Addressing Internal Issues in a Basic Strategic Internet CommunicationsPlan
Addressing Internal Issues in a Basic Strategic Internet Communications Plan
This lab discusses a number of issues inside an organization that should be addressed in a strategic Internet communications plan. Some outside issues, such as competition, can also be included, but these are looked at from the perspective of how they affect internal issues. As previously discussed, strategy involves a long-term objective for Internet communication. Discussing actual tactics to execute Internet communication strategies should be avoided at this level.
Before developing a future strategy, it is necessary to assess current situations. First we look at where we are using Internet communication. Then we can decide how we want to use this communications method to affect the future. Strategic planning can take many forms, and a comprehensive plan should include audience targeting information from the previous chapter and financial justification from the previous lab. A basic strategic plan should also assess and strategize internal issues in the following four categories:
Organizational history and big picture overview
Current internal and competitive use of the Internet
Staffing and capabilities within an organization and needs for outsourcing
Automation of functional processes using the Internet
Organizational aspects, the big picture for a company or organization, is the first topic to be assessed and addressed in this part of the strategic planning process. Assessment and strategy topics issues should first include a brief history and a very general "30,000 feet" overview. This overview has nothing to do with the Internet but just identifies your organization's mission. A strategy can then be named that uses the Internet to further that mission.
A general look at how current operations are completed by your organization could include a discussion of the number of products or services you supply and the sizes of the audiences involved. Again, this does not mention the Internet at first. Then a possible strategy on Internet enhancement of these operations can be completed. Looking at your organization's current status in its marketplace or other universe and then how Internet communication could affect this situation can be included in a strategic plan. All of these discussions can be very general and broad in scope and act as an introduction to the next three subject areas.
Existing internal and competitive usage of the Internet is the second, more specific subject area. Looking at how the Internet is being used right now by your organization and others like it can lead to a strategy for how better to use the communication methods. For example, if you are using e-mail internally but not to communicate with members of your audiences, a strategy could be to increase this type of Internet communication.
Using the evolution levels from the previous chapter is also helpful for analyzing your current use of the Internet and any competitors' or other similar organizations' usage. Evolution levels can also be used as strategy targets for increasing efforts. For example, if your organization is at an informative level and another organization is at a transaction level, your strategy could be to increase your efforts to match your competitor.
The third, even more specific area in this part of a strategic plan involves internal and external responsibilities. Quite simply, who will be responsible for Internet communication within your organization? Will it be marketing, technology, or other personnel? It should be marketing or other communication people, but this is not always the case.
What capabilities does internal staff have to develop and maintain Internet communication and what will require outsourcing to outside help? You may have people inside that can contribute to an Internet effort. If you are reading this publication, maybe it is you. Maybe a number of people can be involved. Maybe front-end HTML and graphics development can be done inside while back-end database application building will require an outside vendor or consultant. Maybe internal technology staff can handle all aspects, with direction from the marketing and communication people. If staffing will require training to support Internet communication, then this should also be included.
A fourth area should discuss specific strategies for automating and transforming business processes. These strategies could include automation of information exchanges between employees inside and audience members outside an organization. Wherever information exchange takes place, a strategy for transforming that exchange to Internet communication could be developed.
For example, internal use of a database could be transformed to a Web-based model for easier access and use. Hard copy mailings of information to an outside audience could be transformed to electronic formats. Regardless of the information content, exchanges of information can be assessed. Then a strategy for using Internet communication to accomplish the same things can be created.
Information exchanges may or may not involve proprietary or personal information. This and other kinds of information may require some type of secure environment. This issue should also be addressed in the fourth subject area. Again, actual tactics for securing information (passwords, encryption, etc.) need not be discussed. But the transformation of information exchanges that need secure environments should be assessed and then included in an Internet communications strategy.
Exercises
Assessing and Strategize for Your Organization
Answer the following questions based on your current organization. If you are self-employed or a student, use an organization you are familiar with.
| a) | What is your organizational history? |
| b) | What is your organization's big picture strategy for using the Internet? |
| c) | What are your current operations? |
| d) | What is a possible strategy for using the Internet to enhance operations? |
| e) | What is your status in the marketplace? |
| f) | What is your strategy to affect your status in the marketplace? |
Assess and Strategize Existing Internal and Competitive Use of the Internet
Answer the following questions based on your current organization. If you are self-employed or a student, use an organization you are familiar with.
| a) | Using the evolution of Internet communication from the previous chapter, what is your existing internal situation regarding Internet communication? |
| b) | At what evolution level are your competitors' or other similar organizations' Internet communications activities? |
| c) | What is your strategy regarding competitive efforts? |
Assess and Strategize Internal Staffing and Capabilities
Answer the following questions based on your current organization. If you are self-employed or a student, use an organization you are familiar with.
| a) | How will you assign organizational responsibilities for Internet communication? |
| b) | What is your strategy regarding organizational responsibilities? |
| c) | What are your internal capabilities for Web and Internet communications development? |
| d) | What is your strategy for outsourcing development efforts? |
| e) | Is training of staff required? |
| f) | What is your training strategy? |
Assess and Strategize Enhancing Functional Processes Using Internet Communication
Answer the following questions based on your current organization. If you are self-employed or a student, use an organization you are familiar with.
| a) | What are your strategies for transforming external business processes? |
| b) | What are your strategies for automating existing internal processes using the Internet? |
| c) | What are your strategies for securing information? |
Exercise Answers
Answers
Answer the following questions based on your current organization. If you are self-employed or a student, use an organization you are familiar with.
| a) | What is your organizational history? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary. Your organization should be briefly described in a context relative to the largest element of the organization it is part of. Your answer should include relative time frames for your industry. This information is helpful is setting strategic goals. By looking at where we came from, we can begin to decide where we want to go. The Merrimack College Webmaster Certification Program has been in existence for three years and has increased in size and scope each year. One of the first programs of this type in the country, it is part of a professional education center that has been operating for six years and was established to provide noncredit professional education to vertical industry segments. The center is an independent department within a traditional four-year undergraduate academic institution. It originally served the training needs of local manufacturers but has recently been successful in offering educational products that serve the financial and technology marketplaces. |
| b) | What is your organization's big picture strategy for using the Internet? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary. For a future strategy in my program, we can utilize the Internet to serve the training needs of financial and technology companies through better marketing, customer service, and delivery methods. |
| c) | What are your current operations? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary to your situation. Your answer should discuss how your organization operates, the numbers of customers or products involved, and how information is stored and used to perform the organization's functions. This information is helpful in determining where Internet communication can be utilized to automate existing systems. Briefly, the Webmaster Certificate Program operates dozens of courses in six sessions during each year. We have several hundred students taking one or more classes at a time. We use two database systems: one that is operated locally by our center that contains all course, instructor, registration, and financial information; and a second that contains only financial information for the college's accounting processes. |
| d) | What is a possible strategy for using the Internet to enhance operations? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary widely. Since all operations involve some type of communication and information exchange, the Internet can be used somewhere to facilitate operations. A possible strategy for us is to automate information capture and presentation to better serve and communicate with our students. This automation process using the Internet will also facilitate internal information flow and communication. |
| e) | What is your status in the marketplace? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary widely. But some attention should be focused on how your organization relates to others in a pertinent universe or competitive marketplace. This information is useful in setting strategic goals by looking for ways that Internet communication can increase market share or cut operating costs in competitive environments. The Merrimack College Webmaster Certification program seeks students from the same geography as several programs run by other academic institutions in the college-rich Northeast. At this point, all have independent curricula and differ in many elements, including delivery models and approaches. |
| f) | What is your strategy to affect your status in the marketplace? |
| Answer: | Again, your answers will vary. Any answer should address a slightly specific perspective on how Internet communication can affect your organization's status in its marketplace or other grouping by increasing market share, providing better value, or enhancing its services to its audiences. Using the Internet, the Webmaster Certificate Program can look for ways to expand market share in this field outside our traditional geography using the Internet. We can also serve local students better through more efficient internal information exchange and increased communication quality with our students. |
Answers
Answer the following questions based on your current organization. If you are self-employed or a student, use an organization you are familiar with.
| a) | Using the evolution of Internet communication from the previous chapter, what is your existing internal situation regarding Internet communication? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary. Due to the explosion of Internet communication, your organization may already be involved in some way. Looking at current status can help in setting a strategy for eventual use of the Internet. The Webmaster Certification Program is operating at an interaction level. The program has a section on the college Web site for program information and schedules, a prospect capture form that forwards via e-mail, and a registration system that is not tied directly to our database system. Registrations are captured using a form and are forwarded in text using e-mail. We use e-mail effectively to communicate between employees and students. |
| b) | At what evolution level are your competitors' or other similar organizations' Internet communications activities? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary widely based on your situation. Since Internet use is becoming so widespread, we can learn from other's use of the technology. Many of the schools that offer similar programs near the Merrimack College are at about the same level of communication. They inform and interact with students using the Internet but conduct transactions using other methods. Of course, we do not know their internal use of the technology. |
| c) | What is your strategy regarding competitive efforts? |
| Answer: | Again, your answers will vary. Our strategy regarding competition will be to keep abreast of Internet communication use by other parties. As we are all in a service industry, our students will need to get the same level of service available at other programs. |
Answers
Answer the following questions based on your current organization. If you are self-employed or a student, use an organization you are familiar with.
| a) | How will you assign organizational responsibilities for Internet communication? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary but should include both communications or marketing staff and technically oriented staff. It is crucial, however, that the communications-related people in your organization retain decision-making involvement. It is a common but misdirected practice that Internet communication be assigned to a technology department because of the technology involved. As earlier chapters have demonstrated, the Internet is a communication medium. Communications-related people must drive the process, as they are the ones that can best formulate communications interchanges. In my organization a small committee was formed with representatives from the marketing department and the IS department. The marketing director for the institution chairs the committee and has final decision-making ability. She oversaw the original development project using an outside vendor. She now manages a small part-time staff of people, who have been adding to and updating the Web site for the college. |
| b) | What is your strategy regarding organizational responsibilities? |
| Answer: | Your organization may use a different model, but communications people must be involved. This could be part of a new strategy. Our strategy on this issue is to keep marketing and IS personnel working together under direction of the vice president (VP) of marketing. We are also seeking funding to staff the Web site full time. A staff position titled Webmaster will eventually be created and report to the VP of marketing and director of IS. |
| c) | What are your internal capabilities for Web and Internet communications development? |
| Answer: | Your answers will be based on your organization. Your situation may range from no internal capabilities except providing content to full development abilities, including both presentations and back-end database technology. At Merrimack we originally had no capabilities. Training was then sought for internal personnel to take over minor front-end updating. Later, students from the Webmaster Certification Program helped expand the presentations. |
| d) | What is your strategy for outsourcing development efforts? |
| Answer: | This answer will depend on your situation. Web and Internet development companies run from small local development operations and consultants to international advertising agencies. Vendors can be chosen to assist in any aspect of Web communications. Merrimack College originally contracted a specialized direct marketing agency with some experience developing Web sites for nonprofit institutions. This vendor built the original Web site, with input and direction from the VP of marketing. This site has been updated and expanded by internal efforts, discussed previously. |
| e) | Is training of staff required? |
| f) | What is your training strategy? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary. But since you are reading this book, you must be interested in training. Identifying and training personnel responsible for Internet communication is necessary. In our organization staff from IS and marketing communications received training on Web development and split updating and expansion work accordingly. Our strategy is to continue to train people as the effort expands so that the workload can be assigned fairly. |
Answers
Answer the following questions based on your current organization. If you are self-employed or a student, use an organization you are familiar with.
| a) | What are your strategies for transforming external business processes? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary widely but should touch on basic ideas for shifting business communication activities between your organization and your customers or other audience members to the Internet. This transformation is the justifiable goal of Internet communications evolution. The Internet is useful for traditional marketing and advertising efforts. But the use of Internet communication to automate existing business processes is a powerful method for cutting communication delivery costs in other media. Many automation strategies may initially involve using the Internet to provide better customer service for current audience members. Our strategy at Merrimack is to develop a Web-based transaction system that can capture registration information from students and present course, class, and other information from the current operational database to our audience members. Basically we want to put a Web front end on our current database. E-mail can also be used more effectively to communicate with students. Eventually, the development and use of a database-driven system can transform our traditional communication methods to Internet based. This will be more efficient for all parties involved and allow our program to serve more students at a higher level than is currently possible. Use of this system and a possible Web-based education delivery model will eventually lead to a community of students, educator, and administrators using the Internet to communicate more effectively and efficiently. This community already exists but will be enhanced by replacing traditional communication with Internet communication. |
| b) | What are your strategies for automating existing internal processes using the Internet? |
| Answer: | Your answers will again vary. But using Internet communication to transform internal communication processes is another excellent method for justification of such efforts. Strategies could include automation of sales force communication using a Web-based interface and distribution of internal information using e-mail lists and intranet Web sites. Our strategy is to better utilize communication internally to process questions and comments from students as well as for traditional internal communication such as memos, budget documents, and reports. In addition, a Web-based system for our internal financial database could also be tied directly to our operational database for more efficient transfer of information. |
| c) | What are your strategies for securing information? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary but should include acknowledgment of information security needs and what information requires security in the automated Internet communication systems. Personal contact data, financial information, credit card information, individual accounts, sensitive product information, and proprietary information products are some of the information types that require some type of security arrangements in Internet communications. The techniques and technologies behind the security processes are discussed in another publication in this series (Administering Web Servers, Security, and Maintenance, Prentice Hall PTR.), but it is important to identify what information requires security in the development process. In the Merrimack College project, each student would require his or her own secure access to grades, registration, and financial status information. Sensitive information and credit card or purchase order (PO) information would require a secure transfer system. In addition, the database systems where this information is stored would require protection from unwanted access while providing information to appropriate users. |
Self-Review Questions
In order to test your progress, you should be able to answer the following questions:
| 1) | Before developing a section of a strategic Internet communications plan, we need to
|
| 2) | Comparing Internet communication evolution levels is useful when assessing
|
| 3) | A strategy for assigning responsibility for Internet communications should involve
|
| 4) | Automating information exchange systems can enhance communications for audiences that are
|
EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 87