realize that they are playing important part in achieving the organization's success. It notes that social media is not a solution to effective employee engagement instead, it can be used as a tool for engagement initiatives.

The article presents information on the importance of communication between employees and senior leadership, especially in the face of organizational change. Most executives have little or no access to the grapevine that, for better or worse, informs most employees' understanding of the organization. Even in today's information age, subordinates are often afraid to tell leaders the truth or to share negative news. By understanding how employees experience change in their organizations, companies would be much better equipped to design an appropriate communication strategy that responds to employees' information needs.

The article reports on the effectiveness of technology as a communication medium, comparing e-mail, corporate intranets, and a new technology, interactive screensavers, such as those offered by Netpresenter. Walking around today's offices, it's almost inevitable that one see a personal computer on every desk. Its likely that every employee with a PC also has access to the Internet and e-mail. Executives walk around with their PDA's. Sales representatives are more productive on the road when they're armed with laptops and wireless access. Text messages abound. But while everybody gets excited about the latest digital devices and the ability to be in touch anywhere in the world, nobody seems to be giving much thought to the consequences of all this information. The concept of information overload is becoming a real nightmare for many executives. People don't know how to switch off or feel they can't and so are always in touch, no matter what time of day or night. Not only can this overload have an effect on our mental and physical health at least one study has suggested that it contributes to conditions ranging from stress and irritability to heart problems and hypertension it provides a significant challenge to internal communication teams that are trying to make their messages heard among the noise and electronic chatter that is today's digital mobile workplace. INSETS: Connecting with the 'unconnected';Building cohesive communication.

The article reports that crises are not accidents. They are ingrained, extremely slowly developing pathologies that can be diagnosed. They are therefore completely foreseeable and avoidable. Not a week goes by anywhere in the world without a glaring example in the news of an organizational crisis that has degenerated into a disaster. Those who have to deal with the crisis often adopt a variety of predictable responses: obstinate or embarrassed silence, outright denial of the facts, retaliation, or scapegoating. Any response is exacerbated by the urgency of the situation and by the organization's fragmented or incomplete view voluntary or otherwise of die facts. In nearly every case of corporate crisis, public confidence rapidly disintegrates. Victims, special interest groups, competitors, avowed adversaries, each of these groups has its own spin on the axiom that says the incident was preventable as soon as it becomes a reality. Each demands that the "guilty" parties be round and financial and/or legal reparations made.

This article discusses several problem of organizational communication. E-mail, memos, TV news, industry publications, employees are bombarded with messages. But communicators can guide them through the chaos and help them find what is relevant. Nowadays, the typical employee is assaulted by a growing number of messages, information about the company, its products and services, and its strategy, all flooding in from numerous sources, including internal vehicles such as e-mail, the intranet, management memos, internal publications and even the rumor mill, as well as external media such as local newspapers and TV news and national business and industry magazines. An employee trying to work in this environment is a lot like a tourist in the middle of a strange city without a map. The street names mean little or nothing, and particular places have less meaning, though they may appear to hold great significance. Communication is driven ultimately by leadership and management action, not by rhetoric. Internal communication has come a long way, from company picnics and bowling scores to leveraging an organization's people capabilities for greater results. INSETS: Is your organization sending a clear message?;The pulse of the organization.

This article reports that at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)'s annual International Conference in June 2005 in Washington D.C., 1,388 communicators from around the world gathered to better understand the trends and issues facing them. The nearly 100 presenters did not disappoint, stimulating a shared learning environment in which participants were both challenged and validated. A few weeks before the conference, IABC Chair Warren Bickford, shared his personal top 10 list of concerns at the IABC Cafe, Bickford's blog. Conference sessions covered many of these issues, leaving participants with much to consider and even more to act upon. Bickford's halfway spot on his top 10 list is cerebral, the democratization of information, or the role communicators have today in the gathering, packaging and disseminating of information. Ethics and governance issues were heatedly discussed at the mock trial of a communicator who breached the association's Code of Ethics, though the lessons learned were clearly based in reality. New work arrangements, increasingly diverse workforces, and ongoing and emerging social and cultural issues are another reality for many communicators.