What is it?
Investor Relations is a strategic management responsibility that integrates: finance, communication, and marketing, for the most effective two way communication. The communication is between a company, the community and other constituencies.
Companies strive to maximize shareholder value, they must continually communicate their progress toward that goal to the investing public. Investor relations is an essential part of the corporate communication process. Investor relations need to link their communications to a companies strategy and vision, as frequently as possible. Investor relations is now taking some of the work originally done by the PR and media, they are communicating to many of the same people.
Because of changes in business and regulatory environment over the past decade have affected the way corporations decide how and to whom, and to what extent they convey financial and operating results.
Objectives of Investor Relations
Explain the company’s vision,. Strategy, and potential to investors and “conduit constituencies” such as analysts and the media.
Ensure that expectations of the company’s stock price are appropriate for its earnings prospects,the industry outlook, and the economy.
Reduce stock pricing volatility.
Types of Investors
Institutional Investors
Individual Investors
Intermediaries
The media
Sell-Side Analysts
Rating agencies
All of these investors use the companies annual reports to figure out if they would like to invest themselves, their money, and their time in the company. All of the above look at different parts of the company they are interested, but also as a whole. They need to know that if they invest in the company, it is the right choice, and they will know if it is by looking at past financial reports, and the predicted future of the company.
Real Life Experience
The only real life experience I have is working at Prodigal Media (advertising firm). While working there I had to type up annual reports. The firm was involved in creating the annual report, the look and the text. All the numbers and figures where given by the company we just designed the final product. This was hard to do. Number 1 it was hard to get all the figures typed up right, and to get it organized in a way that would be appealing to look further into. Like the Heinz annual report we wanted to make it appealing, as exciting as it could be and full of information. The annual report was one of my worst assignments while working at Prodigal, yet it taught me just how important it is for the investors in the company to want to read the report further and in a easy and well thought out fashion.
Other links:
While looking at this link, I see exactly who Microsoft is trying to appeal to in the investor realm. It gives links to look at for annual reports and also gives future plans for the company.
http://www.microsoft.com/MSFT/DEFAULT.MSPX
In class our assignment was to look at this website and see if all the components were involved for the investor relations. This website was wonderful, it explained the investor relations and in great detail, in a very appealing way. This was a great reference.
http://www.heinz.com/
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Intercultural Communications
What is it?
Intercultural communication is becoming a major part in doing business. Business is made between individuals; these individuals don’t necessarily have to have the same beliefs, morals, or ideas. The individuals need to have the want to do business, and the want to deal with different cultures, and their differences.
What to do?
The individuals need to “read between the lines” and understand the non-spoken expressions in various cultural contexts. More important than language are the non-verbal cues, they are sometimes overlooked when studying another country. When studying how you should act in dealing with another culture, you must know how to conduct yourself with non-verbals. Body language is a major part of communication and can make or break a deal if you disrespect the other person.
Example:
In India, you must not make eye contact, you must not point your feet at the person you are talking with, you should never touch anyone on the head. When standing around you should never put your hands on your hips or wag your finger at another person to get them to come to you. These little things are very important to follow. If you break one of these rules while there you will defiantly not get the sale or deal you are striving for while visiting the other country.
The differences in meeting times are also important. In India you have meetings at brunch time or in the mid afternoon never dinner meetings. Also you never ask for a drink or food, you wait to be asked, (and you wait to be told where to sit) and when you are asked you do not say yes the first time that is considered rude. When the meal is coming to an end, never finish everything on your plate, this is considered rude, you must leave a little bit not eaten, this means you are stratified with your meal and not still hungry.
Work Example:
As I have stated before, I am the assistant coach for the swim team. We have a swimmer that is from Israel and another one from Thailand. When talking about holidays with the Galit it is hard because, she is Jewish and does not like to talk about God or Christmas or any thing of that sort. So when at practice I need to be thoughtful when she is around to not make her feel uncomfortable. Also the girl from Thailand (Nune) she has the cultural differences some the same as in India. I always wondered why she never looked me in the eyes or never faced me while talking. The reason she does not do this is because in her culture she does not point her feet at the person she is talking to nor have eye contact with them. Also when she is around an elder she must be lower than them, if she is taller than her parents she must bend down while speaking with them. The good thing is Nune is very short so that is not a problem around me. She is a very nice girl but now that I know she has these cultural differences (from talking with her about India), I have been a bit more cautious not to aggravate her.
Other Links:
This link goes into more depth about the subject of intercultural communication. It helped me explain the subject throughout my blog.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/10/142_32870.html
This link was handy while I was learning the cultural differences from working in India.
http://nealgandhi.wordpress.com/2008/01/17/working-in-india-cultural-differences/
Intercultural communication is becoming a major part in doing business. Business is made between individuals; these individuals don’t necessarily have to have the same beliefs, morals, or ideas. The individuals need to have the want to do business, and the want to deal with different cultures, and their differences.
What to do?
The individuals need to “read between the lines” and understand the non-spoken expressions in various cultural contexts. More important than language are the non-verbal cues, they are sometimes overlooked when studying another country. When studying how you should act in dealing with another culture, you must know how to conduct yourself with non-verbals. Body language is a major part of communication and can make or break a deal if you disrespect the other person.
Example:
In India, you must not make eye contact, you must not point your feet at the person you are talking with, you should never touch anyone on the head. When standing around you should never put your hands on your hips or wag your finger at another person to get them to come to you. These little things are very important to follow. If you break one of these rules while there you will defiantly not get the sale or deal you are striving for while visiting the other country.
The differences in meeting times are also important. In India you have meetings at brunch time or in the mid afternoon never dinner meetings. Also you never ask for a drink or food, you wait to be asked, (and you wait to be told where to sit) and when you are asked you do not say yes the first time that is considered rude. When the meal is coming to an end, never finish everything on your plate, this is considered rude, you must leave a little bit not eaten, this means you are stratified with your meal and not still hungry.
Work Example:
As I have stated before, I am the assistant coach for the swim team. We have a swimmer that is from Israel and another one from Thailand. When talking about holidays with the Galit it is hard because, she is Jewish and does not like to talk about God or Christmas or any thing of that sort. So when at practice I need to be thoughtful when she is around to not make her feel uncomfortable. Also the girl from Thailand (Nune) she has the cultural differences some the same as in India. I always wondered why she never looked me in the eyes or never faced me while talking. The reason she does not do this is because in her culture she does not point her feet at the person she is talking to nor have eye contact with them. Also when she is around an elder she must be lower than them, if she is taller than her parents she must bend down while speaking with them. The good thing is Nune is very short so that is not a problem around me. She is a very nice girl but now that I know she has these cultural differences (from talking with her about India), I have been a bit more cautious not to aggravate her.
Other Links:
This link goes into more depth about the subject of intercultural communication. It helped me explain the subject throughout my blog.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/10/142_32870.html
This link was handy while I was learning the cultural differences from working in India.
http://nealgandhi.wordpress.com/2008/01/17/working-in-india-cultural-differences/
Friday, November 7, 2008
Crisis Communication
What is it?
Crisis Communication is how an organization/company handles a situation that may arise that is out of their control that can be considered a crisis. How they communicate to the public means everything while keeping up your reputation for your company.
What is a Crisis?
A crisis can be anything from a natural or man-made disaster. A natural includes hurricanes, such as Hurricane Katrina. Man-made disasters are problems that could harm us. Such man-made disaster is the Tylenol crisis.
A crisis may occur on a personal or societal level. It may be a traumatic or stressful change in a person's life, or an unstable and dangerous social situation, in political, social, economic, military affairs, or a large-scale environmental event, especially one involving an impending abrupt change. More loosely, it is a term meaning 'a testing time' or 'emergency event'.
Crisis Example
The Tylonal Crisis in 1982 was a disaster that was handled very well by Johnson and Johnson. The Tylanol capsuls were laced with cyanide, which caused 7 people to die. This was a major issue, and the way that the company handled the crisis is the biggest reason Tylanol is still around today. They had an immediate recall and took all Tylonal off the shelves. They carried themselves in a way that showed they cared about their consumers which kept up their respoinsiblity and trust.
Real life Examples
I have not been involved in a major crisis, and I am very happy about that (knock on wood) but within the swim team this year there was a swimmer who came to us coaching with an inncedent that accured outside of the pool that is very tramatic and very major. It turned into a crisis on the team this year. I am not going to go into detail about it because it is still going on. But the way we handled the situation was keeping it quiet, not shouting the details to the ceiling, but making sure the people who need to know know. The Athletic advisor knows all of the information needed, and the NCAA is involved. We have handled the siuation by banning the kids involved from swimming in meets until the situation gets cleared. Sorry I can not give many details, but I guess I am handling this “crisis” appropriotly.
Other links:
This link outlined what a crisis is, why it is important to react to in the right way and the process involved.
http://www.lsu.edu/pa/crisis.html
This site shows seven steps that must happen when a crisis may occur. It is another very helpful site to reference when learning about the subject.
http://www.globalprblogweek.com/archives/7_musthave_elements_.php
Crisis Communication is how an organization/company handles a situation that may arise that is out of their control that can be considered a crisis. How they communicate to the public means everything while keeping up your reputation for your company.
What is a Crisis?
A crisis can be anything from a natural or man-made disaster. A natural includes hurricanes, such as Hurricane Katrina. Man-made disasters are problems that could harm us. Such man-made disaster is the Tylenol crisis.
A crisis may occur on a personal or societal level. It may be a traumatic or stressful change in a person's life, or an unstable and dangerous social situation, in political, social, economic, military affairs, or a large-scale environmental event, especially one involving an impending abrupt change. More loosely, it is a term meaning 'a testing time' or 'emergency event'.
Crisis Example
The Tylonal Crisis in 1982 was a disaster that was handled very well by Johnson and Johnson. The Tylanol capsuls were laced with cyanide, which caused 7 people to die. This was a major issue, and the way that the company handled the crisis is the biggest reason Tylanol is still around today. They had an immediate recall and took all Tylonal off the shelves. They carried themselves in a way that showed they cared about their consumers which kept up their respoinsiblity and trust.
Real life Examples
I have not been involved in a major crisis, and I am very happy about that (knock on wood) but within the swim team this year there was a swimmer who came to us coaching with an inncedent that accured outside of the pool that is very tramatic and very major. It turned into a crisis on the team this year. I am not going to go into detail about it because it is still going on. But the way we handled the situation was keeping it quiet, not shouting the details to the ceiling, but making sure the people who need to know know. The Athletic advisor knows all of the information needed, and the NCAA is involved. We have handled the siuation by banning the kids involved from swimming in meets until the situation gets cleared. Sorry I can not give many details, but I guess I am handling this “crisis” appropriotly.
Other links:
This link outlined what a crisis is, why it is important to react to in the right way and the process involved.
http://www.lsu.edu/pa/crisis.html
This site shows seven steps that must happen when a crisis may occur. It is another very helpful site to reference when learning about the subject.
http://www.globalprblogweek.com/archives/7_musthave_elements_.php
Sunday, November 2, 2008
21st Century Communication Trends
What it is…
There are many different communication trends that are different than in the past. The world is changing. People are changing and our priorities have changed. In the past most woman did not work, and just stayed home with their children. Now a days woman do work, some hold jobs very high up in the corporate latter. There is business done in different countries, which causes diversity, and people to network. This is one reason why communication trends have changed.
Different Trends
Globalization
Diversity
Flexibility
Flat
Networked
In my blog I am going to concentrate on three of the trends I think are most important, globalization, diversity, and flexibility.
Globalization
Globalization is a main trend because of the cross country business deals, meetings, and expanded corporations. McDonalds is one of the biggest corporations that have done this. McDonalds has products in different countries that appeal to the culture in that particular country.
Diversity
In the workplace there are major diversities. Even in our class there are many different ethnic groups. This is a trend that we must get used to considering we must know the difference between our cultures to be able to communicate effectively. Even non-verbal actions mean different things between different cultures. In knowing the definitions of certain actions of the diverse employees you are working with will give an advantage to your organization. If your organization does not know how to communicate effectively between the different diversities, your organization will have a hard time succeeding.
Flexibility
Flexibility is an awesome thing that an organization can offer to their employees. Flexibility can include the amount and time of hours per week or day of working, the amount of work you do yourself and the amount of work you share with another employee. Another example of flexibility is when an organization offers a workout facility, meals or a hair salon within the organization. The company Google does all of those and also allows their employees to bring their dogs to work. This is a great example of an organization that flourishes with flexibility.
Work Experiences
When I was working in my internship at Prodigal Media, they were very flexible with my class schedule. I would work only 4 hours a day 5 days a week. They let me come in when I would like depending on my class schedule, and the amount of homework I had per week. This type of flexibility was a organization wide schedule, everyone in the organization can pick their hours. The employees work a lot more efficient when they can pick their hours.
Also at this internship we were able to go to lunch together and discuss projects. The reason why we were able to leave the office and go to a paid lunch together was to get our creative juices flowing. This is a very important aspect in a creative workplace.
With my graduate assistant position I am able for the most part to leave and go to lunch whenever I would like. I also can go home whenever I would need to. I think this is good because I tend not to over indulge in this. I want to be at work, so it works out that I am there, but it is nice to know that I can leave whenever I would like.
Other links:
In this article it explains all of the aspects of flexibility in the workplace. Flexibility is a great way to keep your employees happy and wanting to work at your organization.
http://www.familiesandwork.org/3w/tips/downloads/companies.pdf
This link shows how IBM incorporates different countries into their internet website. It is a good way to actually see the globalization in action.
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/lwwcm-global/
There are many different communication trends that are different than in the past. The world is changing. People are changing and our priorities have changed. In the past most woman did not work, and just stayed home with their children. Now a days woman do work, some hold jobs very high up in the corporate latter. There is business done in different countries, which causes diversity, and people to network. This is one reason why communication trends have changed.
Different Trends
Globalization
Diversity
Flexibility
Flat
Networked
In my blog I am going to concentrate on three of the trends I think are most important, globalization, diversity, and flexibility.
Globalization
Globalization is a main trend because of the cross country business deals, meetings, and expanded corporations. McDonalds is one of the biggest corporations that have done this. McDonalds has products in different countries that appeal to the culture in that particular country.
Diversity
In the workplace there are major diversities. Even in our class there are many different ethnic groups. This is a trend that we must get used to considering we must know the difference between our cultures to be able to communicate effectively. Even non-verbal actions mean different things between different cultures. In knowing the definitions of certain actions of the diverse employees you are working with will give an advantage to your organization. If your organization does not know how to communicate effectively between the different diversities, your organization will have a hard time succeeding.
Flexibility
Flexibility is an awesome thing that an organization can offer to their employees. Flexibility can include the amount and time of hours per week or day of working, the amount of work you do yourself and the amount of work you share with another employee. Another example of flexibility is when an organization offers a workout facility, meals or a hair salon within the organization. The company Google does all of those and also allows their employees to bring their dogs to work. This is a great example of an organization that flourishes with flexibility.
Work Experiences
When I was working in my internship at Prodigal Media, they were very flexible with my class schedule. I would work only 4 hours a day 5 days a week. They let me come in when I would like depending on my class schedule, and the amount of homework I had per week. This type of flexibility was a organization wide schedule, everyone in the organization can pick their hours. The employees work a lot more efficient when they can pick their hours.
Also at this internship we were able to go to lunch together and discuss projects. The reason why we were able to leave the office and go to a paid lunch together was to get our creative juices flowing. This is a very important aspect in a creative workplace.
With my graduate assistant position I am able for the most part to leave and go to lunch whenever I would like. I also can go home whenever I would need to. I think this is good because I tend not to over indulge in this. I want to be at work, so it works out that I am there, but it is nice to know that I can leave whenever I would like.
Other links:
In this article it explains all of the aspects of flexibility in the workplace. Flexibility is a great way to keep your employees happy and wanting to work at your organization.
http://www.familiesandwork.org/3w/tips/downloads/companies.pdf
This link shows how IBM incorporates different countries into their internet website. It is a good way to actually see the globalization in action.
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/lwwcm-global/
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