4.5.

COMMUNICATION
- Is the exchange of information and ideas
between two parties.
- In communication, a message is sent, and
feedback is received to complete the cycle.
- Can be done in oral, written, visual or
physical form

Benefits of fast and accurate transmission

of information to business
Fast and accurate information brings a lot of
benefits to an organization. These include:
 Suppliers can be contacted, and goods
received on time.
 Customers can be contacted in time on
new development.
 Problems can be discussed and ironed
out quickly.
 Information can be obtained about goods
overseas and order can be placed for
them.
 It offers workers a reliable means of
airing their views.
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  Management and stuff can discuss issues
in a timely manner.

Facilities provided by post office.

The post offers several services for
communication. These are postal and
remittances services. Information about the
services offered by the post offices is
contained in the Post Office Guide.

The most important service provided by post

office is Conveying letters.

1. Conveying letters
- Letters are used by the firms to make
contacts with their customers, suppliers, or
other firms.
- Although they are slower than phones and
other electronic means of communication,
they are cheap and provide a written form
which can be filed.

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- In some countries, due to the demand for
speedy delivery of letters, post offices have
introduced post codes which enable them to
sort of sending letters; mail automatically
using computers.

There are various ways of sending letters

and they are;

a. First class mail

-this is mail that is intended to be delivered
without delay.
- It is carried by air to central points and
then distributed from there to their
destination.
- Mostly used for mail that is sealed in
prescribed envelope.

b. Second class mail

- The delivery for second class mail is
longer than first class mail and the charges
are lower

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- Do not have to be sealed in envelopes
instead they should be wrapped in such a
way that it is open at the end so that they can
be inspected
- Is a service for publishers and publisher
agents.
-used for newspapers and magazine

c. The airmail service

-is a fast means of sending mail overseas
and sometimes island, sometimes aerograms
are used.

d. Surface mail
- Is mail sent by sea, road or rail. Mail is
sent by surface mail takes much longer to be
developed.

e. Poste resante
- Is a service offered to travelers who go to a
place for a short period of time. The worlds
post restante is inserted in the address and

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letters received are kept at the post office
until collected.

f. The freepost service

- Is offered to travelers who wish to receive,
correspondence to the client without
requiring them to pay for postage. The word
freepost is added to the organization and
anyone using such address does not need to
buy stamps.

h. The business reply service

- Can be used upon application. The
organization provides envelopes with their
address printed on them as well as the words
business reply service.
- Anyone using the envelope does not need a
stamp.

i. The registered mail

- Is used for sending valuable items.

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- The items are sealed in the envelope and
upon the payment of an extra amount it is
issued with a registration number.
- A certificate of registration is also issued to
sender

A certificate of posting for none

registered items.
-Is used when the sender wants to have a
record of posting the letters or parcel.
-An extra amount of money is charged for
this service.

j. Expedited mail service (EMS)/courier

services.
- It is a courier service
- It is used for sending articles by the fastest
means possible and may be hand delivered if
the location address of the recipient is given.

k. Financial services

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This is sending money through the post
office and can either be through money
order or postal order.

i. Money orders
- Used to transfer money to people far away.
- A form is completed and commission paid
after the sender is given a receipt.
- The post office sends a fax to the other
post office who notifies to call the other post
office for the money.

ii. Postal order

- May also be used to transfer money.
- These are special documents with fixed
amounts printed on them.
They are combined to make up the amount
to be remitted and a commission is paid
- The sender completes these and also the
counterfoils which she retains.
- On receipts the beneficiary goes to the post
office and exchanges them for cash.

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iii. Cash on delivery (COD)
- Is a service used mainly by mail order
business.
-The selling organization may arrange with
the post office so that when he item reaches
the post office, the receiver or addressee
payees the cost of the item plus any charges
before the item is delivered to him.

l. Agency services

m. Philately

TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICE
There are a number of telecommunication
services which a business organization may
use in communication with other
organizations.
1. TELEPHONE

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- Is of the basic forms off
telecommunication media available.
- It provides an instant feedback but it can
be very expensive.
- Telephone services provided include the
following;

a. Toll-free calls
- This facility enables business to receive
lots of calls from its potential customers
without having to pay anything.
- Such calls are recorded and the business is
billed for them later.

b. Telephone booths/Public telephone

- The telecommunication corporation
provides a number of telephone booths at
various strategic points to enable people to
make calls at various places outside the
office.
- The booth is either coin- operated or phone
card operated.

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c. Operator service
- Enables the caller to seek information from
the telephone provider where the
information is not available in telephone
directors.
- Operators can be called 24hrs.

d. Answering machine
- It is a machine connected to the telephone
and is used to answer calls in the absence of
the person.
- The use of answering machine allows a
telephone use to receive calls anytime of the
day that is 24hrs.

e. Telex
- This offers a facility to send a coded
message to a distant place.
- The sender and the receiver should both
have the machine at their ends so that they
can send messages between them.
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- This machine uses the normal alphabet so
there is no need to decode the message.
- It is however, Unable to send complex
messages like charts, graph.

f. Facsimile (fax)
- It is an improvement of the facilities
provided by the telex as fax can be used to
send complete messages including pictures,
charts, and graphs,
- It uses the phone network.
- An instant copy of the message is received
at the other ends.
- It can be used to send and receive
messages anytime of the day (24hrs).

g. Radio phones
- This service provides mobile telephones
which can be hand held, installed in car, on
trains and in express coaches.

2. INTERNET AND E-MAIL

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- Is a global network of computers which
provides access to vast amount of
information to the user
- It also provides a means of
communication.
- To make use of internet, a computer is
required with a modern and a telephone line.
- Once connected, the user can have access
information on any topic by using search
engines line yahoo, goggle etc.

a. The internet

b. Electronic mail (e-mail)

E-mail is available on the internet and is a
means of sending mail from one computer to
another that is also linked to the internet.

c. Teleconferencing
- This enables people at distant locations to
see and talk to each other.

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- Each person operates from a studio
equipped with a video camera and television
set.
- Through satellite technology, the parties
can hold a meeting as they hear and see each
other.
- Computers can be used for this kind of
communication.
- It helps to avoid long distance travels by
executives.

d. Teletext

e. Prestel

f. Vsat network

g. Datel

THE IMPORTANCE OF ELECTRONIC

COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS
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i. Electronic communication in the form of
the internet and e-mail offer business
organization a fast and effective means of
communication.
ii. It has led to the development of e-
commerce, a method of trading on the
electronic media via the internet.
iii. Business can be done with individuals or
organizations at any part of world with
immediate results.

FACTORS AFFECTING CHOICE OF

COMMUNICATION MEDIA

a. Urgency of the message

-If the message needs to reach the recipient
without delays, then the sender will opt for a
media that will deliver quickly, that is first
class mail rather than 2nd class mail.

b. Cost involved

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- Some media of communication are more
expensive than others.
- It is up to the sender to determine whether
the message to be sent is worth the cost that
should be paid for it.

c. The need for a permanent record

- The telephone is one of the fastest means
of communication, but it does not leave a
permanent record.
- Where the message is urgent but requires a
written record, an electronic mail or
facsimile can be used.

d. Nature of the correspondence

- It is possible to generate invoices and other
source documents on the computer and send
them electronically to the other party.
- However, if the original of certain
documents are needed, it may not serve the
purpose to send them electronically.

e. The need for security

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