NAME : GEZAYÉ MOONSAMY

STUDENT ID : 2025030134

ID NUMBER : 0701210336080

COURSE : BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

QUALIFICATION : BACHELOR OF COMMERCE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

SEMESTER 1 , BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

CONTEXT PAGE

PAGE 1 ~ SECTION A
QUESTION ONE – IDENTIFY AND ANALYZE THE TWO COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
PRESENT IN THE CASE STUDY.
QUESTION TWO – BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN COMMUNICATION
WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS , AS WELL AS ITS IMPACT ON THE COFFEE SHOP. RESEARCH
THE NEGATIVE ROLE TECHNOLOGY CAN HAVE ON COMMUNICATION IN AN
ORGANIZATION.
IN TEXT REFERENCE
PAGE 2 ~ CONTINUATION OF QUESTION TWO
QUESTION THREE – EXPLAIN THE FLOW OF COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE
ORGANIZATION AND STATE THE TYPE OF COMMUNICATIONAL STRUCTURE
PRESENT WITHIN THE COFFEE SHOP.
QUESTION FOUR – IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF GROUP PRESENT IN THE ORGANIZATION.
QUESTION FIVE – HIGHLIGHT TWO POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS TYPE OF
GROUP AND RESEARCH STRATEGIES ON HOW THE ORGANIZATION CAN ENHANCE
TEAM SPIRIT
IN TEXT REFRENCE
PAGE 3 ~ SECTION B
IN TEXT REFRENCE
PAGE 4 ~ CONTINUATION OF THE ESSAY
IN TEXT REFRENCE
PAGE 5 ~ REFERENCES
SECTION A

1 . Cultural barriers are the differences in beliefs , norms and practices . These things can cause
Cultural barriers within the workplace. Such as in the case study , the employees Samir , Yusuf
and Goolam were obligated to attend their religious event. This caused a Cultural barrier
because due to their religion , these employees were not able to stay.
Psychological barriers are limitations on the human body , such as being blind or deaf . A
Psychological barrier is present within the case study. The employee John has a hearing
impairment. This disables him from being able to listen or hear anything . The appropriate form
of communication was not used with John, to indicate a meeting will be taking place . These
communication barriers was not taken into consideration therefore the four employees left
early .

2 . Technology is being widely used and becoming a common foundation for communication
within organizations . Many companies are becoming modernly advanced in their daily
operations , both domestic and international areas . Technology plays a vital role in that aspect.
Technology allows organizations to ensure that the work is done faster using online
communication or tools. Technology allows communication for big investments in companies to
have meetings via zoom or Skype, without the investors having to leave their location. In a big
organization, manually tasking employees may cause many mistakes. Technology allows
communication through online messaging apps , that are time efficient. Although technology
has a lot of positive impacts within organizations. The role of technology in communication can
also be affected negatively.
Miscommunication could occur due to information being shared online with no physical
expression to clearly express the information being shared online. In the case study , Tommy the
manager gave clear instructions to his assistant but he did not mention John , the employee
who had a hearing impairment. He also neglected to mention that three of the other employees
have religious obligations and they all would not be able to stay for the meeting afterwards .
Therefore this impacted the coffee shop because the information regarding the communication
barriers with the employees was not communicated properly .
Technology is the factor that radically changes and redefines not only organizations as
institutional legal entity of joined work of people , but all the processes and systems which are
done in organizations. It changes attitudes , expectations and behavior of employees. In order to
be able to use information and communication technology through which communication is
maintained, one needs to possess certain ICT resources.
In text reference – Naidoo ,C , (2025) , Business Communication , notes on the Communication
barriers at Berea Technical College, Durban , 2 may 2025
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However , this may represent a considerable expense for the companies which seek to
introduce it . In most cases , implementation of latest ICT results in increased productivity and
more efficient time management , and as much , it positively affects a company’s business , but
this might not apply for all companies.

3 . The flow of communication within the case study is downward communication. This is
evident as Tommy the manager called his assistant to inform the employees about the meeting .
Tommy the manager gives information to his assistant and this information is then passed on to
the employees . The communicational structure in the case study is informal communication.
Tommy the manager told his assistant the information regarding the meeting through a phone
call.

4 . The group present in the organization is a formal group. Tommy the manager assigns the
tasks to the employees , this shows that there is a clear structure. As the employees have
defined roles and responsibilities set out by the manager , Tommy . In a formal group , there is
direction of order that is given out formally by the one who is higher in position . Implementing
a formal group ensures that specific goals are met aligning with the organizations vision and
mission statement.

5 . The positive characteristics of this group includes clarity and structure . Formal groups
usually have an autocratic leader who assigns specific roles and responsibilities to each of the
employees. This characteristic prevents confusion and allows each employee task focus . Having
a well defined structure of work also ensures that goals are met quicker.
Accountability ensures that every employee is responsible for their own work . This creates a
workspace of ownership and this encourages effective performance.
The organization can have open communication, create a culture where team members feel
comfortable sharing ideas. Collaboration, encourage team building activities, work towards a
goal and encourage teams to collaborate together in decision making

In text reference – Raman , M. & Sharma , s. 2011 . Technical communication: principles and
practice. 2nd edition. New York Oxford University press.

PAGE 2
SECTION B
The communication process refers to a series of actions or steps taken in order to successfully
communicate. Communication in an organization is important because it is the backbone of any
organization. It is used to send and receive information between employees , customers and
stakeholders.
The components of the communication process includes the sender, the person who is
communicating the message /the individual itself . The encoding , the planning or thinking of
what the message will be . In the encoding phase , the sender has to consider the relationship
that the sender has with the receiver. The tone and structure in which the message is going to
be in I.e (harsh , calm etc ). Clarity , is the message clear enough, does it include all of the
relevant information needed. Language , the language used should be understood by both
parties. Lastly barriers , forms of barriers include language barriers and communication
barriers. In the case study , the director is English speaking whereas the staff speaks Spanish.
The message , what is the actual message , the central , main part of the communication
process . The channel of communication, which type of communication is being used .
Examples can include via WhatsApp, email , word of mouth or being directly spoken to .
Decoding is the receiver understanding the message considering the relationship with the
sender , the tone that’s being used , clarity of the message and language being used . The
receiver should interpret the message being sent . The receiver is the individual receiving the
message . The communication process is a circular process .
Miscommunication occurred between the director and staff because the director did not
communicate the proper information regarding the product . Instead of elaborating more on
what was needed to be done in order to advertise the product to the Spanish audience. The
director neglected to take into consideration their Spanish speaking employees . The director
also didn’t provide any context regarding the meaning of their product neither did he provide
significance . The director did not provide enough information leading to miscommunication
and conflict.
It is essential in groups for maintaining a healthy and productive environment. Resolving
conflict within the workplace requires strategies. These strategies include , understanding the
source . Open communication encourages Open dialogue and helps identify the root of conflict.
Encourage constructive discussion , the focus should be on the issues faced not on the
employees . Find common ground , encourage the employees to work towards a goal that
benefits both the employees and the company as a whole . Foster a working environment
where employees are able to compromise their own desires for the sake of work . Create
solutions together , collaborate problem solving techniques. Involve all group members to
help. Set ground rules and establish ground rules. Respect one another and their views .
Provide training programs that teach employees about cultural differences. Train employees
who are not very familiar with the language English.
In text reference – communication.https://www.slideshare.net/bmendole/communication
PAGE 3
Foster an environment where employees listen to each other and respect others opinions.
Create / Foster a workspace where employees feel comfortable saying how they feel and their
ideas . Clarify assumptions and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Establish
suggestions/feedback boxes and co-operate with the employees . Make the necessary
adjustments.

In text reference –
organizational.communicationhttps://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/doe/benchmark
/ch13.pdf
PAGE 4
REFERENCES

Communication.https://www.slideshare.net/bmendole/communication, 2 May 2025.

Intercultural communication.https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/intercultural-
communication.
Naidoo , C , (2025) , Business Communication, notes on the Communication barriers ,at Berea
Technical College , Durban, 2 May 2025.
Naidoo , C , (2025) , Business Communication, notes on the key components of the
communication process , 2 May 2025 .
Organizational.communication.https://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/doe/benchmark/
Ch13.pdf
Raman,M.& Sharma, s .2011. Technical communication : principles and practices . 2nd edition.
New York Oxford University press.

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