This case study is to create a marketing strategy for the department to market for the role & services of the department. The stakeholders of our services are internal & external. The internal are departments who have a common goal with us such as investments, oppuritionites to bring new solutions and companies. The external are the government entities who has an initiatives to bring more investments and to increase the local content, such as agencies, ministries and so on, and the private sector who plays a major role in maximizing the local content. We already create a vision and mission, identified our audience, but the gap is how to market for the services of the department. The department is made of 4 divisions and I will list their services one by one:
Services unit :
- portal access: grant suppliers access and handling department order weather for materials or services.
- cyber security suppliers: notify suppliers about complying with department cyber security requirements.
- Bid Box: to sustained the department procurement process
- Registration group : a platform where the suppliers can access and register to fulfill either technical or commercial requirements
- Supplier performance:Maintain suppliers performance to be complied with the department expectation and become eligible for future business and sustainability.
- Supplier qualification:To qualify and approve suppliers against certain materials to become part of the department suppliers database.
- Supplier solutions center: Share opportunities and support with existing local manufacturer weather in expansion of current commodity (Expand of local manufacturer capabilities)
These are the services provided by the department to increase and expand the local content, some of them are in the website but there are not promoted very well, and some of them are not.
Major highlights:
you have presented to the manager, he is happy with what you have but he is still not satisfied
He wants For ex. Standard format for our communication to approach the external (government entities) What is the plan to make our approach more effective and make it aligned with the vision and mission. What tools and resources needed to make the strategy for the next 2 years.
Therefore I need to come up with proposal tackling the highlights mentioned above. Please use a SmartArt or a process if needed to make it more clear for explanation.
Note:
The vision is to pursue distinction in supplier relation management and local content
The mission is to develop a competitive supply base by supplier engagement & business development
Marketing Strategy
The local content development plays multiple roles and offers several services to internal and external stakeholders such as other departments, government agencies, and private entities. Some of these services include portal access, cybersecurity suppliers, bid box, registration group, supplier performance, supplier qualification, and supplier solutions center. All the department’s services are synchronized to pursue the company’s vision and mission: to pursue distinction in supplier relationship management and local content and develop a competitive supply base by supplier engagement and business development. Although the department has a clear vision, mission, roles, and services, it lacks a clear communication strategy to approach its internal and external stakeholders and promote its services. Therefore, this research proposal aims at creating a standard format for communication to approach the department’s external stakeholders and explore plans that will make the approach more effective and aligned with the vision and mission. The proposal will also recommend some of the tools and resources that the department may require to make the communication strategy effective for the next two years.
Standard Format for Communication to Approach the External Stakeholders (Government Entities)
As stated in the previous highlights, government entities are external stakeholders whose primary role is to invest and increase local content. However, unlike internal stakeholders, the government entities have a distinct power-interest relation in the company, which can help determine the best communication strategy that the department can use to approach the former. Therefore, the first step in developing a communication approach for the government entities is mapping the organization on the power-interest relation matrix to determine the level of interest in the department and the desired level of communication.
Figure 1: Power/Interest Matrix
Different stakeholders fall under the four quadrants of the power-interest matrix, as is evident from the above figure. Ackermann and Colin mention that stakeholders in the upper two categories have the most stake in an entity but varying degree of power (183). For example, stakeholders on the right-hand side exercise high power in the entity but may or may not be highly interested in its activities (Ackermann and Colin 183). Conversely, those at the lower two categories have a minor stake in the entity and varying degree of interest in the organization. Ginige et al. also add that mapping helps inform an organization about the level of engagement required for the various stakeholder groups (1200). For example, as is evident from the matrix, an organization should keep stakeholders with high power-low interest satisfied through its activities. On the other hand, an entity should keep stakeholders with high interest-low power happy and informed during its operations.
In this case, government entities have high power and low interest in the organization because their primary purpose is to bring more investments to increase the department’s local content. Notably, the agencies have a strong influence because their investment is of utmost importance to the department’s growth and success. However, the entity may not have a significant interest in everyday departmental activities. Based on the power-interest matrix, it is evident that the government agencies fall in the upper, left-hand quadrant. This information implies that the department should keep the government entities satisfied through the adequate provision of services.
In terms of communication, the department should maintain regular but thoughtful and well-planned interactions with the government agencies. As the literature suggests, stakeholders in this quadrant should be kept satisfied but not to the degree they become bored by an entity’s messages (Moreno-Marimbaldo and Miguel-Ángel 11). Therefore, the standard format of communication to approach this external stakeholder should include formal communication strategies such as reports, presentation decks, and newsletters.
Monthly or annual reports would be an effective strategy for communicating with the government entities to inform them about the department’s services, progress, and any upcoming projects that may require their investment. Arguably, this communication strategy would be appropriate because it is formal. Besides, newsletters and reports would be ideal for communicating with the agencies without making them feel bored because information would be thoughtful and intended to raise awareness and keep them informed of important matters.
Apart from the formal communication channels, it would be vital for the department to use a standard communication process to approach the government entities. As the literature suggests, the communication process consists of eight essential components; source, message, channel, receiver, feedback, environment, context, and interference (“Communication for Business Professionals”, 2018). However, the department would use only five of the essentials; source, message, channel, receiver, and feedback (see figure 2).
Figure 2: Communication Process
The formal communication would begin from the source, the department, where an encoded message would be sent to the government agencies’ secretary or the person in charge of communications. An appropriate communication medium such as an email or a letter addressed to the agencies may transmit the intended message to the agency. After receiving the message, the government agency can decode it, and where necessary, feedback would be sent using the same communication channel.
Plans to Make the Approach More Effective and Aligned with the Department’s Vision and Mission
As highlighted in the vision and mission statements, some of the department’s objectives are to maintain effective relations with the suppliers to enhance its supply base and promote business development. To attain these visions and missions, the department must maintain an interactive communication strategy to engage and build its supplier relationship management. For this reason, one of the strategic plans that may make the approach more effective is exploring interactive, quick, cost-effective, and formal channels of communication to reach its external stakeholders. Some of these channels may include instant chat and zoom meetings. Scholars note that instant messaging is advantageous because an organization can hold a virtual conference without getting every required stakeholder in a physical conference space (Maina 4). In this case, the organization could use instant messaging apps to hold virtual meetings with some government representatives to discuss any arising matters and receive prompt feedback during such interactions.
Tools and Resources Needed to Make the Strategy Effective for the Next Two Years
For the department to maintain interactive communication channels, it must invest significantly in advanced technology. In the next two years, more communication channels may emerge in the business environment due to improvements and growth in technology. Arguably, more instant, formal, and cost-effective channels of communication may arise with time. However, the organization must have the required technological infrastructure to take advantage of such channels and support communication. Besides, financial and human resources may also be necessary to facilitate effective interactive communication.
Conclusion
Evidence presented in this paper shows that the local content development department will require a formal communication strategy comprising the five essentials of communication to approach external stakeholders such as government entities. The proposal also recommends the department invest in interactive communication channels such as instant chats and zoom meetings to help pursue its vision of supplier relationship management. Besides, it is recommended that the department should invest in technological infrastructure and maintain financial and human resources to keep the communication strategy effective for the next two years.
Works Cited
Ackermann, Fran, and Colin Eden. “Strategic Management of Stakeholders: Theory and Practice.” Long Range Planning, vol. 44, no. 3, 2011, pp. 179–196.
Communication for Business Professionals. Press Books, 2018, ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/commbusprofcdn/chapter/1-3-eight-essential-components-of-communication/. Accessed 18 June 2021.
Ginige, Kanchana, et al. “Mapping Stakeholders Associated with Societal Challenges: A Methodological Framework.” Procedia Engineering, vol. 212, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1195-1202.
Maina, Tirus Muya. Instant Messaging an Effective Way of Communication in Workplace. 2013.
Moreno-Marimbaldo, Francisco-Javier, and Miguel-Ángel Manso-Callejo. “Methodological Approach to Incorporate the Involve of Stakeholders in the Geodesign Workflow of Transmission Line Projects.” ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, vol. 9, no. 3, 20 Mar. 2020, p. 178.